We're 10 days into the NHL postseason, and only two teams (Columbus and the New York Islanders) have advanced to the second round.
That could change Friday night, as the Colorado Avalanche look to repeat the Blue Jackets' incredible feat and eliminate a top-seeded team from the Stanley Cup playoffs. But the Flames won't go quietly, especially with their ability to fill the net up in the third period. Here are the top betting trends and tips for Friday's two-game Stanley Cup playoff schedule. **video
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS AT BOSTON BRUINS
Moneyline Odds: Toronto +125/Boston -145
Over/Under: 6 goals
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
It's back to the proverbial drawing board for the Maple Leafs and Bruins, who are right back where they started after splitting the first four games, with each team winning once at home and once on the road. Forget momentum: Game 5 will be about which team can get on the board first, with each of the previous three games won by the side that breaks the scoreless deadlock. Boston has scored first three times in the series, and did so 46 times in 82 regular-season games; we like that prop here (-140).
Working in Toronto's favor: Auston Matthews is looking like his old self after going through a mini-slump that spanned the end of the regular season and beginning of the playoffs. Matthews has three goals over his past two games and is averaging nearly five shots on goal per game; he had seven in the Game 4 defeat. Matthews had 14 goals in 17 games in which he fired five or more shots on goal during the regular season; he's a great pick for a goal prop given his current form.
COLORADO AVALANCHE AT CALGARY FLAMES
Moneyline Odds: Colorado +150/Calgary -170
Over/Under: 6 goals
Start Time: 10 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alta.
The Flames and Avalanche came into their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series as two of the four highest-scoring third period teams in the league – and they've carried their late-game prowess into the postseason, with nine of their 20 regulation goals coming in the final frame. Given the urgency the Flames face in this must-win game, you can expect more of the same if this game is close heading into the third; we like this one being the highest-scoring period of the game (+225).
As for what to expect in the early going, there's little to suggest that these teams will drift from the pattern they've established through the first four games. Only one contest has featured any first-period scoring; Colorado led 3-0 after one period in Game 3, while the rest went into the second period with zeroes on the scoreboard. We recommend leaning toward the first goal coming after the 9:30 mark of the opening stanza, a prop that carries +120 odds.
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