Wednesday features three matchups in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Two teams playing at home, the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings, hope to establish commanding 2-0 leads in their series against the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, respectively. In a pivotal Western Conference series, the Colorado Avalanche return to their home ice to face the Dallas Stars, with the series tied after the first two games were played in Texas.
In Game 1, the top-seeded Capitals overcame a scare against Montreal. After surrendering a two-goal advantage in the third period, Washington secured a 3-2 overtime victory thanks to Alex Ovechkin`s first career postseason overtime goal. Similarly, the Los Angeles Kings saw a three-goal lead in the third period evaporate against Edmonton but managed a 6-5 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference series, decided by Phillip Danault`s goal with 42 seconds left in regulation.
The Colorado Avalanche began their series strongly with a dominant 5-1 win in Game 1. They were close to taking a 2-0 lead in Game 2 but the Stars rallied, tying the game at 3-3 with a goal from Evgenii Dadonov. Colin Blackwell, a healthy scratch in Game 1, emerged as the hero for Dallas, scoring at 17:46 of overtime to even the series.
Following a successful run of anytime goal scorer bets over the past couple of days, here are some players identified as having value for prop bets on Wednesday`s slate.
Best Bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin finished the regular season with exceptional scoring form, netting 22 of his 44 goals in the final 31 contests. This hot streak continued into Game 1 against the Canadiens, where he scored a power-play goal and the decisive overtime winner. Ovechkin has historically performed well against Montreal in the playoffs, tallying seven goals in eight career games. At 39, he continues to be a scoring threat and is climbing the NHL`s all-time playoff goals list, currently tied for 13th place with 74 goals.
Cole Caufield, Canadiens
Montreal`s leading scorer during the regular season with a career-high 37 goals, Cole Caufield also found the back of the net in Game 1. The 24-year-old right wing has a tendency to score in streaks and has demonstrated effectiveness against the Capitals specifically, scoring in all three regular-season matchups this year and adding a goal in the playoff opener. He has recorded nine goals in 12 career games against Washington.
Roope Hintz, Stars
Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz recently ended a seven-game scoring drought by netting his team`s only goal in Game 1 against the Avalanche. While he has only two goals in his last nine playoff games, both have come against Colorado. Hintz has not scored in his last six consecutive playoff road contests, suggesting he might be due for a goal as the series shifts back to Dallas.
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl has an incredible track record of scoring against the Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs. Including Game 1 of this series, he has scored 18 goals in just 19 career postseason games against the Kings over the past four years, a significantly higher rate than his 24 goals in his other 56 playoff games. Draisaitl is also in strong current form, with 18 goals over his last 22 overall games and seven in his most recent eight contests.
