In this article, Canada Sports Betting’s Nick Martin breaks down the two best NHL player props that provide value at online sportsbooks today (5/6/26).
Monday’s card went 1-for-2, dropping our record to +9.94 units across 196 selections this season. We will look at Cole Caufield to offer greater offensive involvement after a quiet series at five-on-five versus the stingy Tampa Bay Lightning, and the dynamic duo of Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry each to record a point.
Cole Caufield Over 3.5 Shots on Goal: +170 (Play to +160)
Caufield over 3.5 SOG
Montreal’s top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky/Josh Anderson really struggled to get anything going at even strength in Round 1 versus the Lightning, but the fast-paced Sabres should prove to be a more livable matchup for Montreal’s top trio to create scoring chances at even strength.
Montreal’s top unit spent a lot of time playing against Tampa Bay’s defensively excellent top line of Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, and Nikita Kucherov and a fair share of minutes against Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point. The Lightning forced a lot of dump-ins, and supported the middle of the ice very well.
Caufield averaged just 1.63 shots on goal per game in Round 1, but did start to pick things up at the end of the series with 14 shot attempts over the final two games.
Caufield racked up six points and averaged 3.5 shots on goal per game versus the Sabres in four regular-season matchups. While Buffalo’s defensive game has improved since the start of the year, it still appears to be less formidable than the Lightning in that regard by a fairly wide margin, and the style of this series should be a fair bit different than what we saw in Round 1.
For a large portion of the second half bettors would have been completely thrilled to see Caufield priced at +170 to record four shots. While it’s still a long shot, +170 is a long enough number to tap into the idea that Caufield’s modest even strength play had much to do with the difficult head-to-head matchups he was working with versus the Lightning, and that things could look much different versus the more high-flying Sabres.
Leo Carlsson/Troy Terry 1+ Point Each Over: +110 (Bet365, Play to +100)
Carlsson/Terry points parlay
Game 1 of the second-round matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights offered a much different game script than we were expecting, as the Ducks actually spent more time in the offensive zone than the Knights and led 12-6 in high-danger scoring chances.
My expectation for the series was that the speedy, skilled Ducks could create some problems in transition for the Knights and create a low-quantity, high-quality output of scoring chances which would go in at a high rate versus Carter Hart. Maybe we still see those factors play out moving forward, but regardless, the Ducks should feel pleased with what they generated in Game 1.
Out of the many scoring chances Anaheim failed to finish in Game 1, many came with Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry in line to hit the scoresheet. Anaheim’s top line of Carlsson, Terry, and Chris Kreider generated 1.08 expected goals at even strength, and out-attempted the Knights 16-5.
Carlsson, in particular, has been absolutely electric this postseason, while Terry has done a good job of facilitating pucks to the Ducks’ most threatening skater.
Hart now holds fairly respectable statistics this postseason (+0.5 GSAx, .905 save percentage), but his positioning and movement still look fairly shaky. If the Ducks author a similar performance in Game 2, they should find much more success offensively, and Carlsson and Terry are the most logical candidates to lead the way if that is the case.
You can follow all of Nick’s hockey bets on the Action Network App!