Free NHL Western Conference Playoffs Picks, Best Bets, and Parlays for 5/18/22

Last night, Jordan Binnington was absolutely brilliant for St.Louis in Colorado against the Avalanche. Unfortunately, his teammates didn’t show up and the Blues wasted a golden opportunity to win Game 1. Tonight, the Battle for Alberta begins as the Edmonton Oilers travel to Calgary to take on the Flames. This is a huge rivalry and this is going to be a great series.

We missed our Best Bet last night as we correctly picked Colorado to win but we missed the spread as Jordan Binnington was incredible for the Blues in a losing cause. Our Best Bet of the Day record is now 56-39 since the All-Star Break.

We went 1-1 betting the MoneyLine as we are kicking ourselves for not picking Tampa Bay ove Florida. We went with Florida figuring the Lightning might be a little leg-weary after their hard-fought over win Toronto in Game 7. Our overall record is now 369-207 as the playoffs continue.

The run for the Stanley Cup continues today with 2 more games on the schedule. Let’s see what Vegas is thinking about the Edmonton-Calgary Game 1 matchup.

*PAPA DUDES BEST BET OF THE DAY* Edmonton at Calgary: These two teams from the Alberta province are big rivals and there should be some exciting hockey in this series. Both teams had to win 7th games to continue into the next round. Edmonton has young stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way, and received production from veteran Evander Kane who scored 7 goals against the LA Kings. They will test the Calgary defense with their skill and ability. Mike Smith was solid in goal against the Kings and he will have to be consistent for Edmonton to win. The Flames were put to the test against Dallas, largely because of the goaltending of Stars’ goalie Jake Oettinger. They were held to 15 goals but it wasn’t because they weren’t getting shots. They finished the Dallas series with 287 shots which averages out to over 40 per game. This is a solid team that is underrated and will give anyone fits. Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm all scored over 40 goals in the regular season, so the Oilers will have to shut them down. Jacob Markstrom was solid in goal against the Stars, and has been all season long. His good play combined with solid defense from the back line, made Calgary the best defensive team in the NHL. I give Edmonton a chance in this series and a good shot in Game 1. Emotions will be running high and both teams have to stay out of the penalty box. I have to stick with the home team. PAPA DUDES BEST BET: Bet the MoneyLine on Calgary -160