Getty Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
The Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight when the Florida Panthers square off against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in a battle between the Eastern Conference’s top two seeds. The Rangers have just two losses, welcome the Panthers, with just three losses to this point
Our AI-powered dfsPro model projects a number of individual performances worth keeping an eye on during Wednesday’s matchup. Let’s dive into some of our favorite NHL player props for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final!
Hottest Player Props: New York Rangers
Braden Schneider: Under 1.5 Blocked Shots (+140, DraftKings)
Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider has blocked an average of 1.8 shots per game during the 2024 playoffs, an 11% increase over his regular-season average of 1.62. He recorded just one block in Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes on May 16, and our model projects a 38% decline below his regular-season average tonight in Game 1 against the Panthers.
Alexis Lafreniere: Over 0.5 Points (+105, DraftKings)
Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere was held off the scoresheet in each of the Rangers’ last two games against the Hurricanes, causing our model to project a slight decline in his point production tonight in Game 1 against Florida. Lafreniere is still averaging a point per game during the playoffs, however, and he is still projected to finish just above the betting line at 0.54 points.
Chris Kreider: Under 0.5 Points (+110, DraftKings)
Rangers winger Chris Kreider was the hero in New York’s series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Hurricanes, notching a hat trick in the third period to complete the comeback. However, he had been held scoreless in two consecutive contests prior, causing our model to project more than a 50% decline below his regular-season average to 0.45 points tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Hottest Player Props: Florida Panthers
Sam Reinhart: Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+124, DraftKings)
Panthers forward Sam Reinhart put just two shots on goal in Game 6 of Florida’s second-round series against the Boston Bruins, his lowest single-game shot total of the playoffs. He has put four or more shots on goal in six of Florida’s 11 postseason games, however, and our model projects a 30% increase over his regular-season average of 2.84 shots per game, placing him above the betting line at 3.69 shots tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Aleksander Barkov: Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+100, DraftKings)
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov put three shots on goal in Florida’s series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Bruins, and our model likes him to continue that trend tonight against the Rangers. Barkov’s regular-season average was already above the betting line at 2.64 shots per game, and our model projects a further increase up to 2.87 tonight in Game 1.
Matthew Tkachuk: Over 0.5 Assists (+110, DraftKings)
Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk is averaging nearly an assist per game during the playoffs, most recently dishing out one helper in Game 6 against Boston. Our model does project a 22% decline below his regular-season average of 0.7 assists per game, but Tkachuk is still projected to finish above the betting line at 0.61 assists tonight in Game 1 against the Rangers.