Category: NHL

The Edmonton Oilers look to be in complete control, up 2-1 against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final.

The pregame narrative: The Oilers had a troublesome start, losing Game 1, 6-3. But everything has gone their way since. In the last two games, Edmonton has outscored Dallas 9-1 and now has the chance to take another step closer to its second straight Stanley Cup Final.

Check out my Stars vs. Oilers Game 4 prop picks on Zach Hyman and Mikael Granlund for May 27.

Stars vs. Oilers picks

Best Bet: Hyman to score a point (-129)

The Oilers have played six games at home this postseason. Hyman has been productive in those outings.

• 8 of 11 playoff points came at home
• 4-2 vs. this wager in Edmonton
• 3 points vs. Dallas in Game 3

Hyman continues to play on the first line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid, a tandem that has 38 combined points in the playoffs.

I’m not sure there is a better situation to be in for production opportunities.

And Hyman has made the most of it. He has 33 points in his last 39 playoff games.

On top of all that, the winger loves playing Dallas, as indicated by his recent stats in this matchup.

Key stat: Since the start of 2025, Hyman has seven points in five games vs. the Stars.

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Game 4 prop prediction

Granlund over 1.5 shots (-110): I went with this pick for Game 3, and Granlund looked well on track after recording a shot early in the first period.

He went on to go without one for the rest of the game, but that isn’t stopping me from going right back to it.

Granlund is still 8-3 against this wager over his last 11 playoff games.

He still managed three shot attempts and is averaging 3.7 per game over that 11-game sample size.

Granlund is a first-liner who skates on the back end of the second power-play unit. He should see enough opportunities to cash the over on this modest total.

Stars vs. Oilers prop picks made at 1:49 p.m. ET 05/26/2025.

The Carolina Hurricanes need to win on Monday to avoid being eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference final.

The pregame narrative: The Panthers have outscored the Hurricanes 16-4 en route to a 3-0 series lead. Florida is now one win away from reaching a third straight Stanley Cup Final.

Check out my Hurricanes vs. Panthers prop picks on Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand for Game 4.

Hurricanes vs. Panthers picks

Best bet: Ekblad to score a point (-115)

The blue-liner continues to be a force for the Panthers in the postseason.

• 10 points in 11 playoff games
• 8-3 vs. this line

And offence seems to be plentiful for the Panthers in the series. They’ve scored over five goals per game so far.

Ekblad has tallied a point in all three games.

It’s not surprising since the veteran defenceman is playing over 20 minutes every night for a team that is currently scoring with ease.

Among 38 defencemen with 200-plus minutes in the playoffs, Ekblad’s on-ice Corsi per 60 (76.76) ranks third, per Natural Stat Trick.

Ekblad has another shot to get on the score sheet while the Panthers can eliminate the Hurricanes and punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.

Key stat: Including the playoffs, Ekblad is 5-1 against this line vs. Carolina this year.

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Game 4 prop prediction

Marchand to score a point (-115): Another Panther I’m interested in targeting is Marchand.

The midseason acquisition is showing his worth in the playoffs, scoring 13 points in 15 games.

He’s been rather quiet in this series, recording just one goal in three matchups. But since Sam Reinhart’s status is up in the air moving forward, there is a gap to fill on Florida’s offence.

And the third line, including Marchand, has been great all postseason. The former Boston Bruin scored in Reinhart’s first game out.

He’s 10-5 against this line in the playoffs.

Overall, Marchand is an excellent postseason performer. He has 151 points in 172 career playoff games.

Marchand has 12 even-strength points in these playoffs and should continue contributing in a consistently high-scoring offence.

Hurricanes vs. Panthers prop picks made at 9:31 a.m. ET 05/26/2025.

The Edmonton Oilers return home after shutting down the Dallas Stars in Game 3.

The pregame narrative: Edmonton battled hard for a 3-0 win to even the Western Conference final. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two points in that matchup and should continue producing for the Oilers.

Check out my Stars vs. Oilers Game 3 prop picks on Nugent-Hopkins and Mikael Granlund for May 25.

Stars vs. Oilers picks

Best Bet: Nugent-Hopkins to score a point (-129)

I made this pick on Friday and Nugent-Hopkins came through, recording a goal and an assist to bring his playoff point total to 13 in as many games.

He’s normally the third-line centre, but Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch moved him to the first line at the start of the playoffs. So now, Nugent-Hopkins skates on a wing with Connor McDavid.

In Game 2, though, Nugent-Hopkins who was stuck on the ice with the third line when he created a scoring opportunity that was finished off by Connor Brown to put the game out of reach.

The makeshift winger is a talented player in his own right, but joining McDavid’s line is just another reason to get behind this pick.

Nugent-Hopkins also skates on the top power play. He scored his goal with the man advantage on Friday.

Finally, the former No. 1 overall pick has been an incredible playoff performer during his time in the NHL.

Key stat: Nugent-Hopkins has 74 points in 87 career postseason games.

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Game 3 prop prediction

Granlund over 1.5 shots (-114): Dallas’ top line is made up of Roope Hintz and two midseason additions.

The more notable one is Mikko Rantanen, but Granlund has also been super effective since being acquired at the deadline.

The Finn is constantly a threat in the offensive zone, cashing this wager in eight of his past 10 playoff games. That dates back to the series with the Colorado Avalanche.

He’s attempting 3.8 shots per game over that span and has seven shots on goal in two games of this series.

Stars vs. Oilers prop picks made at 1:49 p.m. ET 05/24/2025.

The Carolina Hurricanes head to Florida down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference final.

The pregame narrative: The Panthers look dominant and are on track to roll through another opponent in the East. Carolina must turn things around on the road after being outscored 10-2 across two home games.

Check out my Hurricanes vs. Panthers prop picks on Evan Rodrigues and Andrei Svechnikov for Game 3.

Hurricanes vs. Panthers picks

Best bet: Rodrigues to score a point (+100)

The first-line winger is coming alive as the postseason progresses.

• 7 points in his last 5 games

• 4 assists through 2 games vs. Carolina

Rodrigues has done most of his damage in this series on the power play. Three of his points have come with the man advantage.

He normally plays on the second unit, but he replaced Sam Reinhart with the first group after Reinhart left with an injury in Game 2.

Reinhart’s status for Saturday is in question, but if he’s out, Rodrigues could be in line for more ice time and offensive opportunities.

He cemented himself as one of Florida’s most important players in the 2024 playoffs.

As this postseason continues, Rodrigues has elevated his game once again and is worth wagering on at this price.

Key stat: The 31-year-old has 15 points in his last 19 playoff games.

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Game 3 prop prediction

Svechnikov under 2.5 shots (-115): Earlier in the playoffs, Svechnikov was playing like one of the best offensive forwards in the NHL. Now, like other good players, he’s run into the Panthers.

• He has one shot through the first two games.

• He went under 2.5 shots in all three regular-season meetings vs. Florida.

It’s not bad luck, either. Svechnikov’s 3.0 shot attempts per game in this series are a lot lower than his 8.1 average through the first two series.

Florida is simply the best at shutting down the opposition, and Svechnikov is feeling the full effects of that in the Eastern Conference final.

Hurricanes vs. Panthers prop picks made at 9:48 a.m. ET 05/24/2025.

The Edmonton Oilers have one more chance to steal home-ice advantage against the Dallas Stars.

The pregame narrative: Dallas flipped the script on last year’s Western Conference final by winning Game 1, 6-3. Can the Oilers bounce back? Or will the Stars jump out to a two-game lead, taking them a step closer to the Stanley Cup Final?

Check out my Oilers vs. Stars Game 2 prop picks on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Miro Heiskanen.

Oilers vs. Stars picks

Best Bet: Heiskanen to record a point (-118)

Dallas’ defenceman missed much of the second half of the regular season recovering from an injury. He returned in Game 4 of the series against the Winnipeg Jets and made an instant impact.

Heiskanen has four points in four playoff games while going 3-1 against this wager.

His ice time has gradually increased from 14 minutes in his return to over 24 minutes against the Oilers on Wednesday.

This pick may not be available at plus money anymore, but the value remains for the perennial Norris candidate.

Heiskanen had just 25 points in 50 games this season, but is capable of being one of the most productive offensive defencemen in the NHL when healthy.

He had 54 points in 71 games in 2023-24 and 73 points in 79 games in 2022-23.

Plus, Edmonton is dealing with some shaky goaltending from Stuart Skinner. That means another six-goal outburst is within the range of possibilities.

Key stat: Skinner has a 3.39 GAA and .872 SV% in these playoffs — the worst stats of any remaining starting goaltender.

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Game 2 prop prediction

Nugent-Hopkins to record a point (-121): It’s hard to get attention playing with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

But I want to shine a light on Nugent-Hopkins’ playoff career.

• The former first-overall pick has 72 points in 86 postseason games.

• He ranks fourth on the Oilers with 11 points in 12 games during these playoffs (8-4 against this line).

Nugent-Hopkins usually skates as the third-line centre, but his recent play has elevated him to the first line to play wing alongside McDavid.

He also slots onto the first power-play unit that includes Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. I’m not sure there is a better situation for a forward to be productive in.

I love the value on this pick at this price.

Oilers vs. Stars prop picks made at 1:49 p.m. ET 05/22/2025.