Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals is set for Thursday, with the New York Rangers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning at 8 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay's 4-1 victory on Tuesday leveled the seres at two games apiece.
That said, there are some great player props to attack in this matchup.
Below are my five best PrizePicks props for Thursday's Game 5. For those unfamiliar with PrizePicks flex plays, correctly predicting 5-of-5 props registers a 10x payout, 4-of-5 registers a 2x payout and 3-of-5 registers a 0.4x payout.
You can also take these plays and do smaller parlays with just two or three props for lower payouts.
What is PrizePicks? A daily fantasy operator — meaning they’re available in more states (31) than sports betting is! — PrizePicks offers a unique opportunity for action on player props in which you parlay two or more plays together.
NHL PrizePicks Player Props
Nikita Kucherov – Over 3.5 Shots on Goal
After successfully hitting this prop on Tuesday, I am going back to the well once again. Nikita Kucherov has gone over this total in two straight and in five of his last seven games (71%).
I expect this trend to continue as the Lightning will look to force feed Kucherov while he has the hot hand in this series, especially in the absence of Brayden Point. Over the first four games of this series, the Lightning are averaging 38 Shots on Goal per game.
This trend should not be surprising as the Rangers rank 13th out of the 16 playoff teams this postseason in Shots on Goal Against per 60 minutes.
Igor Shesterkin – Over 33.5 Saves
If the Rangers defense continues allowing opposing teams to pepper shots on goal, then goaltender Igor Shesterkin should continue to be a good candidate to go over his saves prop. Shesterkin has gone over this total in four of his last six outings (67%).
In the postseason, the Rangers are 8-1 on home ice. Over those nine games, Shesterkin boasts an outstanding 0.948 save percentage.
Shesterkin has gone over this number in six of those nine home starts (67%).
Ondrej Palat – Over 2 Shots on Goal
I am targeting another Tampa Bay skater to help get Tampa Bay's shot total up in this game. The hero of Game 3, Ondrej Palat has reached at least two Shots on Goal in seven of his last eight games (88%).
In this series, coach Jon Cooper has stacked the first line and put together Palat, Kucherov, and Steven Stamkos. It makes sense that Palat keeps reaching this total as he skates alongside two superstars who can both move the puck excellently, and we should expect to see more of the same in Game 5.
Anthony Cirelli – Over 2 Shots on Goal
The last Tampa Bay skater I am backing in the shots department is centerman Anthony Cirelli. Coach Jon Cooper has absolutely loved the Brandon Hagel/Cirelli/Alex Killorn line as it provides toughness and strong two-way play. Consequently, he rewarded them by having that group lead all of their liens in ice time in each of the last two games.
Not only did this line do a great job in preventing High-Danger Scoring Chances, but it also does a great job in generating transition offense the other way. This has been evident with Cirelli's shot total, as he has reached at least three Shots on Goal in four of his last five games (80%).
Adam Fox – Under 2 Shots on Goal
If the Lightning are generating most of the Shots on Goal in this game, it would make sense that the Rangers will spend less time in the offensive zone. Sifting through potential fade candidates for Shots on Goal on the Rangers, Adam Fox jumps out.
Fox has now registered two or fewer Shots on Goal in each game of this series and in six of his last seven outings (86%). While Fox is a tremendous player, especially offensively, his strength is more so in his vision/passing than it is in his ability to continuously fire shots on net.
