NHL betting today: Hurricanes-Capitals, Oilers-Golden Knights begin series on May 6

There are three second-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs where the team with home-ice advantage is not a betting favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook to advance. Two of them start tonight, with the Washington Capitals hosting the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights squaring off in the Sin City. 

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

SportsLine Projection Model picks:

• Capitals + 1.5
• Logan Stankoven Over 1.5 shots on goal

The Capitals finished with the most points (111) in the Eastern Conference and the second-most in the NHL (only behind the Winnipeg Jets), yet they have the longest odds to win the Stanley Cup at +1100. A reason why is that they're sizable +146 underdogs to advance to the next round against the Hurricanes, whereas Carolina is priced at -178. Both teams won their first-round playoff matchups in five games, and they split their four regular-season meetings with each other. 

The SportsLine projection model has awarded 5 stars to two player props for this Game 1, with one of them being the Over on Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven's 1.5 shots on goal prop. Stankoven has gone Over this prop in five straight games when the Hurricanes have played on the road against a top-10 defense, and he is projected for 2.7 shots on goal tonight. 

The Hurricanes are -124 favorites (wager $124 to win $100) on the money line in the latest SportsLine consensus odds, while the Capitals are +104 (wager $100 to win $104) underdogs. The total resides at 5.5, with the Over favored at -125.

Check out the SportsLine Projection Model's full look at the game, along with expert picks.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

SportsLine Projection Model picks:

• Connor McDavid Under 1.5 points
• Leon Draisaitl Under 1.5 points

The most even second-round series according to the odds is this one, as the Oilers and Golden Knights are each listed at -110 to advance. Both teams had to rally from early first-round deficits, with the Oilers coming back after dropping the first two games against the Los Angeles Kings and the Golden Knights storming back from a 2-1 deficit against the Minnesota Wild. These two foes have met just once before in the playoffs, with the Golden Knights winning a 2023 second-round matchup in six games en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

All eyes will be on Oilers superstar Connor McDavid as the NHL's best player continues his quest for his first Cup. The SportsLine model isn't projecting a big Game 1 for him, though, as his Under 1.5 points prop has been given 5 stars. McDavid has gone Under his points prop in five of his past six games where the Oilers have been road underdogs, averaging 1.3 points per game over that span.

The Oilers are +115 (risk $100 to win $115) road underdogs in the latest SportsLine consensus odds for Game 1, while the Golden Knights are -136 (risk $136 to win $100) on the money line. The total sits at 6, with the Over at -120.

Check out the SportsLine Projection Model's full look at the game, along with expert picks.

Today's featured promo

With multiple Game 1s on tap for Tuesday night, new users may want to take advantage of FanDuel's latest promo. New users can receive $200 in bonus bets if they win their first bet of at least $5 with the sportsbook. There isn't an odds requirement for this offer, so we'd recommend making that first bet on as big a favorite as possible. Bonus bets will be given out 72 hours after the initial wager is graded as a win, and they expire seven days after they're issued. When betting with bonus bets, you only receive the winnings back and not the original stake.