NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Best Bets & Betting Picks for May 18

The 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals start tonight! The Florida Panthers travel north to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers have been a Cinderella story this postseason, and are once again the underdogs in this series. That hasn't stopped them from winning yet though. Can they go on the road and pull off another upset tonight with another big game from Matthew Tkachuk or will Sebastian Aho and the Hurricanes take care of business on their home ice and take the series lead? Watch the video for NHL betting picks and hockey best bets from Bettor Sports Network expert Jared Moore as he gives out his hockey picks for Thursday night's matchup.

 

Be sure to subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube page and Bettor Sports Network Youtube page for more NHL best bets, NHL Playoffs content, and more. Plus, download the Bettor Sports Network app for more sports betting picks. Check out our NHL daily projections and NHL betting odds when making your own NHL betting picks or NHL DFS lineups. Let's now get to the top NHL picks and hockey bets for tonight's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NHL Playoffs Schedule & Betting Odds for May 18

If you want to place your own hockey betting picks on tonight's NHL Playoffs action, here are the current NHL betting odds on Caesars Sportsbook. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Carolina Hurricanes are -150 favorites on the money line while the Florida Panthers are +126 underdogs. The over/under is at 5.5 total goals at the time of this writing. Be sure to shop around at different sportsbooks to find the best NHL Playoffs betting odds when placing hockey bets. 

Check out our Conference Finals Predictions when making your own NHL betting picks. If you haven't already, subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube page and Bettor Sports Network Youtube page, and download the Bettor Sports Network app for more sports betting picks, NHL best bets, and NHL Playoffs content.