The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers will play Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
With the series tied at two, NHL playoff odds have the Lightning as -155 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
In addition to NHL betting lines for this game, do not forget about prop bets.
Here are two player props to consider.
Nikita Kucherov Over 3.5 Shots (+130)
Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in shots and shots per game with 55 and 3.67, respectively. More importantly, he’s averaging 4.5 shots a game against the Rangers and has gone over 3.5 shots in three of their four games.
Go upstairs for a bird's-eye view of Nikita Kucherov's (@86Kucherov) game winner! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/SkIxRyDcKw
— NHL (@NHL) June 9, 2022
This prop gets a lot more interesting considering that New York has allowed 38.8 shots per game in the playoffs and 38.3 facing the Lightning. Tampa Bay has surpassed 30 shots against the Rangers in every game and had as many as 52 in Game 3.
At +130, the plus-money has a lot of value for Kucherov to go over 3.5 shots in Game 5.
Nikita Kucherov Anytime Goalscorer (+165)
It’s not necessarily a great plan to put all of the prop eggs in one basket, but I have to ride the hot hand with plus money.
Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with seven goals and 31 points in 15 playoff games. Even without linemate Bayden Point, Kucherov has been a force through these playoffs. In the two series without Point, Kucherov has five goals and 13 points in eight games. Kucherov has goals in three straight games, only failing to find the back of the net in Game 1 of this series.
The Russian has looked like a man possessed in this series, showing glimpses of why he was once the best player in the world. Before his injuries, Kucherov won the Hart, Art Ross, and Ted Lindsay awards in 2019. In the two seasons since, he’s been the driving force behind back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Kucherov will almost always have value with plus money. At +165, he has an excellent chance to score a goal in Game 5.
NHL Parlay Picks at BetMGM
BetMGM has you covered not only during the Stanley Cup playoffs, but throughout the NHL season. But the NHL playoffs are the perfect time for making NHL parlay picks in between examining the latest Stanley Cup betting odds.
