It’s another big sports weekend, and we’ve got your guide to all the big stuff, from the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the NBA East and West finals, to horse racing and UFC fight nights and plenty of golf for the PGA Championship .
For an international flavor, there is a high-stakes Premier League title last weekend, as well as the French Open first round at Roland Garros.
What if there’s no baseball on Sunday night? With so many games to watch, there are plenty of opportunities to place bets along the way, so we’ve brought you our best bets throughout the weekend.
All routes are from Caesars Sportsbook unless noted
Friday night schedule
Saturday’s schedule
Sunday schedule
Friday night
New York Rangers @ Carolina Hurricanes
Eastern Conference Round 2, Game 2, 8 p.m., PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC, ESPN
Wire: Hurricane (-175), Ranger (+150)
Ice Hockey Line: Hurricanes -1.5 (+150), Rangers +1.5 (-175)
up and down: 5.5 (-105/-115)
Greg Wischenski: In Game 1, the Carolina Hurricanes spent more than 40 minutes playing who they were: making plays, working hard on prescreens and dominating shot attempts. Once they did, the game tilted: a 29-10 field goal advantage, a 17-6 scoring chance advantage, and most importantly, a 2-0 goal-scoring advantage in the third quarter and overtime. Despite the good ending, they got off to a bad start. Game 1 marked Carolina’s loss in the first quarter of the playoffs. I don’t see this happening twice in a row at home, as the Hurricanes have scored in the first quarter in five of their seven first-round games against the Boston Bruins. We’re safe betting with the winning line, but you wouldn’t push it to the first stage hockey line betting for more profitability, don’t overdo it.
Pick: Carolina Money Line 1 (-150)
Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors
WCF Game 2, 9 p.m., TNT Chase Center San Francisco
Wire: Warrior (-6.0)
Money line: Warriors (-260), Mavericks (+210)
up and down: 214
Anita Marks: Dallas had one of the worst shooting nights in the playoffs (36 percent) and an unusual night Luka Doncic. While Splash Brothers had a strong third quarter, Andrew Wiggins is the X factor. Wiggins had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, and was equally important on the defensive end of the court including Doncic. Seven Warriors scored in double figures, showing their depth advantage. I saw a lot of the same in the second game. With home-court advantage, better depth and Wiggins’ value, I’m going to score, play low, and look forward to another big night for Wiggins on both ends of the floor.
Featured: Warriors (-6.0), under 214 points, Wiggins over 22.5 points + assists + rebounds
Edmonton Oilers @ Calgary Flames
West Second Round Game 2, 10:30 pm, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, ESPN
Wire: Blaze (-175), Oiler (+150)
Ice Hockey Line: Fire -1.5 (+145), Oiler +1.5 (-170)
up and down: 6.5 (-125/+105)
Greg Wischenski: After we saw it in the first game, I’m not sure the books really know what to do with the series.Maybe there is a feeling that both Mike Smith and Jacob Markstrom Will bounce back and Game 2 turns into a defensive struggle. I think it’s more likely that the Battle of Alberta is still the cuckoo-banana-style goalscoring extravaganza of the 1980s, where teams publish Canadian Football League scores. The Flames have exceeded their expected totals in three of their last four games.
Pick: Calgary has over 3.5 total goals (-120)
Saturday
PGA Championship third round
South Hills Country Club, 9am-8pm, Tulsa, Oklahoma, ESPN/ESPN+
leader after first round: Rory McIlroy (-5)
Tournament favorites as of Friday morning: McIlroy (+300), Justin Thomas (+400), Will Zara Torres (+1000), Cameron Smith (+1100), Zander Schauffele (+1400)
David Bierman: I’m playing both Thomas and McIlroy, but based on his overall performance this season, I’m letting Thomas win. McIlroy had an incredible Sunday at Augusta National last month, but Thomas has better close numbers and has been more consistent all season.
Pick: Justin Thomas wins (+400)
Phoenix Mercury @ vegas ace
3 p.m., ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, ABC
Wire: Ace (-10.5)
Money line: Ace (-600), Lynx (+425)
up and down: 169.5
trend: The home team with more than seven points went into Friday night’s game with a 4-3 victory. – Kyle Thorpe
147th Annual Preakness Championship
7:01 pm, Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD, NBC
Favorites: Epicenter (6-5), Early Voting (7-2), Secret Oath (9-2), Rest of Odds
Chris Farika: Epicenter is the horse that was beaten in Louisville, and the horse that was beaten here. Only a complete space crash and a lot of racing luck allowed him to be defeated by a hopeless long shot. It’s really about how he plays in the game. But I don’t think he would be here if he hadn’t come out of the game. It feels like a game defending the best 3-year-old in the game. He can go to the front if he wants, or he can sit on Early Voting or Armagnac if he wants to attack the target. Being drawn outside helps with this strategy. He’s going to be the linchpin at every position in my three-game winning streak, with a bigger impact on wins and positions. If we press it multiple times and get something other than a second or third choice in another exact spot, that should be a nice payoff.
Colorado Avalanche @ St. Louis Blues
Western Conference Round 2 Game 3, 8 p.m., Enterprise Center, St. Louis, TNT
Wire: Avalanche (-170), Blues (+145)
Ice Hockey Line: Avalanche -1.5 (+150), Blues +1.5 (-175)
up and down: 6.5 (-115/-105)
trend: When the Blues were at a disadvantage this season, it was 21-8-1. The Blues are at a disadvantage this season at 15-12-3 (+4.05 units). (current data at the start of this series). More second round betting trends >>
Veshinsky: The Blues have surpassed that total in five of their eight playoff games this postseason, meaning every one of their wins. If you think St. Louis has a little momentum and Colorado — whatever they tell themselves — is a little nervous right now, Game 3 could be the main force for the Blues. But otherwise, the Blues were the fourth-highest regular-season home scoring team (3.78 goals per game), while Colorado conceded more than half a goal per game on the road.
Pick: Over 2.5 goals for the Blues (-145)
Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics
ECF Game 3, 8:30 p.m., Boston TD Garden, ABC
Wire: Celtics (-6.5)
Money line: Celtics (-270), Heat (+220)
up and down: 208.0
Fortenberg: After back-to-back games in Games 1 and 2, it’s time to think outside the box, buck the trend, and hop on the train. Miami’s offense has taken a nosedive as it travels this postseason. At home, the Heat are averaging a healthy 111.5 points and an offensive rating of 114.5 (4th among 16 playoff teams). On the road, however, the Heat are averaging just 101.2 points and an offensive rating of 110.2 (8th among 16 teams in the playoffs). Second, Boston shot 50 percent from 3-point range in Game 2 (best in 13 playoff games so far) and 51.2 percent (best in 13 playoff games so far) ), a few shots and a return is imminent as Miami makes the necessary defensive adjustments.
Pick: Below 207.5 points
UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm Compared Cotren Vieira
9:15 PM, UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, ESPN+
Wire: Holm (-240), Vieira (+200)
Reid Kuhn: In terms of pure batting metrics, Vieira is pretty good on paper, and she’s more accurate defensively than Holm. But given that Holm’s stand-up includes a rich kicking mix, those metrics can be a little misleading. When aimed at the head, these kicks are less accurate but more dangerous than punches. Holm’s kicker could also be the opener Vieira needs. She’s more of a long-range headhunter, closing in for kills when she chooses. It was wise to push the fight to the ground, with Vieira averaging more than two minutes of control per knockout. She needs three rounds where she can score with her wrestling.
Pick: Vieira wins (+200)
Sunday
French Open: First round
5:00 AM, Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France, NBC
Defending singles champion: Novak Djokovic and Barbara Krejkova
Wire: Men’s Favorite: Djokovic (+175), Women’s Favorite: Igasvatek (-110)
Play: Tennis Major Pick’em Paris
Brad Gilbert: After the draw, the first thing that came to my mind was the imbalance between the top and bottom halves. The top three most popular (Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal) are in the top half of the draw.If I’m looking for value, I go to the second half, there Stefanos Tsitsipas A draw at (+400) is more favorable. Last year, Tsitsipas reached the final, leading two sets before Djokovic returned. Daniel Medvedev (+2000) was there too, but he hasn’t played in a big clay court tournament, so I’d go to Tsitsipas.
Premier League: Last weekend
Manchester City beat Liverpool by one point
Tottenham Hotspur is 2 points ahead of Arsenal in fourth place.
All matches start at 11am, EPL tableNBC
to win the championship: Manchester City (-750), Liverpool (+475)
top four finish: Tottenham Hotspur (-4000), Arsenal (+1200)
Game lines: Liverpool (-570) v Wolves (+1800), Manchester City (-600) v Aston Villa (+1600)
Arsenal (-190) v Everton (+550), Norwich (+1000) v Tottenham (-420)
Paul Carr: Manchester City rested for a whole week and recently crushed their opponents at home, winning three consecutive home games with a total score of 13-1. It’s hard to see Manchester City lose this game, and it’s hard to even imagine magic being necessary, like Sergio Aguero’s title-winning goal a decade ago.
Pick: Manchester City – 2.5 goals (+130)
Carolina Hurricanes @ New York Rangers
Eastern Round 2, Game 3, 3:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York, ESPN
Series Bet: Hurricane (-360), Ranger (+280)
trend: Before the low-scoring event in Game 1 (Carolina went 2-1 in overtime), all seven Rangers games this postseason had topped the total. During the regular season, the Rangers trailed 46-32-4, the highest under percentage in the NHL, including 33-18-1 when Shesterkin started. More second round betting trends >>
Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees
7 p.m., Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, ESPN
Wire: pending
Money line: pending
up and down: pending
Check back later this weekend for odds and picks.
Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers
Western Conference Second Round Game 3, 8:00 p.m., Rogers Square, Edmonton, Alberta, ESPN2
Series betting (Before Game 2): Flames (-380), Oilers (+300)
trend: The home team won all four games in the regular season, and Calgary defeated the visiting Oilers 9-6 in Game 1. More Round 2 Betting Trends >>
Golden State Warriors @Dallas Mavericks
WCF Game 3, 9 p.m., American Airlines Center, Dallas, TNT
Series betting (Before Game 2): Warriors (-450), Mavericks (+350)
Check back later for the odds and best bets for this game.
