We are two days into the second-round games in the NHL playoffs, and you have to say that it has been pretty exhilarating so far. 2 of the 4 series saw Game 1 go to OT, while the defending champions won on the road and the Battle of Alberta delivered an absolute goal fest. While it is still very early in each of the series, Game 2 is very important for all the teams involved. The teams that won Game 1 can take a real stranglehold on the series with a win in the second game, while the losers in the opening game will be desperate not to fall into that hole. For the purposes of this piece, we are going to jump ahead to Friday night and the two games that are set for then. Predicting has been tough to this point, so let’s see if we can turn that around and help you out to cash in against the NHL Playoffs Odds.

Playoffs Second Round Games to Bet On May 20| NHL Betting Picks

New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes – Game 2

While we saw some scoring in the other Game 1 matches in the second round, this one was a defensive affair. It very much looked as though the Rangers were going to be able to hold on to a slender 1-0 lead, but the Hurricanes scored late to force this one into overtime. It was the Hurricanes who then went on to close things out with the winning goal in OT. In fairness, though, the Rangers will be kicking themselves, as they missed some gilt-edged opportunities in regulation to put the game away.

Given how things went in the opening game, you get the sense that this is going to be a tight series that has the potential to go the full 7 games. Then again, that could change if the Rangers are not able to bounce back and get the win in Game 2. If you look at the regular season series between these two teams, the one thing that stands out is that the Rangers won the second game in Carolina after losing the first one. That may be a sign that they are ready to tie this one up.

Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames – Game 2

You will not see a much stranger game than the one you witnessed in the opening game of this series. The Flames were 2-0 up on their first 2 shots of the game and all inside the opening minute. They had 5-1 and 6-2 leads, but we saw the Oilers peg that back to tie things up at 6 in the third period. The Flames were able to recover from that comeback to score 3 unanswered goals for the 9-6 win. While the score will certainly be seen as a surprise, maybe it shouldn’t be given that the last regular season meeting between these teams ended 9-5 for the Flames.

The concern for the Oilers is that we all knew they had some defensive frailties coming into the playoffs. Can they rebound from this loss and tighten up, knowing that this was a rare off night for the Calgary defense? If there is one thing that we can take from the 4 regular season meetings between these teams, it was that the home team won each of those games. Will that trend continue in Game 2? I think it might.

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