The second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs continues Monday with a rematch of the 2023 first-round series between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers. Last year’s series saw Florida, the Eastern Conference Wild Card seed, erase a 3-1 series deficit and win in Game 7 overtime against the League-leading Bruins. This year, however, it’s the Panthers who finished in the Atlantic Division’s top seed, taking on the No. 2 Bruins.
The two clubs competed in close games during the regular season in 2023-24, with three out of four being one-goal contests. Boston swept the regular-season series, while Florida has won both of the previous two postseason series between the two clubs.
Our AI-powered dfsPro model projects a number of individual performances worth keeping an eye on during Monday’s second-round matchup. Let’s dive into some of our favorite NHL player props for Game 1 of Bruins vs. Panthers!
Hottest Props: Boston Bruins
Charlie McAvoy: Over 0.5 Points (+114, DraftKings)
Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy started strong out of the gate this postseason averaging a point per game over Boston’s first four contests against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. He cooled off offensively in the back half of the series, however, posting three scoreless games causing our model to project a 16% downturn in his average point potential tonight against the Panthers tonight. Still, our model projects McAvoy to finish just above the betting line at 0.54 points in Game 1.
Charlie Coyle: Over 0.5 Points (+114, DraftKings)
The Maple Leafs largely neutralized Bruins center Charlie Coyle during their first-round series, holding him to just two assists over seven games. As a result, his expected point production in Game 1 against Florida has taken a hit, with our model projecting a 19% drop-off from his average of 0.73 points per game. Even with the projected decline, however, Coyle’s point forecast for tonight’s contest sits just above the betting line at 0.59.
Hottest Props: Florida Panthers
Vladimir Tarasenko: Over 0.5 Points (+114, DraftKings)
Panthers winger Vladimir Tarasenko put up three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in five games during Florida’s first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Our model projects a 9% decrease in Tarasenko’s average of 0.72 points per game in Game 1 against the Bruins, but he is still projected to land just above the betting line at 0.65 points.
Sam Reinhart: Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+120, DraftKings)
Panthers center Sam Reinhart put 23 shots on goal over five games in the first-round series against Tampa Bay, and he only had fewer than four shots in one of those five contests (three shots in Game 3 on April 25, a 5-3 Panthers win). He averaged 2.84 shots per game during the regular season, and our model projects a 33% uptick over that average to 3.79 shots tonight against the Bruins.
Brandon Montour: Over 0.5 Points (+110, DraftKings)
Like his teammate Tarasenko, Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour put up three points in five games during the first round against the Lightning. He averaged exactly 0.5 points per game during the regular season, but our model projects a 26% increase over that average to 0.63 points in Game 1 against the Bruins.
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NHL Player Props: Bruins vs. Panthers, Game 1