Thursday`s Stanley Cup Playoffs slate features four games, including two series where teams hold a 2-0 lead heading on the road. The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Ottawa Senators, and the Winnipeg Jets travel to face the St. Louis Blues for Game 3 in their respective series, both aiming to take a commanding lead.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild host the Vegas Golden Knights with their series tied 1-1 heading into Game 3. In the `Battle of Florida`, the reigning champion Florida Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa for Game 2, following a decisive victory in the series opener.
In the `Battle of Ontario`, Toronto dominated Game 1 against Ottawa with a 6-2 win, but needed overtime to secure a 3-2 victory in Game 2 after losing a two-goal lead. John Tavares and defenseman Morgan Rielly have found the net in both initial games for the Maple Leafs. Toronto`s only regular-season visit to Canada`s capital city resulted in a 2-1 loss.
The Presidents` Trophy-winning Jets kicked off their Western Conference series with a 5-3 comeback win over the Blues, followed by a tight 2-1 triumph in Game 2. Kyle Connor, who recorded eight game-winning goals in the regular season, has scored both deciding goals in this playoff matchup so far. Winnipeg won both of its regular-season games at Enterprise Center in 2024-25.
Minnesota rebounded from a 4-2 loss in Game 1 against Vegas with a 5-2 victory in Game 2. Matt Boldy, after scoring twice in the first game, opened the scoring in Tuesday`s contest. Kirill Kaprizov added two goals for the Wild. However, Minnesota has lost five consecutive home games against the Golden Knights, including both meetings during the regular season.
Despite recording just 17 shots in Game 1 versus the Lightning, Florida was highly effective on the power play, scoring on all three opportunities en route to a 6-2 win. Captain Matthew Tkachuk returned to the Panthers` lineup for the first time since February 8th and made an immediate impact, scoring two goals on the power play and adding an assist.
Following several successful anytime goal scorer bets over the past few days, here are some players offering potential value for prop bets on Thursday`s games:
Best Bets
Sam Reinhart, Panthers (+225, bet365)
While Reinhart scored 18 fewer goals this season than his career high last year, he still led Florida with 39. The 29-year-old forward scored twice in his final regular-season game and also tallied a goal in the Panthers` Game 1 win. This gives him three goals in four overall meetings against the Lightning this campaign. He also scored three times during Florida`s five-game series victory over Tampa Bay in the first round last postseason. Reinhart boasts an impressive record against the Lightning throughout his career, with 23 goals in 44 contests, including playoffs, and 22 goals in 56 total postseason games.
Brayden Point, Lightning (+160, DraftKings)
Brayden Point was a rare bright spot for Tampa Bay in the series opener. The 29-year-old center, who finished sixth in the NHL with 42 goals in 2024-25, netted one of the Lightning`s two goals in their Game 1 loss. Point scored three times in four regular-season matchups against the Panthers and has seven goals in 12 career playoff games facing Florida. Overall, he has accumulated 43 goals in 88 career postseason contests.
William Nylander, Maple Leafs (+220, FanDuel)
William Nylander led Toronto and ranked second in the league this season with a career-best 45 goals, marking his third consecutive campaign reaching the 40-goal plateau. The 28-year-old winger scored just once in his final six regular-season games but did tally in the Game 1 victory over Ottawa. This brings his career playoff goal total to 21 in 56 contests. His Game 1 goal was scored on the power play, where he tied for the team lead with 12 conversions in 2024-25, making him a significant threat whenever the Senators are short-handed.
Matt Boldy, Wild (+210, FanDuel)
Matt Boldy finished four goals shy of his career high but still led Minnesota with 27 goals in 2024-25. The 24-year-old forward has been a key offensive driver for the Wild in this series, scoring both of the team`s goals in the opener and netting the first goal of Game 2. This means Boldy accounted for four consecutive goals for Minnesota, including the overtime winner against the Anaheim Ducks in their regular-season finale. Only three other Wild players have scored in the series so far, suggesting Boldy will continue to have ample scoring opportunities on Thursday.
