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In a 2024 NHL Eastern Conference Final that has featured three straight overtime contests, the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers could make history with another when they clash for Game 5 Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
According to NHL PR, a Conference Final or Semifinal series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs has never featured four consecutive overtime games; in fact, only three series in any round have witnessed an OT streak of that length.
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 5 of the Eastern Conference Final!
Hottest Player Props: New York Rangers
Vincent Trocheck: Over 0.5 Assists (+110, DraftKings)
Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck is riding a three-game point streak into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, and he has 11 assists in 14 playoff games. He averaged 0.63 assists per game during the regular season, and although our model projects a slight decrease in tonight’s contest against the Panthers, he is projected to finish just over the betting line at 0.57.
Jacob Trouba: Under 3.5 Blocked Shots (+120, DraftKings)
Rangers captain Jacob Trouba has blocked 18 shots over the last three games alone, but that was preceded by a pair of contests in which he only blocked two shots each. Trouba averaged 2.65 blocks per game during the regular season, and our model projects a modest decline below that average to 2.51 tonight in Game 5 against Florida.
Hottest Player Props: Florida Panthers
Sam Reinhart: Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+120, DraftKings)
Panthers forward Sam Reinhart averaged fewer than three shots per game during the regular season, but that average has increased to four per game during the postseason. He hasn’t exceeded three shots on goal in a single game since Game 1 against the Rangers on May 22, but our model still projects a 36% increase over his regular-season average, up to 3.86 tonight in Game 5.
Carter Verhaeghe: Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+110, DraftKings)
Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe put seven shots on goal in Game 3 against the Rangers, tying Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead, and followed it with a four-shot effort in Game 4. Our model projects a 17% increase over Verhaeghe’s regular-season average of 3.24 shots per game, putting him over the betting line at 3.78 tonight in Game 5 against the Rangers.
Evan Rodrigues: Over 0.5 Points (+165, DraftKings)
Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues has recorded just one point so far during the Eastern Conference Final, an assist in Game 3 of the series on May 26. He has seven points through 15 postseason games, and our model still projects a 29% increase over his average scoring potential to put him over the betting line at 0.63 points for tonight’s contest.
Anton Lundell: Over 0.5 Points (+130, DraftKings)
Like Rodrigues, Panthers forward Anton Lundell has recorded just one assist through four games in the series against the Rangers. However, he is projected to outperform his offensive averages across the board in tonight’s contest, with our model projecting a a 38% increase over his average points per game to place him above the betting line at 0.62 in Game 5.
