- BetOnline has point spreads, money lines, and game totals for the two NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games on Monday, May 23, 2022
- The Avalanche took a 2-1 series lead over St. Louis with a 5-2 victory on Saturday night.
- Tampa Bay will attempt to sweep the President Trophy-winning Florida Panthers.
The Blues/Avalanche series took a nasty turn on Saturday. Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard is out for the remainder of the postseason following a crushing hit from Ivan Barbashev that left him with a broken sternum. And St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington was forced from the Game 3 loss after getting run over by super-pest Nazem Kadri.
Let’s check the odds and preview Game 4 of that series and the matchup between the Panthers and Lightning. Here’s also where you can find the top betting sites for NHL hockey in 2022 and smart wagering tips in our 2022 Stanley Cup betting guide.
NHL Playoff Games- Monday, May 23
Avalanche vs. Blues
St. Louis is a +144 underdog to defeat Colorado on Monday night and even their best-of-seven series at 2-2. The Blues could be in trouble without Jordan Binnington. After giving his team a much-needed boost against Minnesota in round one, the 2019 Stanley Cup hero had stopped 84 of 88 Avalanche shots on goal (.955 save percentage).
That was until Nazem Kadri forced him out of Saturday’s 5-2 loss with a knee injury.
“Not sure if Binnington just threw a water bottle at me”
Nazem Kadri alleged Jordan Binnington threw a water bottle at him during his post-game interview
(🎥: @BR_OpenIce) pic.twitter.com/w0c6TamOQd
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) May 22, 2022
Blues coach Craig Berube wasn’t impressed, saying, “Look at Kadri’s reputation. That’s all I’ve got to say.” However, it’s hard to feel too sorry for a team that battered and bludgeoned opposing players on their path to the Cup three years ago.
St. Louis will need a strong game from backup netminder Ville Husso, who permitted four goals on 21 shots on Saturday. Otherwise, you know they’ll come to play. 2019 Conn Smythe winner Ryan O’Reilly has notched seven goals and four assists during his current seven-game point streak and is a good bet to put his team on his back again on Monday night.
Final score prediction: Blues 3, Avalanche 2 OT
Lightning vs. Panthers
After ripping the hearts out of millions of Toronto Maple Leafs fans across Canada, the Lightning are about to disappoint at least three to four South Floridians with a sweep of the Panthers on Monday night.
Florida won the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s best regular-season team and loaded up at the trade deadline by acquiring star center Claude Giroux from the Flyers and journeyman defenseman Ben Chiarot. But they will almost certainly fall to their state rivals in Tampa Bay for the second-consecutive year.
Vintage Steven Stamkos with the go-ahead goal set up by Nikita Kucherov 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ql1bGnZkYU
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 22, 2022
The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions scored with just four seconds left in regulation to take a 2-0 series lead in the Panthers’ home building on Thursday.
The Bolts followed that up with an easy 5-1 home victory on Sunday. And if they complete the series sweep on Monday, they’ll enjoy a week of rest before taking on the Hurricanes or Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Final score prediction: Lightning 3, Panthers 1
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