The 2024 Premier Lacrosse League playoffs are a week away, but it’s never too early to take advantage of some favorable opening odds. The Boston Cannons will face the Carolina Chaos for the second straight game and the Maryland Whipsnakes will face the Denver Outlaws in the later quarterfinals game. Let’s take a look at my favorite bets to make now before the odds move.
No. 3 Boston Cannons vs. No. 6 Carolina Chaos
| Boston (-1.5) Odds | Moneyline: -200 |
| Carolina (+1.5) Odds | Moneyline: +154 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Monday · 4 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
Odds via DraftKings
Boston is once again a heavy favorite, despite failing to cover the spread and nearly losing outright in both teams’ final game of the season. While I think Carolina is being undervalued on the spread and moneyline just two weeks after taking the Cannons to overtime, it’s best to wait and see the injury status of goalie Blaze Riorden and defender Jack Rowlett before betting a side in this one.
Additionally, Boston may have kept some of its gameplan under wraps knowing it would likely face Carolina regardless of last week’s outcome. We saw both Matt Campbell and Chris Aslanian spend time at lefty attack, but we could see Pat Kavanagh down on the left side more in this quarterfinals matchup. So, I’m looking to target the props of a few star players who we know will make an impact.
Can Byrne Stay Hot?
The first player I’m targeting is Chaos attackman Josh Byrne. Byrne is Carolina’s most lethal offensive weapon and he was successful as both a passer and a goal scorer in Carolina’s first game against Boston. He had four points against the Cannons in their first meeting and has had three or more points in six of nine games this season. If you include all the full games he played in dating back to 2023, Byrne has recorded three points or more in 11 of those 15 games.
Even at -150 on bet365, these are good odds to bet Byrne to go over 2.5 points against Boston again.
All Eyes on Holman and Kirst
I’m also betting the props of two Boston players: Marcus Holman and Colin Kirst.
We cashed Holman over 3.5 points against Carolina last week at -110 odds, yet bet365 is now offering +130 to bet Holman to have another four-point performance. Holman has gone over his points prop of 3.5 in six of 10 games this season and 14 of his last 22 games. Given these odds and the health of Rowlett and Riorden in questions, this is a great spot to bet Holman to record four points or more against the Carolina defense again.
As for Kirst, the Boston netminder only had 10 saves against Carolina in their last meeting, but I expect him to be above 50% in their second meeting. Last week his saves prop was 13.5, but is now 12.5 this time around. Carolina’s shot volume was a concern earlier in the year, but it's had more than 40 shots in six straight games and will likely need to push the tempo more to match this Boston offense. Carolina also ranks fifth in shots on goal percentage, hitting the cage on nearly 60% of its shots despite the below average shot total.
Furthermore, Kirst has made 13 saves or more in seven of 10 games this season and 12 of 18 career games as a starter. At -120 on DraftKings, I like the odds of Kirst going over his saves prop this weekend.
Picks: Josh Byrne Over 2.5 Points; Marcus Holman Over 3.5 Points; Colin Kirst Over 12.5 Saves
No. 4 Maryland Whipsnakes vs. No. 5 Denver Outlaws
| Maryland (-1.5) Odds | Moneyline: -135 |
| Denver (+1.5) Odds | Moneyline: +105 |
| Total | 24 |
| Time | Monday · 6:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via DraftKings
The Maryland Whipsnakes and Denver Outlaws didn’t face off too long ago either and Maryland is once again a 1.5-point favorite after beaating Denver in its first matchup by the score of 16-9. I don’t expect as lopsided of a victory by the Whipsnakes, but I’m not ready to back a banged up, inconsistent Outlaws team either.
Instead, one of my early bets is on the first half total of 12 on DraftKings.
These teams came close to this mark, combining for 11 goals in the first half in their last game. With both teams getting plenty of rest ahead of the quarterfinals, I expect we’ll see more scoring than the last time around. The reason I like the first half over instead of the full game over is because games tend to slow down in the second half and I’m more comfortable betting this total to go over 12 than over 24.
Both teams have been successful generating offense in transition this season—including when they last played each other—and faceoff specialists Joe Nardella and Luke Wierman are also two of the best at creating offense off the faceoff so I expect we could see a lot of fast breaks early on. As for settled offense, Maryland did a good job exploiting a Denver defense that was without its lead communicator Jesse Bernhardt and could be without his replacement Greg Weyl, who was injured at the end of the last Outlaws-Whipsnakes game. Meanwhile, Denver’s offense didn’t test Maryland’s short-stick defenders as much as I expected, but that should be key part of the opening half gameplan.
Bet this first half total to go over 12 goals at -125 on DraftKings.
Malone Keeps Racking Up Points
As for player props, I’m targeting Whipsnakes attackman TJ Malone again. When these team last faced, we cashed over 3.5 points at +115 and the rookie of the year favorite put up six points. Furthermore, Malone has four or more points in six of 10 games this season.
While six may be a lot to ask for a second time around, four points is very feasible. Malone was comfortable initiating from all over the field and should have continued success against this injury-riddled Outlaws defense. At +100 on bet365, over 3.5 points is worth another bet this time around.
What Version of McElroy Will We See?
I’m also betting Denver goalie Owen McElroy to stay under 12.5 saves. McElory has gone over this mark in just three of nine games as a starter and made just nine saves against the Whipsnakes last outing. McElory has been streaky, having great stretches, followed by letdowns. The Whipsnakes have the second-best shooting percentage in the league and work for good quality shots so I expect McElroy to have his work cut out for him again with a banged up defense in front of him. Bet the Outlaws netminder to stay under 12.5 saves at -125 on DraftKings.
Picks: 1st Half Over 12; TJ Malone Over 3.5 Points; Owen McElroy Under 12.5 Saves
