SI Gambling insider Roy Larking reviews the season to date for the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders, as well as the available betting options.

How Do Opening Round NHL Playoff Qualifying Series Work?

NHL action resumes with three days of exhibition games (July 28-30) prior to the playoffs. A qualifying round (August 1-9) follows and those series will determine who advances the Stanley Cup quarterfinals. The top four teams in each conference received a BYE into the quarterfinals. Those eight teams are playing two round robin series to establish the top four second round seeds. Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia were the top four teams in the East.

The remaining 16 teams are playing eight best-of-five qualifying series. Winners advance to the quarterfinal round as the bottom four seeds in each conference. Toronto is the hub city for the first three Eastern Conference playoffs rounds and all games will