Key Takeaways:
* The New York Rangers face the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals.
* dfsPro model forecasts interesting individual performances and player prop bets for tonight’s match.
* Rangers’ defense player Braden Schneider is projected to have under 1.5 blocked shots.
* Alexis Lafreniere of the Rangers is likely to score over 0.5 points.
* Florida Panthers’ forward Sam Reinhart is predicted to make over 3.5 shots on goal.
As the Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway, all eyes will be on two of the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded teams. The Florida Panthers visit Madison Square Garden tonight to face off against the New York Rangers in a highly anticipated match in the National Hockey League (NHL) scene.
Prediction Analysis for the Rangers
According to the dfsPro model’s AI-powered algorithm, there are some promising individual performances expected from the Rangers’ squad in Game 1.
For defenseman Braden Schneider, the model predicts a slight decline in his blocking performance with an under 1.5 blocked shots forecast (+140, DraftKings). Despite this, Schneider has elevated his game during the playoffs with an average of 1.8 shots blocked per game, an 11% rise from his regular-season average of 1.62.
Rangers’ forward, Alexis Lafreniere, is another player to keep an eye on. Lafreniere has averaged one point per game during the playoffs. Despite a slight dampening in his point production predicted in Game 1 against the Panthers, he’s still forecast to score just over the betting line with an over 0.5 points projection (+105, DraftKings).
Chris Kreider, a winger for the Rangers, played a crucial role in the team’s recent series-clinching victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite notching a hat trick in Game 6, two scoreless matches prior led to the model foreseeing a drop in his tally to 0.45 points tonight, suggesting an under 0.5 point prediction (+110, DraftKings).
Player Projections for the Panthers
Panthers’ players are also expected to put on a powerful show tonight. The dfsPro model provides a number of intriguing projections for the Panthers’ squad.
Sam Reinhart, a promising forward for the Panthers, shot just twice in Game 6 against the Boston Bruins. Even so, he’s fired four or more shots in six of Florida’s 11 postseason games. The model anticipates an over 3.5 shots on goal (+124, DraftKings) for Reinhart.
Captain of the Panthers, Aleksander Barkov is expected to continue his impressive performance. Barkov normally maintains an average above the betting line at 2.64 shots per game. Tonight, the model projects a further increase to 2.87 shots on goal, an over 2.5 shots prediction (+100, DraftKings).
Matthew Tkachuk, a winger for the Panthers, averages nearly an assist per game during the playoffs. Despite the model predicting a 22% decline below his regular-season average of 0.7 assists per game, Tkachuk is forecast to secure more than the betting line, with an over 0.5 assists prediction (+110, DraftKings).
As the teams hit the ice for what promises to be a thrilling Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, these player prop bets point toward some electrifying performances to watch out for tonight. For more DFS advice, fans are encouraged to subscribe to our free newsletter.