Lightning, Bruins Favored in Odds to Win East, Despite Playing Each Other in Round Two

• The Tampa Bay Lightning (+192) and Boston Bruins (+232) average out as the top two favorites to win the NHL’s Eastern Conference title
• Tampa Bay and Boston are facing each other in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs
• Second-round playoff pairings are guaranteeing either the Philadelphia Flyers (+281) or New York Islanders (+414) will be four wins away from the East title when the next round gets underway

---

The Boston Bruins are the NHL’s defending Eastern Conference champions. The Tampa Bay Lightning have played in three of the last five ECFs.

Oddsmakers are projecting that one of them will be winning the East title this year. Across the leading sportsbooks, the Lightning (+192) and Bruins (+232) average out as the top contenders to wear the crown among the four remaining eligible teams in the NHL Eastern Conference odds.

2020 Eastern Conference Odds

Team	Odds at Draft Kings
Tampa Bay Lightning	+200
Boston Bruins	+235
Philadelphia Flyers	+275
New York Islanders	+380

Odds as of Aug. 22nd.

Considering that Tampa Bay and Boston are squaring off in the second round of Stanley Cup play, one of them will clearly be in the ECF. However, that also means that the winner of the Philadelphia Flyers (+281) vs New York Islanders (+414) series will also be just four wins away from an Eastern Conference title when the next playoff round begins.

Will Lightning Strike?

While they’re favored to win the East, the Bolts saw their odds of winning the Stanley Cup jump from +500 to +650.

Tampa Bay’s third line of NHL trade-deadline acquisitions Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman along with Yanni Gourde were an agitating presence in the first round against Columbus.

Barclay Goodrow really ingratiated himself to his new #Bolts teammates in 5-3 win at Boston three games before the NHL pause. Goodrow got in a fight with Chris Wagner and had 11 PIMs, showed what a physical force he was. “For me, it was the most intense game before the stoppage.”

— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) August 22, 2020

They provided both goals in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 Game 4 win.

The Lightning have a Vezina-winning goalie (Andrei Vasilevskiy), a Norris-winning defenseman (Victor Hedman) and an Art Ross and Hart-winning forward (Nikita Kucherov).

Can Bruins Buck Trend?

Since 1985, just four Eastern Conference teams have gone to the Stanley Cup final in successive seasons. That’s an 11.4% chance of it happening again for Boston.

One series down.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/nP4R2LyA7V

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 19, 2020

The Bruins joined the NHL in 1924. Throughout their long history, they played in successive Stanley Cup finals once – in 1928-29 and 1929-30.

Boston is soldiering on minus Vezina-winning goalie Tuukka Rask, who opted to leave the bubble and return to his family. Backup Jaroslav Halak will be asked the carry the load.

Flyers Bandwagon Getting Crowded

Philadelphia was on a 9-1 run when the season was paused due to COVID-19. The Flyers picked right up where they left off, going 3-0 in round-robin play.

However, they hit a bit of bump along their road to glory against the 12th-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round. Philly was forced to scratch and claw for a six-game victory.

The next step starts Monday. #AnytimeAnywhere pic.twitter.com/GdejdVPE8p

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) August 22, 2020

The Flyers scored 11 goals during the series.

Averaging 27.2 years of age, Philadelphia is the youngest team left in the East. Eight Flyers are 23 or younger, including forward Joel Farabee, 19, and goalie Carter Hart, 21.

Islanders Offer Tremendous Value

Already in the postseason, the Islanders have smothered the NHL’s #6 (Florida Panthers) and #2 (Washington Capitals) offenses. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Isles surrendered 24 high-danger chances to the Capitals the entire series.

Up next, is the #7 offense in the Flyers. New York won all three meetings with Philly this season.

Saturday work. 💪

Getting ready for ℝ𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝟚! pic.twitter.com/rfJdSGMvJp

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) August 22, 2020

Barry Trotz is the only Stanley Cup-winning coach among this group. The Isles stick to their disciplined system religiously and are a sensational value play.

Another thing to keep in mind as you bet on an East winner – every time the Flyers and Islanders have met in the playoffs, the winning team either went on to capture the Cup, or at the very least, skated in the Cup final series.

Pick: New York Islanders (+414).

The post Lightning, Bruins Favored in Odds to Win East, Despite Playing Each Other in Round Two appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.

from Sports Betting Dime https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/news/nhl/lightning-bruins-favored-odds-win-east/
via https://diachibet.com/fb88
https://diachibet.com/fun88
from Tumblr https://diachibetcomme.tumblr.com/post/627197418417553408