The Florida Panthers are set to begin their defense of their first-ever championship title. They visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This `Battle of Florida` rivalry is the final first-round matchup to commence. It marks the fourth time in five years the Lightning and the 2024 champion Panthers face off in the postseason, and the third time they meet in the opening round. Tampa Bay claimed victory in the first two playoff series between the state rivals before the Panthers defeated them in five games in the first round last postseason.
Three other series also resume on Tuesday, with the home teams looking to establish 2-0 leads. The Carolina Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils, coming off a 4-1 win in their opener. The Toronto Maple Leafs continue the `Battle of Ontario` against the visiting Ottawa Senators, having delivered a decisive 6-2 victory in Game 1. Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights aim to build on their 4-2 triumph when they welcome the Minnesota Wild to `Sin City`.
Logan Stankoven made a memorable playoff debut for Carolina, netting two goals, including the game-winner, against New Jersey on Sunday. The series opener between the Golden Knights and Wild featured multiple two-goal scorers: Matt Boldy scored twice for Minnesota, and Brett Howden did the same for Vegas. For the Maple Leafs, an impressive six different players registered goals in their win, including William Nylander, who finished the regular season second in the NHL with a career-best 45 goals.
After Monday saw three out of four suggested players score a goal, here are some players worth considering for anytime goal scorer prop bets on Tuesday`s games.
Best bets
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
The three-time Maurice Richard Trophy recipient had a somewhat quieter season in 2024-25 compared to his own high standards, finishing with 33 goals after leading the league with a career-high 69 the previous campaign. Injuries contributed to this, limiting Matthews to 67 games. However, the 27-year-old finished the regular season with a scoring streak of three games and recorded two assists against the Senators in Game 1. Matthews, who has scored 25 times in 35 regular-season matchups against Ottawa, watched six of his teammates score on Sunday and is likely eager to find the back of the net himself.
Sam Reinhart, Panthers
Reinhart also saw a decrease in his goal production this season following a remarkable 2023-24 campaign, scoring 39 goals after reaching a career-best 57 the year prior. The 29-year-old scored twice in three regular-season contests against the Lightning and netted three goals in Florida`s five-game playoff victory over Tampa Bay last postseason. Reinhart has a total of 22 goals in 43 career games against the Lightning (including playoffs) and 21 goals in 55 overall postseason appearances.
Nikita Kucherov, Lightning
Tampa Bay`s roster features numerous scoring threats, and Nikita Kucherov is a strong candidate to score on Tuesday. He has surpassed the 30-goal mark in eight of his last nine seasons. The 31-year-old Russian right winger scored three goals in his final three regular-season games and added two goals in four meetings with the Panthers in 2024-25. Kucherov has found the net 21 times in 38 career regular-season games and five times in 15 playoff games against Florida. He enters this series looking to end a 10-game postseason scoring drought and will be motivated to help the Lightning avenge last year`s series loss.
Brandon Saad, Golden Knights
Brandon Saad concluded this season with only 13 goals in 72 games, his lowest total since scoring 10 in 46 contests with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012-13. However, the 32-year-old left wing scored six times in 29 games for the Golden Knights, who signed him after he was released by the St. Louis Blues in late January (where he had managed just seven goals in 43 games). A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Chicago, Saad struggled with scoring late in the season but ended a 15-game drought on April 15 against the Calgary Flames in his final regular-season game. He did not score in Game 1 against the Wild but registered an assist and was one of the more effective forwards on the ice. It would not be surprising to see Saad score his first playoff goal since 2022 in Game 2.
