Tuesday marks the start of two highly anticipated second-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, featuring some of the NHL`s biggest stars. Alex Ovechkin leads the Washington Capitals against their Metropolitan Division rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes, in Game 1, while Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights to begin their Pacific Division clash.
Ovechkin, recently crowned the NHL`s all-time leading goal scorer, guided the top-seeded Capitals to a first-round victory over the Montreal Canadiens, their first series win since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018. Washington and Carolina split their four regular-season meetings this year, with home teams winning every contest. However, in their sole previous playoff encounter in 2019, the Hurricanes emerged victorious in seven games.
McDavid, who earned the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2023 when the Oilers were one win shy of the championship, accumulated 11 points as Edmonton eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the fourth consecutive year. Vegas advanced by defeating the Minnesota Wild in six games, winning the final three games of that series, two of which went into overtime. Similar to the other matchup, the Oilers and Golden Knights split their four games during the 2024-25 regular season. Vegas also holds the edge in their only previous playoff series from 2023.
With these key matchups set for Tuesday, here are some player prop betting options offering potential value:
Best Bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals – anytime goal scorer (+135)
Ovechkin has been in strong scoring form, finding the back of the net in 10 of his last 14 games, including the regular season. The nine-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner scored in three of Washington`s five games against Montreal in the first round. His next goal in the playoffs will be his 77th, moving him past Mario Lemieux into 12th place all-time. Ovechkin scored twice in three games against Carolina this season and netted four goals during their 2019 playoff series.
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers – anytime goal scorer (+130)
Leon Draisaitl reached the 50-goal milestone for the fourth time in his career this season, finishing with 52 to claim the Richard Trophy. The German forward scored in three of Edmonton`s first four games versus Los Angeles but was held off the scoreboard in the final two contests. Historically, Draisaitl scored twice in four games against the Golden Knights this past season and recorded six goals in the Oilers` six-game playoff loss to Vegas in 2023.
Evan Bouchard, Oilers – 1+ assist (+110)
Evan Bouchard is an offensive force from the blueline, with 48 assists in 59 career playoff games, including three in Game 1 against the Kings. However, he has gone five consecutive games without an assist, his longest such stretch since the beginning of the 2024-25 season. While he has scored a pair of goals recently, it seems likely the skilled defenseman will register an assist soon, making the prop bet appealing.
Connor McDavid, Oilers – 2+ assists (+190)
Connor McDavid, a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, is an exceptional playmaker, logging 89 assists in 80 career playoff games. He has recorded multiple assists in 28 of his last 67 playoff appearances. Three multi-assist games came in the recent series win against Los Angeles. McDavid also had two multi-assist games in the Oilers` 2023 playoff matchup against Vegas and set an NHL record with 34 assists in 25 games during the 2023 postseason.
