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.