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Saturday’s NHL slate features a pair of pivotal games as the Carolina Hurricanes aim to avoid elimination and hand the New York Rangers their first loss of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche battle for a 2-1 lead as their series swings to Colorado for Game 3.
Our AI-powered dfsPro model projects a number of individual performances worth keeping an eye on during Saturday’s second-round matchups. Let’s dive into some of our favorite NHL player props for May 11!
Hottest Props: New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 4
Vincent Trocheck: Over 0.5 Assists (+114, DraftKings)
Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck has dished out at least one assist in all but one of New York’s seven playoff games, and our model likes him to continue that trend tonight in Game 4 against the Hurricanes. Trocheck is projected to hover right around his regular-season assist average in tonight’s contest against his former team, putting him above the betting line at 0.62.
Jaccob Slavin: Over 0.5 Points (+195, DraftKings)
Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin has found the scoresheet just once in Carolina’s second-round series against the Rangers, scoring a goal in Game 1. His regular season points-per-game average was just below the betting line at 0.46, but our model projects a 35% increase over that average to 0.62 points tonight in Game 4.
Martin Necas: Under 2.5 Shots on Goal (+105, DraftKings)
Hurricanes forward Martin Necas averaged three shots per game during the regular season, but he has reached the three-shot mark just three times in eight postseason games and has yet to eclipse it. He managed just one shot on goal in Game 3 against the Rangers, and our model projects a 19% decline in his shot potential for Game 4, putting him below the betting line at 2.42 for tonight’s contest.
Hottest Props: Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars, Game 3
Mikko Rantanen: Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+130, DraftKings)
Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has yet to put more than two shots on goal in a single game against the Stars during this series, but he reached the four-shot mark on two occasions in Colorado’s first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. Our model projects Rantanen to see a 6% increase over his regular-season average of 3.39 shots per game, putting him just over the betting line at 3.59 shots on goal tonight in Game 3 against Dallas.
Nathan MacKinnon: Under 1.5 Points (+130, DraftKings)
Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had points in six straight playoff games until the Stars held him scoreless for the first time this postseason in Game 2 of the second round on May 9. His point projections for Game 3 have taken a slight hit as a result, with our model now projecting him to record 1.4 points – an 18% decline below his regular-season average of 1.71 points per game – placing him below the betting line in tonight’s contest.
Roope Hintz: Over 0.5 Points (+100, DraftKings)
After posting just one point through his first eight games this postseason, Stars defenseman Roope Hintz is coming off a four-point performance (1 goal, 3 assists) in Game 2 against the Avalanche. As a result, our model projects him to finish with 0.74 points against Colorado tonight in Game 3, putting him closer to his regular-season average of 0.81 points per game.
