NHL Tuesday player props: 3 forwards to target
The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs gets underway on Tuesday night. While there are only two games to pick through, there's still plenty of value on the board.
Let's dive in.
Sam Bennett over 2.5 shots (-134)
More and more, the odds are starting to reflect Jonathan Huberdeau's home dominance. Luckily, they're still lagging well behind with Bennett.
The Panthers' second-line center has generated at least three shots in 22 of his last 30 home dates (73%), averaging a whopping 4.2 per game in that span. He's not just getting by; he's doing so comfortably.
While the Lightning are stout defensively, Bennett will avoid the most difficult matchups. The absence of Brayden Point also helps thin out Tampa's middle-six, which Bennett should see plenty of.
Bennett is a monster on home soil, and he enjoyed plenty of success against the Bolts last postseason, combining for 16 shots over five games while going over the number (2.5) in four of them.
Nikita Kucherov over 3.5 shots (+115)
I really like Kucherov in this spot. The star winger looked out of sorts at times in the first round, and yet he still led the Lightning in points, primary points, shots on goal, shot attempts, and scoring chances. He's the team's go-to player in the offensive zone, and he touches the puck a ton, offering plenty of opportunities to fire away.
The matchup is also better than it looks on paper. Florida tends to play very high-event games - especially against its biggest rival - and gave up a lot to right-wingers in the opening round. Only two teams allowed more shots per game to the position.
Kucherov also has a pretty encouraging history against Florida. He hit the net five times on eight attempts in his only regular-season matchup this year and had at least four shots in two of three games in Florida last playoffs. At plus money, there's value here.
Gabriel Landeskog over 2.5 shots (-152)
The Avalanche have been using Landeskog on the second line with Nazem Kadri, which is great for the former's shot generation. Landeskog's a much more efficient shooter when away from Nathan MacKinnon at five-on-five.
With MacKinnon as his center, he averaged 6.97 shots and 12.14 attempts per 60 minutes.
By comparison with Kadri, Landeskog generated 10.56 shots and 19.23 attempts per 60. That's a drastic difference.
Landeskog should remain on a line with Kadri in Game 1, and he toasted the Blues in last year's playoffs, generating three shots or more in three of four games while piling up eight points along the way.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.