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NHL Playoffs 2022: Odds, Hot Takes, Top Storylines for May 7 Schedule
May 7, 2022
Four of the eight NHL playoff series shift arenas on Saturday.
The quartet of home sides are hoping that they fare better than the lower-seeded home squads in Friday's action.
Three of the four road teams won on Friday to take 2-1 advantages in their respective series. Boston was the only home team to come out victorious.
Washington, Nashville, Dallas and Pittsburgh could all use victories to shift the momentum in their series back on their side.
Nashville has the hardest task of the group because Colorado has had an answer for everything the Predators have done.
The Predators played a near-perfect Game 2 behind a fantastic performance from goalie Connor Ingram, and they still lost in overtime.
Dallas is in better shape than Nashville in the Western Conference bracket, but it needs a much better offensive approach at home to stave off Calgary over the next two games.
Calgary is due for an offensive explosion after scoring once in the first two contests, and it might come in Game 3.
Saturday Schedule and Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Florida (-205; bet $205 to win $100) at Washington (+175; bet $100 to win $175) (1 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Colorado (-245) at Nashville (+195) (4:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
New York Rangers (-120) at Pittsburgh (+100) (7 p.m. ET. TNT)
Calgary (-155) at Dallas (+135) (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Colorado's Offensive Pressure Is Too Much For Nashville
Colorado's offense has made it the better side by a wide margin in the series with Nashville.
The Avalanche have nine goals off 96 shots. They would have had many more tallies if Connor Ingram did not turn in a fantastic performance in the Nashville net in Game 2.
Ingram will be back for Game 3 since Preds starter Juuse Saros was ruled out for the third straight game.
Ingram, or any goalie for that matter, can only contain a high volume of shots for long before the dam breaks.
Colorado has three players on its roster with 10 or more shots and eight skaters with five or more shots over 120 minutes.
The attacking diversity in the Avalanche lineup should hurt the Predators more in Game 3, like it did in Game 1 when the Avs blasted seven goals past two goalies.
Look for Colorado's usual suspects, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, to be high up the stat sheet.
Mikko Rantanen, who leads the Avs in assists with three in the series, Devon Toews, Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri could all appear on the stat sheet as well.
Nashville either needs to match Colorado's shot output, which it has not, or limit the Avs' scoring potential, which it also has not, in order to steal Game 3 and make it a competitive series.
Calgary Breaks Out in Dallas
Calgary had one of the most exciting offenses to watch in the regular season.
The Flames are waiting to see that form in the postseason. They scored one goal in their Game 1 win over Dallas and were shutout in Game 2.
The good news for the Flames is they are outproducing the Stars in the shot department. They hold a 55-39 advantage in the series. That could mean a breakout day is in the cards on Saturday night in Texas.
Calgary could be even more dangerous if Johnny Gaudreau is more active around the net. He was held to two shots in the first two games by Dallas' tight defense.
Dallas has no problem playing low-scoring games, but at some point, it will be forced to win a shootout. It may not be able to match Calgary's output in that scenario.
The Flames scored 11 goals on the Stars in three regular-season games, including four in their lone battle in Texas and four more on April 21.
The Pacific Division winner knows how to score on Dallas, and if the shot volume increases in Game 3, the outburst could come on Saturday.
Calgary-Dallas has the lowest over/under on Saturday's NHL schedule. If Calgary increases its shot production, that total could hit with ease.
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