Free NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs Picks, Best Bets, and Parlays for 5/11/22

These first round playoff games continue to be difficult to pick as the underdogs keep winning games to keep us bettors off balance. We hit the first two games last night but the Western Conference games were a disaster, especially the Edmonton-Los Angeles game. Tonight we have a possible elimination game in New York and two Game 5’s in Florida and Calgary.

We missed our Best Bet again as Edmonton made a great comeback to tie the game against the Kings, but LA came back and won 5-4 in overtime. Our Best Bet of the Day record is now 52-37 since the All-Star Break.

We went only 2-2 betting the MoneyLine as we lost the Blues and Oilers’ games. Our overall record is now 356-203 as the playoffs continue.

The run for the Stanley Cup continues today with 3 more games on the schedule. Let’s see what Vegas is thinking about the two Eastern Conference games and see if we can make the right picks tonight.

*PAPA DUDES BEST BET OF THE DAY* Washington at Florida: The series is tied at 2-2: The heavily favored Panthers got a late game-tying goal from Sam Reinhart to force overtime and then Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner to even up the series heading back to Miami for this pivotal Game 5. The Capitals have gone toe-to-toe with Florida and were 2 minutes away from a commanding 3-1 series lead. Ilya Samsonov has been outstanding in goal and they have shut down the high-scoring Panthers. Samsonov had 29 saves in Game 4 and he is going to have to play very well tonight. Florida has felt the pressure of having the league’s best regular season record and haven’t been in this position much in their short history. One would have to think that the comeback victory on Monday would take some weight off their shoulders. Plus, Washington has to be somewhat deflated after losing a game that looked like a winner. I think the Panthers are the solid choice in this one. PAPA DUDES BEST BET: Bet the MoneyLine on the Panthers -220

Pittsburgh at New York: Pittsburgh leads the series 3-1: This series has been my downfall as I have overestimated the Rangers. The Penguins have clearly been the best team and they have scored 14 goals in the last two games. Now, they head into New York with a chance to close out the Rangers and pull off this 1st round upset. They are down to their 3rd-string goaltender, Louis Domingue, and he has been sharp when he has been needed, making big saves at the right time. Jake Guentzel has scored 5 goals and Sidney Crosby has 2 goals and 7 assists, as he has been the playmaker the Penguins have needed. Meanwhile, the Rangers haven’t had many answers so far. Goaltending has been a problem as, Igor Shesterkin, has not been able to carry his great regular season into the playoffs. If he can return to form, that would be a great place to start. It has been a mystery as to why the Rangers have been so leaky on defense, as they were one of the best defensive teams in the regular season. It’s really hard to back them in this game, but I’m going to give them one last chance to prove they are better than what they have shown. PAPA DUDES PICK: Bet the MoneyLine on New York -135