This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
The National Hockey League has two playoff games scheduled for Friday evening. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers shift their series south for Game 3 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/Max, while the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets meet in Game 2 at 9:30 p.m. ET of their Western Conference best-of-seven series. We'll put together some parlay possibilities to try and build some bankroll for the rest of the playoffs. Let's get started.
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NHL Playoffs Friday: Maple Leafs vs. Panthers & Stars vs. Jets Betting Preview
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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers Game 3: Betting Insights and Predictions
The Maple Leafs and Panthers shift their best-of-seven series to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. for Game 3. Toronto leads the series 2-0.
Toronto has won two games in the second round for the first time since 2002. Florida won 16 games en route to a Stanley Cup championship last season, while piling up 29 victories in the playoffs in the past two years. There is a huge difference in playoff success, and Toronto finds itself in a little bit of uncharted territory.
The Leafs lost Anthony Stolarz to an upper-body injury and/or illness in the second period of Game 1 after contact to the head from Florida's Sam Bennett. Joseph Woll took over, and he was a bit shaky in Game 1. With a 4-1 lead, he and the Leafs hung on for the 5-4 win.
In Game 2, Woll made his first playoff start of the season. He kicked aside 25 of 28 shots in the team's 4-3 win.
Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky allowed four goals on just 20 shots, and he is 0-2 with a 4.70 GAA and .820 save percentage in two starts in this series, a far cry from his 16-win championship run last season.
In Game 2, Aleksander Barkov and Max Pacioretty exchanged power-play goals in the first period. Leaf killer Brad Marchand put the Panthers up 2-1 just 15 seconds in the second period, and Leafs fans were wringing their hands. However, William Nylander netted his sixth goal of the postseason just four minutes later, and Max Domi gave Toronto its first lead 3-2 with 17:09 to go in the period.
In the third, Anton Lundell quieted the crowd with a game-tying goal. But, just 17 seconds later, Mitch Marner struck for his second goal, with helpers to Jake McCabe and Auston Matthews, and the defense and Woll shut down the Cats for the remainder of the game.
Florida had 28 shots on goal, while Toronto was good for 20. The Leafs had a slight 41-to-39 hits advantage, while the Panthers were 1-for-2 on the power play, and the Leafs were 1-for-3 on the man advantage. Toronto was good for 25 blocked shots, while Florida paid the price just eight times.
As the series shifts to Florida, and the goaltender situation still a bit of a question mark for Toronto, we'll back the defending champs laying the goal and a half. Let's go high on the total, too.
- Panthers -1.5 (+118 at BetMGM)
- Over 5.5 Goals (-125 at ESPN Bet Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets: Game 2 Odds and Winning Strategies
The Stars picked up the 3-2 victory in Game 1 as slight underdogs (+100) as the Under (5.5) cashed.
It was a wild series opener, as the first and third periods were each scoreless. All of the scoring game in the second period, as Nino Niederreiter got the crowd at full throat at 3:30. However, Mikko Rantanen netted the natural hat trick with goals at 8:43, 14:21, and 16:38 to give Dallas a 3-1 lead. The last goal came on the power play.
At 17:35 of the second period, Mark Scheifele was back with his third goal of the postseason, returning from injury, closing the lead to 3-2. But that's as close as the Jets would come, as Jake Oettinger shut them down the rest of the way.
Oettinger stopped 29 of 31 shots, just besting Connor Hellebuyck, who had 21 saves on 24 shots in his first loss in five playoff home games.
Rantanen has back-to-back hat tricks, and he has a goal in four straight games, all multi-point performances. He has eight goals and 14 points with a plus-5 rating in the past four games after posting no goals and one assist in his first four playoff outings.
The Jets are just 4-4 in the playoffs so far, as the Presidents' Trophy curse is real, folks. Rantanen is the difference maker, as he is white hot right now, and the best thing going in the NHL. Until the Jets find a way to slow him down, back the Stars.
We'll go low on the total, too. The Stars and Jets cashed low in all four regular-season meetings, and the Under hit in Game 1. Until we start seeing Overs on the regular, keep banging the Under.
- Stars ML (+105 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 Goals (+105 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Expert NHL Picks and Parlay Opportunities for Friday's Playoffs
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+1037 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Panthers -1.5 (+108) vs. Maple Leafs
- Over 5.5 (-130) - Panthers vs. Maple Leafs
- Under 5.5 (+100) - Stars at Jets
- Stars ML (+102) at Jets
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+320 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Panthers -1.5 (+108) vs. Maple Leafs
- Stars ML (+102) at Jets
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+253 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 (-130) - Panthers vs. Maple Leafs
- Under 5.5 (+100) - Stars at Jets
- * Never risk so much on a singular bet, only as part of a Same-Game (SGP) or multi-leg parlay, especially with promos or boosts.
