Stanley Cup playoffs first round betting nuggets - Kings of the road

The NHL postseason begins this week following a regular season where favorites reigned supreme. Favorites were +35.9 units during the regular season, while road favorites were +46.6 units.

However, come postseason time, underdogs have typically barked the loudest. Each of the last four postseasons, underdogs have been profitable in the postseason, up a total of 49.6 units in that span entering this postseason.

Overs cashed at a 53.6 percent clip during the regular season. Excluding shootout-deciding goals, games averaged 3.11 goals per team per game during the regular season, the most since 1995-96 (3.14). Recently, overs have also come through in the playoffs, as overs have cashed at a 56.1 percent clip in the last four postseasons.

Washington Capitals vs Florida Panthers

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The Panthers are +15.8 units this season, second-most in the NHL behind the Rangers. They were +16.8 units at home and +18.95 units as favorites, both the most profitable by any team in the last four seasons.

Sergei Bobrovsky is +26.8 units on the season in 53 starts, making him the most profitable goalie in a single season over the last five seasons. The Panthers are -11 units in 29 starts by other goaltenders.

Florida has not won a playoff series since the 1996 Eastern Conference Final. The 24-season drought is not only the longest active drought in the NHL, it's the longest run of seasons without a postseason series win in NHL history.

The Panthers are -350 favorites to win the series, the largest they have ever been favored by to win a playoff series according to SportsOddsHistory.com

Each of the last six Presidents' Trophy winners failed to make it out of the