NHL Bets For May 24 - Best Bets For Panthers Vs. Rangers Game 2

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals gets started today and it already feels like a must-win for the New York Rangers. Teams that lose Game 1 are already in a hole, given that winners of Game 1 of an NHL series have a historic win rate of around 68-69%. But teams that go up 2-0? Their edge skyrockets into the 85% range.

What’s worse for the Rangers is that all of the areas where they seemingly had an edge against Florida disappeared in Game 1. In net, Sergei Bobrovsky out-dueled Igor Shesterkin while the Rangers’ power play was non-existent, as the often undisciplined Panthers only took two penalties and managed to keep New York from gaining any momentum on special teams.

The Rangers weren’t skated off the ice in Game 1 (it was a one goal game late in the third period) but they’ll need to turn the tables on Florida in Game 2 and either get to Bobrovsky early or draw the Panthers into more penalties.

So do we go back to the Panthers in Game 2 or flip the script and take a shot with the home underdogs. Let’s dive in below.

Best Bets for Panthers vs. Rangers Game 2

Florida Panthers Moneyline (-110; DraftKings)

Here’s some of what I wrote in my Game 1 Win in Regulation bet on the Panthers:

“When it boils down to it, Florida is available at -115 on the Moneyline and +145 on the regulation line today. For comparison, they went off at -155 on the straight Moneyline in Game 6 in Boston, so while the Panthers remain the favorites, they’re being priced as if their opponent today is far superior to the one they just beat.”

After watching Game 1 of this series, everything from above still applies. The Panthers got great goaltending from Bobrovsky who now has a .936 SV% over his last six games. He’s also been lights out against New York recently posting a 3-1-1 record in his last five meetings with the Rangers. The Panthers didn’t dominate 5v5 but they kept New York in check and still out-chanced them 8-7 in the high-danger scoring area. They’ll want to press that advantage more in Game 2 but with the better goalie right now even if they play New York equal 5v5 you have to like their chances to squeak out a close win.

New York has been relying on goaltending and special teams all playoffs but Game 1 was called tightly and I don’t expect a barrage of penalties in this series from Florida who are likely about as confident a team as you’ll find right now. Despite that, bettors are flocking to the Rangers in Game 2, seemingly confident they won’t lose two games in a row at home. That’s even pushed the Panthers up to -110 in places (better than their Game 1 price) which is more than enough for me to make a play on them again in Game 2.

Sam Bennett Anytime Goal Scorer (+425; bet365)

Sam Bennett hasn’t been playing huge minutes for the Panthers in the playoffs but he’s certainly been effective when he’s been on the ice. Over his last four games, he’s averaged six shot attempts and also managed to land five shots on net in Game 1 – one of which landed in an empty New York net late in the game for his third goal of the playoffs.

As the third-line center, he anchors a line with Eetu Luostarinen and Evan Rodrigues that showcases the Panthers' depth and should continue to have a decided edge for Florida as this series wears on. It always feels like you’re letting recency bias creep in when you chase a player in the goal market who just lit the lamp in their last game. However, on top of Bennett being a clear force for Florida in Game 1, his anytime goal prices also have solid divergence today with bet365 and Fanduel posting him over +400, with other books posting him as low as +325.

Those bigger prices don’t look to be taking into account how much he’s been firing the puck towards the net of late – or how effective he was against New York’s bottom six in Game 1 – making him a nice longshot play to take a stab with for Game 2.

Chris Kreider Under 0.5 Points (+110; DraftKings)

Much like we did in Game 1 with our player props, I think going back to fading some of the Rangers players for Game 2 is an excellent way to approach this game for betting. Chris Kreider is certainly a key piece of the Rangers offense and his power play production for the Rangers has been off the chart in the playoffs. However, as I mentioned above the referees swallowed the whistles for the most part in Game 1 and it’s hard to see Florida giving them a reason to change anything for Game 2 after going up 1-0.

Thus far, four of Kreider's 10 points have come on the power play and he’s also only managed to land three assists, giving him limited upside at 5v5. He’s also now gone pointless in three of his last four games which perhaps again exemplifies just how important the Rangers power play is to both his stats and the team’s success.

Regardless, until Bobrovsky cracks the Rangers point props all look a little too juiced to the over for my liking, making their unders a great play. The Panthers are a solid defensive team who have managed to hold Kreider to just one goal and one assist over the last five meetings between these two squads and should continue to make life difficult for him in Game 2.

Panthers Same-Game Parlay (+2000; bet365)

Florida Panthers Moneyline
Sam Bennett anytime goal
Evan Rodrigues over 0.5 assists

Building off a couple of bets tonight, we can create a SGP with some nice upside by adding in one more play. We discussed Bennett’s anytime goal prop above and the Panthers edge in the bottom six is an area of importance that I think will shine through in this series. Bennett scoring would obviously boost the Panthers chances of taking Game 2, immensely, and while I wouldn’t personally play a parlay with just those plays combined (better off to just play the Bennett prop solo) combining those two does give us a solid base for our final leg.

The big add-on here is the Rodrigues assist which may not be on your radar but makes sense if you are playing a Bennett anytime goal. Rodrigues is an underrated playmaker who averaged 0.33 assists per game this season, while not being heavily featured on the Panthers power play. He also assisted on the last Bennett goal that came at even strength in these playoffs (aka, not on an empty net) against the Bruins back in Game 4.

Bennett and Rodrigues not only play together 5v5 but may also get put out together as a second power-play unit should the first need a rest, or are ineffective to start this game, so they have solid correlation. The bottom line is that Bennett has been an instrumental player for the Panthers thus far and they’re 3-0 in the playoffs when he scores. This kind of SGP gives us an added way of potentially capturing more upside from that event should it occur again tonight.

NHL Bets For May 24 - Best Bets For Panthers Vs. Rangers Game 2

Best Bets for Panthers vs. Rangers Game 2

Florida Panthers Moneyline (-110; DraftKings)

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Sam Bennett Anytime Goal Scorer (+425; bet365)

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Chris Kreider Under 0.5 Points (+110; DraftKings)

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Panthers Same-Game Parlay (+2000; bet365)

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