NHL GAME PREVIEWS & BETTING TIPS

Game 1 of this Eastern Conference First Round series tips Sunday at 6:30 PM ET from Little Caesars Arena, with NBC carrying the broadcast. Orlando had to earn this spot the hard way after the Play-In, while Detroit comes in rested as the No. 1 seed after a 60-22 regular season, only the third 60-win campaign in franchise history. The

The Portland Trail Blazers head to Frost Bank Center on Sunday, April 19, for Game 1 of this Western Conference first-round series, with tipoff set for 9:00 PM ET on NBC. Portland grabbed the No. 7 seed after a 42-40 regular season and a play-in win over Phoenix, while San Antonio rolled to 62-20 and the No. 2 seed. That

Game 1 of this Western Conference first-round series lands at Ball Arena on Sunday, April 19, with a 3:00 PM start on TNT. Los Angeles comes in as the second wild card at 35-27-20, while Colorado opens the postseason as the Central Division winner at 55-16-11 after finishing first overall in the league. That alone explains why the Avalanche are

The Eastern Conference first round gets going Sunday night with the Montreal Canadiens visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 1 at Benchmark International Arena. Puck drop is set for 5:45 PM on TNT, and the setup is tight on paper even if the market still leans clearly toward Tampa Bay. Both teams finished the regular season with 106 points,

The Boston Bruins head to KeyBank Center on Sunday, April 19, for Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM on ESPN, and this matchup has real weight right away. Boston finished 45-27-10 and grabbed the East’s top wild-card spot, while Buffalo went 50-23-9, won the Atlantic Division, and

Game 1 of this Western Conference First Round series starts Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena, with puck drop set for 10:00 PM ET on ESPN. Vegas earned home ice by winning the Pacific Division at 39-26-17, while Utah grabbed the West’s first wild card at 43-33-6 and is making its first playoff appearance since the move to Utah. That alone

Sabres’ first postseason since 2011 starts with confident Bruins The Boston Bruins have won 11 Stanley Cup playoff rounds since the last time the Buffalo Sabres made the postseason. That experience seems to have Boston coach Marco Sturm oozing with confidence heading into Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday night in Buffalo. “We know how

Experienced Lightning face young Canadiens in first round The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will meet in the postseason for the first time since 2021 and this matchup will come under much different circumstances. Game 1 in the first-round series is set for Sunday at Tampa, Fla. Holding the Atlantic Division’s second spot, the Lightning clinched home-ice advantage Tuesday

Avs to put ‘dangerous’ offense up against upset-minded Kings The Colorado Avalanche are prohibitive favorites in their first round Western Conference Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings, which begins with Game 1 on Sunday at Denver. The Avalanche (55-16-11, 121 points) won the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best regular-season record. They also led all