There’s truly nothing like playoff hockey, and that means tonight offers some excellent action that’s worth a bet or two. I’ve already made my main bets for the Eastern Conference’s four playoff series, but individual games offer plenty of value as well, and I’ve got a few in mind for Monday’s plays.
There’s also baseball on the slate, so there’s plenty of plays to make for these evening games. Here are my best bets for May 2.
HURRICANES ML, -120
I’m not sure why everyone seems to think Boston is going to control this series. We’ve seen the Bruins come up against a team that dominated them in the regular season before, and Ottawa did it to them again when the Senators faced off with the Bruins in a best-of-seven. Carolina pounded Boston 16-1 in three games this season, and the Hurricanes seem to be the best team that nobody is talking about right now. I don’t see this Boston team hanging with the Hurricanes for all that long, and I like Carolina to jump on Boston here.
MARLINS ML, -175
The juice isn’t great in this situation, but I think it’s worth it because Pablo Lopez has dominated in this young season. The Marlins’ pitcher has an absurdly low ERA and goes up against the worst lineup in the majors, as the Diamondbacks are hitting just .181 as a team this season. Lopez has given up just one earned run all season, and I think he continues to shine here.
TWINS ML, -145
Minnesota has been rolling through the early part of its schedule and shouldn’t have too many problems going up against Baltimore. The Twins should be able to blunt the Orioles’ momentum here and take advantage of Baltimore’s weak lineup. As long as you can put a few runs on the board, you’ve got a good chance to best the Orioles, and I think the Twins stay hot here.
BLUE JAYS ML, +100
Toronto has been getting the job done against a tough slate to this point in the season and should be set up well to take command of the AL East as the season progresses. I expected the Yankees to have the better record to this point because of a weaker schedule, and so far, that’s playing out. I think the Jays show superiority in this one.
BLUES ML, +105
I’m waiting for the Wild to win a game before I trust them in this series. St. Louis won all three games against Minnesota this year, and the Blues have won nine of their past 10 meetings with the Wild. I think Minnesota is the better team in this series, but I cannot ignore that kind of dominance until something changes on the ice. For the time being, I have to go with the Notes.
