
The home teams look to take commanding 3-1 leads in their second-round series, as the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue with a pair of games on Monday. The Carolina Hurricanes split the first two contests of their Eastern Conference matchup against the top-seeded Washington Capitals on the road before posting a 4-0 victory at Lenovo Center in Game 3. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers opened their Western Conference series with a pair of road wins but suffered a 4-3 loss versus the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place on Saturday in heartbreaking fashion.
Jack Roslovic recorded a goal and an assist on Saturday, while Frederik Andersen turned aside all 21 shots he faced for his fourth career postseason shutout as the Hurricanes took a 2-1 series lead. Andrei Svechnikov scored his team-leading sixth playoff goal to pull even with William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the NHL.
Veteran Corey Perry tallied twice to give Edmonton an early 2-0 lead in Game 3, but the Oilers squandered the advantage before 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Connor McDavid scored with 3:02 remaining in the third period to forge a 3-3 tie. However, Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith fired the puck across the crease from below the left faceoff circle, and reigning Maurice Richard Trophy recipient Leon Draisaitl inadvertently deflected it into his own net with 0.4 seconds left, giving Smith his second goal of the game and Vegas a much-needed victory.
Here are some players with value to consider when making prop bets for Monday’s playoff games.
Best bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: anytime goal scorer (+190, bet365)
Ovechkin’s drought has reached three games as he has yet to score in this series. It is the longest dry spell for the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader since a three-game stretch from Jan. 6-10, and he hasn’t gone four games without a tally since the Capitals were swept by the New York Rangers in the first round last postseason. The 39-year-old Russian superstar’s next goal will be the 77th of his postseason career, which will move him past the legendary Mario Lemieux for 12th place on the all-time playoff list. I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t select Ovechkin and he scored, so I have to keep the faith that he’ll break through on Monday.
John Carlson, Capitals: 1+ point (+134, FanDuel)
Carlson got off to a slow start offensively this postseason but has picked it up of late. After failing to get on the scoresheet in Washington’s first four playoff games, the 35-year-old defenseman recorded a three-game point streak before Saturday’s shutout loss. Carlson is averaging 0.58 points per game during his postseason career and is a key member of the Capitals’ power play, so he’s likely to get some opportunities to get involved in the team’s scoring in Game 4, barring another blanking.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Hurricanes: 1+ assist (+130, FanDuel)
Gostisbehere was third on the Hurricanes with 38 assists during the regular season and has notched four in eight games during these playoffs, which also puts him third on the team. The 32-year-old blue-liner registered a total of six assists in 32 contests prior to this postseason. Gostisbehere has helped set up three goals over his last four games, including one on Saturday, and gets plenty of time on the power play, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him keep contributing in Game 4.
William Karlsson, Golden Knights: anytime goal scorer (+350, bet365)
This may be a stretch, but it’s often a good thing to ride the hot hand—especially in the playoffs. Karlsson scored just one goal in his first seven games this postseason but has tallied in back-to-back contests. Dating back to the Golden Knights’ second-round triumph over the Oilers in 2023, the 32-year-old Swede has scored in three of his last four playoff games versus Edmonton. He has begun to resemble the version of himself that was second on the team with 11 goals during Vegas’ run to the Stanley Cup championship two years ago. With captain Mark Stone questionable due to an upper-body injury, I like Karlsson to continue elevating his play offensively on Monday.
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