We haven’t quite reached the online NHL betting postseason, but we’re close enough to say that it looks more than possible that the Metropolitan Division will end up grabbing four spots in the playoffs. The reason being, the top three teams in the Metropolitan have more points than the rest of the NHL. Likewise, only the Chicago Blackhawks, who have amassed an impressive 102 points on the season, have more points than the Met’s 4th seed, the New York Rangers 96 point tally.
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The Boston Bruins, the Atlantic Division’s 4th-seed, will be competing for one of the two Wild Card seeds from the East. However, since Boston only has 84 points on the season, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to beat out the Rangers. Likewise, the Bruins currently have 2 more points than the Metropolitan’s 5th seed, the New York Islanders. But such a narrow lead means that Boston can’t afford any mishaps, especially since the Islanders are set to take the ice this NHL betting Monday night.
Nashville vs. New York – Monday, March 27
When: 7:00 pm ET
Where: Barclays Center, New York
TV: Local Broadcasts
Online NHL Betting Odds:
Nashville Predators +1½ (-320) 5½ (-125) -115
New York Islanders -1½ (+260) 5½ (+105) -105
Nashville Predators
After competing in 74 games this season, the Predators have clawed their way to a 38-25-11 record that ranks the franchise third in the Central Division, thanks to their 87 points. With that tally, Nashville owns a short one-point lead over 4th place St. Louis, and are quite a long ways off from catching second-place Minnesota, who is sporting 95 points on the season. The Predators have qualified for the postseason for the last two years straight now and they’ll need to finish the season strong in order to face some hockey playoff odds.
To help get them in the postseason, the Predators will turn to Ryan Johansen, who is leading the team in points with 57, as well as Filip Forsberg, who is leading Nashville in goals with 29. Additionally, the Preds come into this matchup with the league’s 7th best offense, 15th best defense, and 11th best power play percentage.
New York Islanders
The Islanders slide into this matchup flashing a 35-27-12 record that ranks the franchise 5th in the Metropolitan. If the season ended today, New York wouldn’t be competing in the postseason, the first time this has happened in three years. However, New York still has 8 games left on the schedule, plenty of time for a resurgence.
The online NHL betting odds may be slightly favoring the Predators over New York, but the Islanders are hoping John Tavares, New York’s leading point-scorer and goal-earner, has something to say about it. The Islanders come into this pairing with the NHL’s 11th best offense, 26th best defense, but 26th worst power play percentage.
