Favorites had the slightest edge in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Six of the eight series favorites won, and favorites overall were +0.85 units. It continued a profitable season for favorites, which were +35.9 units during the regular season.

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The second round of the playoffs has been full of upsets in recent seasons. In the last five postseasons, favorites and underdogs have split the 20 series equally, 10-10. In individual games, favorites have been +21.6 units in this round in that span.

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Overs have also been successful so far, going 31-18-2. The Rangers-Penguins series went over the total in every game, becoming the first seven-game series in NHL history to feature at least seven goals in every game.

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We have also seen puck lines become more profitable, as 75% of games were decided by at least two goals, compared to 49% in the last two postseasons.

Odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Historical series odds from SportsOddsHistory.com.

St. Louis Blues (+320) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-410)

  • This is the largest series line in the second round since 2010 when the Pittsburgh Penguins (-430) faced the Montreal Canadiens (+335). Montreal upset Pittsburgh in seven games.

  • Since 2010, series underdogs of at least +300 are 4-4 in playoff series (+10.55 units). In the last 20 postseasons, they are 9-16 (+18.65 units).

  • When these teams met in the 1st round last season, the Avalanche (-500) swept the Blues (+400).

  • All three meetings in the regular season went over the total.

  • Overs are 21-8-1 when the Blues are underdogs this season. The Blues are 15-12-3 as underdogs this season (+4.05 units).

  • The Avalanche are 34-5-4 at home this season (+10.25 units). They are the 2nd-most profitable team in the NHL at home.

Edmonton Oilers (+170) vs. Calgary Flames (-200)

  • Game 1 will be the first time Edmonton has been an underdog in a playoff game since 2017. In the last three seasons, the Oilers had been favored in all 15 playoff games, going 5-10 (-10.85 units).

  • The Oilers have not been series underdogs this large since the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals (+170 vs Sharks; won in 6).

  • Edmonton is 28-11 as a home favorite this season (+8.5 units).

  • The Flames were -12.2 units at home compared to +7.9 units on the road in the regular season. In the first round, they were 3-1 at home (+0.6 units) and 1-2 on the road (-2.2 units).

  • The home team won all four meetings in the regular season.

Tampa Bay Lightning (+130) vs. Florida Panthers (-150)

  • This is the first time the Lightning have been plus-money to win a series since the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals (+175 vs Penguins, lost in 7). The Lightning had been favored in 12 straight series before beating the Maple Leafs as -105 underdogs in the 1st round.

  • The Lightning are 5-1 in postseason series starting on the road under Jon Cooper.

  • The Lightning have not been greater than +140 underdogs in any game this season, and they have not been greater than +145 underdogs in any game in the last five seasons.

  • The Lightning are 30-14-3 (+16.97 units) as an underdog in the last five seasons, and they are 11-3 as a playoff underdog in that span (+9.3 units). This season, Tampa is 6-6-2 as an underdog (-1.5 units) including 2-2 in the playoffs (+0.3 units).

  • The Panthers are +27.3 units with Sergei Bobrovsky in net, the best mark in the NHL and the best mark by any goalie in a single season in the last five seasons.

  • The Panthers are +16.3 units at home (36-8-0), the most profitable team in the NHL at home.

New York Rangers (+180) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-220)

  • The Hurricanes were -140 series favorites when they swept the Rangers in the 2020 Eastern Conference Qualifying Round.

  • The last time the Rangers were at least a +175 series underdog was in the 1st Round of 2009 (+210 vs Capitals, lost in 7 games).

  • The Rangers are 12-8 outright as an underdog with Igor Shesterkin in net (+7.15 units).

  • All seven Rangers games this postseason have gone over the total. During the regular season, Rangers games were 46-32-4 to the under, the highest under percentage in the NHL, including 33-18-1 in Shesterkin starts.

  • The Rangers are +17.5 units this season, best in the NHL. They are +8.6 units at home and +8.9 units on the road, both top four in the NHL.