The opening round of the NHL playoffs feature a pair of best-of-seven series in each of the four divisions. Given the high level of familiarity in these eight divisional matchups, first round upsets are extremely common in this league.
The fact that the separation between the No. 1 division seed and the other three divisional teams in the playoffs can be rather thin, there is quite a bit of betting value to be found in the series price odds for underdogs. The other factor at play is a much lower advantage playing at home when it comes to NHL games. Betting stats for this season point to a slight 53.3% straight-up edge for the home team.
The trick to betting NHL underdogs on the series price is to lock in the best possible odds ahead of Game 1. This is where using multiple online sportsbooks can come in rather handy.
If the underdog goes on to win the series opener, its series price will go down quite a bit. You can still double down at that point but at lower value.
If the underdog loses the opener, you now have a decision on your hands. You could go bold and double down at even higher odds to win that series. You could also take a wait-and-see approach based on the outcome of Game 2. More than a few underdogs have gone on to erase a 0-2 series hole to win and advance on. However, at 0-2 the odds begin to stack up against a series win.
Betting odds for any seven-game playoff series are constantly in a state of flux based on the outcome of the previous games. As far as NHL postseason play, you need to identify the one or two live underdogs that have the best chance to pull off the upset. As long as your confidence level remains high on that team, you can continue to double down on any previous series price odds you may have already wagered on.
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