NHL Best Bets
May was an amazing month. We finished +12.77 units and are looking to bring those positive vibes into June. Tonight, we have our first elimination game of the Conference Finals as the New York Rangers head into Florida looking to save their season. The Florida Panthers won a huge road game at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, and they’re now looking to punch their ticket to their second straight Stanley Cup Final. Let’s get into our NHL best bets.
NY Rangers at Florida (-170, 5.5)
The Florida Panthers are legit. They have been the better hockey team for the majority of this Eastern Conference Final, but there’s one thing they don’t have that the New York Rangers do have, Igor Shesterkin.
Shesterkin has a .934 save percentage and a 2.28 goals against average in this series and is undoubtedly the best goalie remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In a do-or-die situation, I don’t think anyone would choose another goalie they’d want in their blue paint. Shesterkin will certainly have his plate full tonight as the Panthers have been averaging 33.6 shots on goal per game in this series, but you know what they say, close-out games in a series are the hardest games to win.
Florida will get their chances tonight, they’re generating 13.91 high-danger chances per game in the playoffs, which is the most of any team.
On the flip side for the Rangers, desperation is a tough thing to measure. With their season on the line, you can anticipate New York will give the best effort they’ve had all year, and it won’t be easy to knock them off.
One player on the Rangers to look for will be Chris Kreider. Believe it or not, Kreider is actually tied with Mark Messier for the most goals in NHL playoff history when facing elimination. Kreider has 16 goals in 29 games facing elimination and Messier scored 16 goals in 24 games.
In Game Six of the second round, Kreider had a natural hat trick in the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes to send the Rangers into the Eastern Conference Final. You’d have to think he comes up big again in a game like this.
Back to Shesterkin, in games when facing elimination he has been outstanding early on in his career. Shesterkin is 6-3-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.56 goals against average in games when facing elimination.
NHL Best Bet(s): Igor Shesterkin over 29.5 saves -125 (play to -140) | Under 5.5 -135 (play to -150) | Chris Kreider anytime goal scorer +205 (play to +190)
June Record: 0-0 (+0.00 units)
2023-24 record: 192–176 (-15.92 units)
