NHL Playoffs 2021: Stanley Cup Title Odds, Latest Schedule and Picks

There are now two teams just are one win away from advancing past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs: the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. As for the other two series? They're essentially starting over.

While the Canadiens (3-0 lead over the Winnipeg Jets) and Lightning (3-1 advantage against Carolina Hurricanes) could soon be moving on, things aren't as one-sided in the other matchups. The Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights are tied 2-2, as are the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders.

Montreal could become the first team to move past the second round Monday night, when it hosts Winnipeg for Game 4. Tampa Bay will look to advance with a Game 5 win on the road on Tuesday.

Here's a look at the full second-round outlook, along with the latest Stanley Cup odds and predictions for how the rest of this round will unfold.

2nd-Round Results, Schedule

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

No. 3 Boston Bruins vs. No. 4 New York Islanders

Game 1: Boston won 5-2
Game 2: New York won 4-3 (OT)
Game 3: Boston won 2-1 (OT)
Game 4: New York won 4-1
Game 5: Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 6: Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 7 (if necessary): Friday at TBD

No. 3 Winnipeg Jets vs. No. 4 Montreal Canadiens

Game 1: Montreal won 5-3
Game 2: Montreal won 1-0
Game 3: Montreal won 5-1
Game 4: Monday at 8 p.m. ET, NHL Network
Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, CNBC
Game 6 (if necessary): Friday at TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday at TBD

No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning

Game 1: Tampa Bay won 2-1
Game 2: Tampa Bay won 2-1
Game 3: Carolina won 3-2 (OT)
Game 4: Tampa Bay won 6-4
Game 5: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday at TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday at TBD

No. 1 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 2 Vegas Golden Knights

Game 1: Colorado won 7-1
Game 2: Colorado won 3-2 (OT)
Game 3: Vegas won 3-2
Game 4: Vegas won 5-1
Game 5: Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 6: Thursday at TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday at TBD

Latest Stanley Cup Odds

John Locher/Associated Press

Colorado Avalanche: +250 (bet $100 to win $250)

Tampa Bay Lightning: +260

Vegas Golden Knights: +375

Boston Bruins: +525

Montreal Canadiens: +850

New York Islanders: +1600

Carolina Hurricanes: +3200

Winnipeg Jets: +15000

Via DraftKings Sportsbook

Canadiens, Lightning Will Win to Advance in Their Next Games

Larry MacDougal/Associated Press

It's not too surprising that the Lightning are one win away from advancing, even though they were the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. They're the defending Stanley Cup champions, and they had several key players return from injuries at the start of the postseason, giving them an immediate boost.

However, it's more shocking that the Canadiens are one victory away from a second-round sweep. Especially considering they were down 3-1 in their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were the No. 1 seed in the North Division. Yet, Montreal overcame that deficit with three straight wins, and it's now won three more to open its series against Winnipeg.

While it's possible that the Jets and/or Hurricanes will bounce back after slow starts to their respective series, don't expect that to happen. Carolina has a better chance to do so, returning home for Game 5 down 3-1, but it's now struggling to slow Tampa Bay's offense.

Meanwhile, Winnipeg has lost all momentum from its first-round sweep of the Edmonton Oilers and isn't likely to even notch one win against Montreal.

Expect Montreal and Tampa Bay to be among the final four teams remaining in the playoffs, and each will secure its spot within the next two days.

Islanders Will Go on to Knock off Bruins in 7 Games

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Islanders and Bruins continue to trade blows back and forth. When the series was in Boston, the Bruins won 5-2 in Game 1 and lost 4-3 in overtime in Game 2. When things shifted to New York, the Islanders lost 2-1 in overtime in Game 3 and won 4-1 in Game 4.

Now, things are tied back up heading into Monday's Game 5 in Boston. And anything could happen, considering both teams have won in both arenas so far this series. Expect this series to remain competitive and to need seven games to decide a winner.

But if New York had lost Game 4 at home, that may not have been the case.

"We go down 3-1 to these guys heading back to TD Garden, that's a death sentence," Islanders center Mathew Barzal said, per NHL.com's Brian Compton. "That was a huge game for us tonight. Just everyone brought it. Everyone was involved somehow, whether it was scoring or hitting or playing good defense, just everyone was doing something positive. That's why we won."

It's also why New York will win the series. The Islanders will lose another game, but they're going to notch a win when the pressure is on in Game 7 on the road, as this team has already proved they can pull out a clutch victory in a situation like that.

Avalanche Won't Lose Again in Series Against Golden Knights

John Locher/Associated Press

After winning the first two games of the series on their home ice, the Avalanche had an opportunity to take a commanding lead as things moved to Las Vegas for Games 3 and 4. Instead, the Golden Knights got right back into the series by winning both contests, evening the series by outscoring the Avs 8-3 over the pair of games.

But things are heading back to Colorado to Game 5, and while the series has been competitive to this point, it will be an opportunity for the Avalanche to take back the momentum, potentially helping them put the Golden Knights away. If Colorado can bounce back to win Game 5, it will be one victory away from advancing.

"We didn't play as good as we should've, but we're going back to the building where we have success and we play well at," Avalanche forward Brandon Saad said, per W.G. Ramirez of the Associated Press.

Colorado is likely to have a big offensive showing in Game 5, as it scored 10 goals between its Games 1 and 2 victories. Once that happens, the Avalanche will find a way to keep that momentum going, defeating the Golden Knights on the road in Game 6 and advancing past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

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