Ryan Hodges
Show Bio
It took 10 games for the Panthers and Hurricanes to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but the story was a little bit different for the Stars and Golden Knights, who played 13 between them to reach the Western Conference Finals. The remaining NHL teams are not traditional by any means but they all absolutely earned the right to be here and their fans are set to create some hostile barns. The tone was set last night and now it is the Stars and Golden Knights’ turn.
Here are my favorite NHL player prop bets for Friday’s Game 1. You can also check out our NHL picks.
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Jack Eichel over 0.5 goals (+140)
Jack Eichel certainly seems to be enjoying his first career trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights are 8 wins away from hoisting the cup and he is a big reason why. Eichel leads Vegas in goals with 6, in assists with 8, and in points with 14. His 14 points in 11 games have been somewhat backloaded as he has really hit his stride recently. Eichel tallied 4 important points in Games 5 and 6 against Edmonton as part of a run of 7 points in 4 games as events got more and more important. The Golden Knights finished the regular season atop the Western Conference and their play this postseason has validated their top seeding. Eichel has been a key part of that success without any sign that will change.
None of that is to say the Golden Knights’ success has been a one-man show with Eichel as the star. Vegas is getting contributions from up and down the lineup. Eichel is slated as the team’s top center between Stanley Cup champion Ivan Barbashev and 28-goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault. He is also on the top power play with Marchessault, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson and Shea Theodore. Eichel can create offense where there isn’t any on his own. But the teammates with whom he is consistently on the ice help increase any existing chances of offensive production. In what looks set to be a tightly played game and series, someone has to score and it may well be the Golden Knights’ offensive leader.
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Joe Pavelski over 2.5 shots on goal (+120)
The Stars and Golden Knights scored just 12 goals in 3 head-to-head matchups during the regular season. If this series goes the way of their regular-season series, any lack of goals will not come from a lack of trying. Vegas did a fantastic job of limiting Edmonton’s number of high-quality chances. If the Golden Knights can execute defensively against Dallas the same way, the Stars will be forced to throw pucks on net any chance they get. That being the case, a shots-on-goal prop looks good in a game where high-quality chances could be limited. If offense comes at a premium, look for the more reliable players to step up as the game goes on. When it comes to reliable players, arguably no one fits the description better than Joe Pavelski.
When Pavelski has had chances in this postseason, he has typically capitalized. Things may look a little bit different against the Golden Knights, but getting +120 for him to get 3+ shots is good value considering his pedigree, playoff performance and the potential game script. Pavelski has 8 goals on 19 shots in 8 games in these playoffs. If he logs an extra shot beyond his averages, that will hit this over. He is on a ridiculously talented line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz, as well as on the power play with those guys plus Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen. That is a heck of a cast of players. Pavelski should get at least 1 quality look plus a couple of shots with someone crashing the net. The +120 odds look good for this pick.
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