Let's Overreact to Game One of the NHL Playoffs!

The first game of the playoffs is the best time to overreact. From a gambling perspective, this is a great opportunity: take advantage of overreactions from the public and market. If you’re smart and pick your spots, you can have a lot of success. I’m old and washed so that’s not what I’m here to blabber about. I just want to overreact, and maybe react to some of the overreactions.

As we all expected, Freddie Anderson started the playoffs with the shutout. The 36-year old goaltender who allowed the Sens to score 5 goals just two weeks ago opens the series with 22 saves and zero goals allowed.

It wasn’t expected, but let me tell you why it wasn’t all that surprising - the Hurricanes were always coming out for blood in game one. The Senators are not an opponent you take lightly. Carolina can’t really afford anyone to take lightly. This has to be their year.

The Sens had just 9 shots on goal heading into the 3rd period. This feels like a series of unders and games decided by no more than 1-2 goals. I will say the Canes being -280 to now win the series feels a tad short. The books respect Ottawa, as they should, but maybe that’s telling us this series is far from over…

Go ahead and crown the Minnesota Wild. They were short dogs to win this series before game one, now they are -180. Dallas dropped to 16/1 to win the Cup and Minnesota is now 13/1.

I’ve admittedly been a Stars slurper for years. I love their team top to bottom, but Jake Oettinger is Jake NOTinger in the playoffs.

Stars haters rejoice - this team couldn’t have started the postseason worse than a 6-1 loss at home. It might be the most obvious game 2 bounce back spot, but it has to happen. Dallas misses Roope Hintze, but they need their goaltender to play like the Star (pun intended) that their fans think he is.

Pittsburgh may have the bigger names, but the Flyers youth is not scared. Vladar stayed hot but the Penguins only mustered up 17 shots. Philly came in ready for a bar fight. They threw the first punch and didn’t let up.

Sidney Crosby was held without a point. If the Flyers can continue to cause fits for Sid, they are going to be a real problem for Pittsburgh. Philly is now -160 to win the series but I would NOT overreact here. Even if the Flyers go up 2-0 and back home, I think that is a lot of pressure for a young and inexperienced team to close the door. I don’t see how this series doesn’t go 6-7 games. The value would be to take the Pens at a + price to win the series, but I don’t want to fade fun teams, and the Flyers are a fun team.

I watched this entire game and thought the Kings brought a pretty good fight, but the Kings stand no chance in this series.

I’ve got the Kings +2.5 games but it is quite clear the Avs are far too much to handle. With that said, the Kings did have a chance to tie this game and potentially steal it. Kings goalie Anton Forsberg looked dialed and his defense did him no favors. I don’t really fear Scott Wedgewood but do have to tip my cap as he played well. The Kings need to rip more puck. 5 shots in the 1P and none through the first 7 minutes. Good to see Panarin get involved, but I don’t see anywhere near enough firepower for them to hang with Colorado.

Montreal kind of has that look, don’t they? Fun team and stole game one in Tampa. Gotta be feeling damn good if you’re a Habs fan, especially with how they won. Only 19 shots against Vasilevskiy and managed to tuck 4 goals.

Tampa is a wagon but they also do have a lot of miles, similar to the Panthers, who didn’t even make the playoffs. 

Tampa opened this series -300 favorites to win it. They are not -120. Big reaction, but for good reason. I do not think the Habs are flukes. Montreal is for real, so much so that I may have to get involved someway somehow on this team.

Buffalo looked like the place to be last night. I have insane FOMO of not experiencing their first playoff atmosphere in 14 years.

Despite the rowdy crowd, Boston had a golden opportunity to steal one. Swayman was awesome for 53 minutes, and then Tage Thompson took over.

It’s gotta be deflating in that locker room to bounce back from a game you had won, especially when it’s on the road and in front of the best atmosphere in round one. Can the Bruins bounce back? Probably, but I ain’t betting on it.

I didn’t watch a second of this game so it would be wrong of me to give you any sort of opinion on it. I still have animosity towards the Mammoth for not going with Yetis when selecting their team name. Although I will admit…Mammoth is growing on me.