NHL Playoff Tuesday Betting

The NHL betting action for the openers of the conference finals was wild on Sunday. Hockey fans should expect the same when Game 2 of the Eastern and Western finals take place Tuesday. Here's an inside look at these matchups:

Montreal Canadiens at Philadelphia Flyers

After an emotional seven-game series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens were primed for a letdown in their opening game with the Philadelphia Flyers. Montreal was dumped 6-0 Sunday night, failing to score a goal after netting nine in the past two games.

Habs fans saw this same situation in the second round following the Canadiens' Game 7 victory over the Washington Capitals. Montreal came out flat in Game 1 with the Penguins, falling 6-3. However, the Montreal faithful are confident in their squad after watching the Canadiens rebound in Game 2 of that series.

The Habs outshot the Flyers 28-25 but managed to get just five chances in the third period. At the other end of the ice, playoff hero Jaroslav Halak looked human after giving up four goals on 14 shots and getting the hook midway through the second period.

Philadelphia continued its storybook run, winning its fifth straight game since trailing the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the second round of the playoffs. The Flyers avoided their potential letdown spot, coming off an emotional 4-3 victory in Game 7, and netted six goals including two on the power play.

Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks may have edged the Chicago Blackhawks by a point in the regular season to earn home-ice through the conference playoffs, but Chicago is trying to prove they’re actually the top team in the West.

The Blackhawks earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory in Game 1 of this conference final, getting the game-winning goal from forward Dustin Byfuglien just over 13 minutes into the third period. San Jose played a clean game, staying out of the penalty box and eliminating Chicago's power play - which has scored on over 21 percent of its man-advantages this postseason.

The Blackhawks got a terrific performance from goalie Antti Niemi on Sunday. He allowed just one goal on 45 shots and came up huge down the stretch with the Sharks pressing for the tying goal. He's allowed just two goals on 75 total shots in his last two games, dropping his goals-against average to 2.45 in the playoffs.