NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Action on Thursday

Pittsburgh Penguins: -225 Moneyline Favorites over New York Islanders

The Pittsburgh Penguins started off their series against the No. 8-seeded New York Islanders with a resounding 5-0 victory. However, things have been rocky since then; they lost Game 2 4-3, pulled out Game 3 with an overtime 5-4 victory, and lost game 4 in an ugly 6-4 affair. The torrid goal-scoring led Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma to bench Pittsburgh starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for the game.

“We’re hoping that they are a little rattled and they are a little worried about us because we think that we have every opportunity to win this series,” New York defenseman Matt Carkner said. “We’re here to win this series.”

Overall, Pittsburgh has played sloppily, and the Islanders have made them pay for it.

“Part of it is us not making bad plays sometimes, too,” he said. “When they’re coming that hard the play needs to be made and you’ve got to execute or else they’re coming back the other way pretty quickly.”

Here are some of the other betting trends for both teams heading into tonight’s game, courtesy of OddsShark.com:

New York Islanders Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing New Jersey are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

Pittsburgh Penguins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Ottawa are 5-5
After playing NY Islanders are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

A few Islanders at Penguins trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of the NY Islanders last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of the NY Islanders last 12 games when playing Pittsburgh
NY Islanders are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games
NY Islanders are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games at home
Pittsburgh is 16-3 SU in their last 19 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games at home

Montreal Canadiens: -130 Moneyline Favorites Over Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators have a commanding 3-1 lead over the Montreal Canadiens heading into tonight’s match, but they still find themselves as the underdog according to Vegas. The Senators were the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and the Canadiens were the second-overall seed. Montreal is playing at home, so they’re a smart moneyline bet tonight.

Here are a few of the other betting trends for both teams courtesy of OddsShark.com:

Ottawa Senators Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Boston are 6-4
After playing Montreal are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

Montreal Canadiens Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Ottawa are 6-4
After playing Ottawa are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4

A few Senators at Canadiens trends to consider:
Ottawa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Ottawa is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ottawa’s last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Ottawa’s last 15 games
Montreal is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Montreal’s last 12 games at home
Montreal is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
Montreal is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home