Stanley Cup Playoffs: Early Picks & Predictions

0:00On April 18th, the Stanley Cup playoffs kick off Saturday April 18th with three game ones. Carolina hosts Ottawa in the afternoon, Minnesota heads to Dallas in the evening, and the Pennsylvania battle between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Raps it up at 8 p.m. Eastern time. First up, I'm eyeing the under 6.5 total goals for Ottawa at Carolina, sitting at minus 135 odds. The hurricanes run a tight, possession heavy game that smothers opponents, especially in their last four game 1 openers, where they've given up just one goal each time. Shifting to Dallas versus Minnesota, grab the stars at minus 116. These central division powerhouses split the regular season, but home ice has been gold, going 4-0. Dallas gets Miro Heisken and back on defense, while Minnesota's Quinn Hughes shakes off an illness. Over in Pennsylvania, take Philadelphia plus 124 against Pittsburgh. The flyers caught fire late, winning 6 of their last 7 and 14 of 18 since mid-March,

1:02fueled by young guns and hot gold tending. Pittsburgh cooled off down the stretch. These picks set the tone for a wild first round, so lock in early before the puck drops and the action explodes. That wraps NHL news today. Brought to you with AI. I'm Cory with the story.