NHL playoff betting: Tight lines for Tuesday’s three matchups

The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to make quick work of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Penguins are listed near a pick’em to eliminate the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, as they hope to complete a four-game sweep of their first-round series in Columbus.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Pittsburgh’s 5-4 overtime victory in Game 3 on Sunday saw rookie Jake Guentzel tally a hat trick, including the game-winning goal at the 13:10 mark of the extra session. The Pens trailed 3-1 after the first period, but goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was solid after that rough start to outplay counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky for the third straight time. The Blue Jackets have now lost seven of the past nine meetings with Pittsburgh.

The other two NHL playoff matchups continuing on Tuesday will also see the road teams attempt to take commanding 3-1 series leads back home for Game 5. Both also have similar NHL betting lines near a pick’em, with the Montreal Canadiens visiting the New York Rangers in the early game and the defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks hosting the upstart Edmonton Oilers in the late game.