Best bets for Rangers vs. Capitals, Predators vs. Canucks in NHL playoffs

The 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on Sunday with four games starting at 12:30 p.m. ET and wrapping up deep into Sunday night with a 10 p.m. ET puck drop between the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks.

Let’s take a look at the slate and see if we can find some betting value on Sunday:

The Capitals got into the playoffs on guts, goaltending and grit. It may sound like that’s over-simplifying things, but it’s not too far off the truth. Washington has some skill throughout its lineup, but it’s clearly the roster with the least amount of upside in the 16-team field. But, they’re here and that’s all that matters.

Washington’s lack of upside means that its only path to success in this series is to turn every game into a rock fight and do everything it can to gum up the works. That won’t be a foreign concept for these Caps, as that’s how they’ve played for most of the season.

As for the Rangers, they want the exact opposite type of game to unfold. The Blueshirts are exceptional in transition and on the power play, so they’ll want as much pace to these contests as possible. If the Rangers get things on their terms, it’ll take a minor miracle for the Caps to win.

With this in mind, there’s a good chance that it takes some time for Game 1 to get going. The Capitals will try to jam up the ice, while the Rangers probe and attempt to get a feel for how this matchup will shake out.

Don’t be surprised if you hear a lot of folks circle the Predators as their favorite underdog in Round 1. The Preds were one of the best teams in the NHL in the second half and they tick plenty of boxes that you look for in a Stanley Cup contender. Nashville has an all-world goaltender, a strong blueline led by a Norris Trophy contender and a balanced group of forwards.

Vancouver ticks all those boxes, too. Thatcher Demko, when he was healthy, was one of the best goalies in the league this season and Quinn Hughes is the Norris favorite. Vancouver, too, has a deep group of forwards with more starpower than Nashville has in its ranks.

Even with Vancouver’s edge in terms of individual talent, I do think the margins in this series are razor thin and that the Preds are a live underdog to pull the upset in Game 1, this series and beyond.

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