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The Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Thursday when the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers – both looking for their first Stanley Cup in over 25 years – clash at American Airlines Center.
Our AI-powered dfsPro model projects a number of individual performances worth keeping an eye on during Thursday’s matchup. Let’s dive into some of our favorite NHL player props for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final!
Hottest Player Props: Dallas Stars
Tyler Seguin: Over 0.5 Points (+105, DraftKings)
Stars center Tyler Seguin averaged less than a point per game during Dallas’ second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche and has just eight points through 13 games this postseason, causing our model to project a 23% dip below his regular-season average of 0.73 points per game. Still, Benn’s projections place him slightly above the betting line at 0.58 points tonight in Game 1 against the Oilers.
Matt Duchene: Over 0.5 Points (+110, DraftKings)
Matt Duchene was the overtime hero for the Stars in Game 6 against the Avalanche, scoring the game-winning goal at 11:42 of the second overtime period to seal the 2-1 victory and punch Dallas’ ticket to the Western Conference Final. He is averaging less than 0.5 points per game during the playoffs, causing our model to project a slight decline below his regular-season average of 0.81 points per game; still, Duchene is projected to finish above the betting line at 0.68 tonight in Game 1.
Joe Pavelski: Over 0.5 Points (+100, DraftKings)
Veteran Stars forward Joe Pavelski has just four points through 13 playoff games, but three of those points came in Dallas’ last two games against the Avalanche. Our model likes him to extend his postseason point streak to three games tonight, projecting him to finish much closer to his regular-season average of 0.82 points in Game 1 against the Oilers.
Chris Tanev: Under 3.5 Blocked Shots (+105, DraftKings)
Stars defenseman Chris Tanev has been a shot-blocking machine during the playoffs, including 15 blocked shots over the last two games alone. However, our model projects a 17% decline below his regular-season average of 3.05 blocked shots per game, down to 2.53, tonight in Game 1 against the Oilers. He blocked 2.25 shots per game in four contests against the Oilers during the regular season – one as a member of the Stars and three as a member of the Calgary Flames.
Hottest Player Props: Edmonton Oilers
Mattias Ekholm: Over 0.5 Points (+160, DraftKings)
With three straight games without a point, Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm is currently in his longest scoreless streak of the postseason. Still, he started Edmonton’s second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks on a four-game point streak – including goals in three consecutive games – and our model likes him to find the scoresheet again tonight, projecting him to finish just over the betting line at 0.54 points in Game 1 against the Stars.
Evander Kane: Over 0.5 Points (+124, DraftKings)
Oilers forward Evander Kane was held scoreless in Game 7 against the Canucks, snapping a four-game point streak. Our model likes him to return to the scoresheet tonight in Game 1 against Dallas, projecting him to hover right around his regular-season average of 0.57 points per game.