For the first time in my life, I decided to bet on the Toronto Maple Leafs to win a playoff game last night.

I won’t be doing it again anytime soon.

I bet on the New York Rangers to beat the New Jersey Devils in regulation and on Chris Kreider to record a point.

I really liked both of those wagers.

I didn’t give out either of those plays as my FanDuel Best Bet in Tuesday’s Morning Coffee column.

Instead, I went with the Maple Leafs to win Game 1 on home ice.

It didn’t take long for me to realize I took the wrong side, as Toronto fell behind 3-0 in the first period and went on to lose 7-3.

I have some thoughts on what went wrong for the Maple Leafs last night and whether or not they can be corrected.

Instead of sharing them, I’m looking to turn the page and get back on track with a couple of winners this morning.

This is the Morning Coffee for Wed, April 19, 2023.
 

A FanDuel Best Bet with a 100 per cent win rate the past two postseasons

Adrian Kempe was the first star in the Los Angeles Kings’ 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1.

Kempe scored twice to help the Kings claw back from a two-goal deficit.

He finished with eight shots on goal on 12 attempts in 21:59 of ice time.

If his shots on goal prop was set three times higher than the 2.5 that FanDuel posted, the over still would have hit.

I’m banking on him to go over 2.5 shots on goal again tonight.

The Oilers should approach Game 2 with a sense of desperation, knowing that they can’t afford to go to Los Angeles down 0-2 in the series.

I lean towards an Edmonton win tonight, which means I think it’s more likely than not that the Kings have to play from behind, which should translate to decent shot production from the L.A. forwards.

Kempe has recorded 3+ shots on goal in eight straight playoff games against the Oilers dating back to last year’s playoff series.

I’ll take Kempe over 2.5 shots on goal as my FanDuel Best Bet for Wednesday night’s Stanley Cup Playoff games.

 

Will the Oilers bounce back with a win in Game 2?

Edmonton controlled the majority of Game 1 versus L.A.

But penalties and mental mistakes ultimately led to the Oilers blowing a two-goal third-period lead in a 4-3 overtime loss.

It also didn’t help that the Kings managed to keep Connor McDavid off the score sheet in the opener, even though No. 97 did this:

Are McDavid and company more likely to suffer another letdown or to respond with a win in Game 2?

I lean towards the latter with an Edmonton win.

The Oilers can’t afford to go down 0-2 before heading to California, and as long as they clean up what went wrong for them in the third period on Monday night, they should have a good opportunity to even the series on home ice.

In last year’s first-round series against L.A., Edmonton followed up a 4-3 loss in Game 1 with a 6-0 win in Game 2 and then an 8-2 win in Game 3.

Perhaps tonight’s game isn’t as lopsided, but I’ll bet on McDavid and company to respond with a win.

I’ll take the Oilers to win in regulation at -145 at FanDuel.
 

Morant’s status for Game 2 still in question

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the playoffs at +108 to advance to second round at FanDuel.

After a 128-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 on Sunday, the Lakers are -300 to advance.

L.A. has won 24 straight series after winning Game 1 in a best-of-seven.

While no one is going to crown the Lakers just yet, they do have an excellent opportunity to seize control of the series before heading back to L.A. tonight, especially if Ja Morant isn’t available for Memphis.


Morant, who scored 18 points in 30 minutes before leaving in Game 1, is a game-time decision for Game 2.

As of this morning, the Lakers are a one-point favourite for tonight’s game at FanDuel.

If Morant isn’t available, then that number will move in L.A.’s favour ahead of tip-off tonight.

I haven’t bet the Lakers yet, but my notifications are turned on as we await word on Morant’s status.

If he can’t go, I’ll be on the Lakers to win and go up 2-0 in the series.