5 NHL Playoff Games For May 24: How To Watch, Betting Previews And Picks

Two NHL teams have punched their tickets to the second round of the 2021 NHL Playoffs with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche winning their best of seven matchups over the weekend.

Monday’s slate of games includes five matchups that could see three more teams move onto the second round.

Here is a look at Monday’s NHL Playoff matchups including how to watch the games, the betting preview and a potential bet. Odds for the matchups are from DraftKings Inc DKNG.

New York Islanders (+123) at Pittsburgh Penguins (-141): 7 p.m. ET on Comcast Corporation'sCMCSA NBCSN and MSG Network MSGN.

The series between the Islanders and Penguins is tied at two games apiece. The winner of Monday’s matchup will take a 3-2 lead in the series and be one game away from moving onto the second round.

The Penguins are favored in the matchup and will need to get key contributions from its powerplay and star players. The powerplay for the Penguins is connecting at only 12.5% in the four postseason games compared to 23.7% in the regular season, which ranked fourth. Sydney Crosby has only one point and Evgeni Malkin (played only two games) has two points. The Islanders are expected to start Ilya Sorokin in goal who is 2-0 in the series hoping to take a series lead.

Prediction: Penguins Win

Toronto Maple Leafs (-167) at Montreal Canadiens (+143): 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network and CBC in Canada.

The series between Original Six Canadian franchises is tied at a game apiece. The Canadiens won the first game 2-1 in a game that saw a big injury to Maple Leafs captain John Tavares. The Maple Leafs won game two 5-1 and looked dominant putting up 34 shots on goal and converting two of six powerplays. Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews had one goal and two assists in game two and looks ready to continue his hot streak in game three.

Prediction: Maple Leafs Win

Tampa Bay Lightning (-114) at Florida Panthers (-103): 8 p.m. ET on CNBC.

The Lightning leads the series three games to one. There are several storylines to watch in this game that could close out the series.

The Panthers have struggled in net with goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger posting GAA of 5.33 and 3.7, respectively. The Panthers look read to turn to rookie Spencer Knight who was 4-0 in the regular season with a 2.32 GAA. The problem for the rookie netminder could be that he will be facing a Lightning team that has scored five goals, three goals, six goals and five goals in the four games.

Nikita Kucherov is tied for a playoff lead with nine points and three other Lightning players rank in the top ten for postseason points. The sole Panthers win was a 6-5 victory. The Panthers will need to score to keep up with the Lightning to keep the series going.

Prediction: Lightning Win, Over 6 Goals (-112), Lightning Over 3 Goals (-118)

Related Link: 2021 NHL Playoff Round One Matchups, Betting Preview And Picks

Edmonton Oilers (-118) at Winnipeg Jets (+103): 9:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN and CBC in Canada.

The Canadian series between the Oilers and Jets may be the biggest surprise with the Jets leading the series three games to zero.

The stellar play of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has continued into the postseason with a 1.55 GAA and .958 save percentage. The big story is the shutdown of leading point man Connor McDavid who had over 100 points in the regular season, but has only three points and zero goals in the series. All three points came in a 5-4 loss that saw the Oilers blow a 4-1 goal lead.

Leon Draisaitl has two goals and an assist in the 5-4 loss. The top-scoring duo look in form which could lead to a victory in game four to keep the series alive.

Prediction: Oilers Win, McDavid anytime goal (+114)

Minnesota Wild (+154) at Vegas Golden Knights (-180): 10:30 p.m. ET on CNBC.

The last game of the night could see another team sent through to the second round with the Golden Knights one win away. Goalie Marc Andre Fleury has been stellar with a GAA of 0.99 and save percentage of .966. The Wild’s only win was a 1-0 victory in game one. The Wild have scored only three goals in the three games since and remain scoreless on the powerplay.

Prediction: Golden Knights Win