There are only two games in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs for Thursday, but there’s plenty of money to be won. The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators are underdogs as they look to extend their season for at least one more game.

Below you’ll see a breakdown of each game, including a pick and a couple of shot props to consider. If you’re looking for more bets this season, check out the FTN Bet Tracker at FTNBets.com. Make sure you check out FTN’s free Parlay Calculator to get the best possible odds. We’re at +179 units heading into Wednesday’s action.

Montreal Canadiens +205 (William Hill) at Toronto Maple Leafs -227 (DraftKings) — O/U 5.5

The Maple Leafs return home for Game 5 up 3-1 in their series with the Canadiens. The Leafs lost Game 1 2-1, but they’ve made it look pretty easy since as they’ve outscored Montreal 11-2. The Habs only have four goals in the series, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as they struggled to find offense in the second half of the season.

Montreal’s 1.86 GF/60 at 5v5 from April 1 to May 12 (the last six weeks of the regular season) ranked dead last in the NHL. They also rank last out of all 16 teams playing in the playoffs in goals at 5v5/60 (1.03) and xGF/60 (5.82). This is also a team that has lost eight of nine games dating back to the regular season.

Toronto has taken 10 of the 14 games between the teams and it has outscored Montreal 46-29. Maple Leafs’ goaltender Jack Campbell has a .965 save percentage in the playoffs and he enters Thursday with a 7-2-1 record against Montreal this season.

The Maple Leafs are heavy home favorites in this matchup, and they could even creep as high as -260 as we get closer to puck drop. It’s hard to lay that kind of juice on any team, especially in the NHL. It’s also hard to imagine the Canadiens extending this series, so consider taking Toronto on the puck line (-1.5) at +118 at FanDuel. Also consider the over on Auston Matthews’ four shots on goal prop. He’s hit the over in all four games thanks to 38 shot attempts and 23 shots on goal.

Prediction: 4-1, Toronto Best bet: Toronto -1.5 Props: Auston Matthews over 4 SOG

Carolina Hurricanes -140 (PointsBet) at Nashville Predators +128 (FanDuel) — O/U 5.5

The Hurricanes can close out their series with the Predators with a win in Nashville, which is something that hasn’t been easy for them this season. Carolina has a 3-2 series lead after winning Game 5 3-2 in overtime Tuesday. It was the third straight game that needed extra time. The Preds won both games at Bridgestone Arena in double overtime and they’ve won four straight at home against the Canes.

Carolina has dominated through five games at 5v5 despite the goals being even at 11 apiece. Through five games, Carolina has 79 more shot attempts, 47 more shots on goal, 26 more scoring chances and nine more high-danger chances at 5v5 than Nashville, according to Natural Stat Trick. They have a 57.62 xGF% compared to Nashville’s 42.38 xGF%, and they’ve owned the puck for most of the series.

Juuse Saros is the only reason the Predators are hanging around and he’s a large reason why they’ve made it as far as they have in 2021. Saros has a .939 SV% at 5v5 in the playoffs and his .945 SV% in the regular season was tied for the best mark in the league. It just so happens the goalie he was tied with is playing across from him.

Alex Nedeljkovic not only tied Saros in save percentage in the regular season, he topped his 1.74 GAA with a 1.54 mark through 29 games. Nedelkjovic hasn’t been as sharp as Saros in the playoffs, but he carries a .917 SV% and 2.26 GAA into Game 6.

By no means is Nashville an easy place to play, especially in the playoffs but the Hurricanes outshot the Preds 104-75 at 5v5 in Games 3 and 4. They controlled most of the play in those two road games just as they did in Game 5.

Prediction: 3-2, Carolina Best bet: Carolina Props: Sebastian Aho O 2.5 SOG; Roman Josi O 2.5 SOG

If you’re looking for more betting coverage, be sure to check out FTNBets.com