Two home teams look to take 2-0 leads and a pivotal Game 3 takes place in a Western Conference series as the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continues with three games Wednesday. The Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings hope to take firm control of their matchups when they host the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, respectively, while the Colorado Avalanche return home to face the Dallas Stars after splitting the first two games of the series in Texas.
The top seed in the Eastern Conference, Washington squandered a two-goal lead in the third period of its series opener against Montreal before Alex Ovechkin scored the first overtime goal of his postseason career to give the Capitals a 3-2 triumph. Los Angeles allowed a three-goal advantage to slip away in the third against Edmonton in Game 1 of their Western Conference matchup but pulled out a 6-5 victory as Phillip Danault netted his second tally of the contest with 42 seconds remaining in regulation.
After cruising to a 5-1 win in its opener, Colorado was 10 minutes away from a 2-0 series lead before the Stars forged a 3-3 tie on a goal by Evgenii Dadonov. Colin Blackwell, who was a healthy scratch for Game 1 and received the least amount of ice time of any player on either team on Monday, scored at 17:46 of overtime to even the series for Dallas.
After four best bets connected for a goal over the previous two days, here are some players with value to consider when making prop bets for an anytime goal scorer Wednesday.
Best bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals (+120, bet365)
Ovechkin was red-hot during his pursuit of the Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, netting 22 of his 44 regular-season tallies over his final 31 games – including eight in his last nine contests. The three-time Hart Trophy winner and 2018 Conn Smythe Trophy kept rolling in Game 1 against the Canadiens, opening the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period before producing the overtime winner. That gave him seven tallies in eight career playoff games against Montreal. At this point, it’s impossible to think the 39-year-old won’t score, so expect him to continue to move up the NHL’s all-time playoff goals list as he enters Wednesday tied with Joe Pavelski for 13th place with 74 and trailing Mario Lemieux by two for 12th.
Cole Caufield, Canadiens (+220, bet365)
Caufield led Montreal during the regular season with a career-high 37 goals and netted one of the team’s two tallies in Game 1. The 24-year-old right wing tends to score in bunches as he converted in consecutive contests six times in 2024-25, with five of those occasions being streaks of three or more games. Caufield also scored in each of the Canadiens’ three regular-season meetings with the Capitals and has recorded nine goals in 12 career contests against Washington, including the series opener.
Roope Hintz, Stars (+275, DraftKings)
Hintz has scored only two goals in his last nine postseason games, with both coming against the Avalanche. One of those was Dallas’ only tally in the series opener, which ended the 28-year-old center’s seven-game drought to end the regular season. Hintz has failed to convert in six consecutive playoff road contests, so you might say he’s due.
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers (+160, bet365)
It’s almost a given that Draisaitl will find the back of the net in a playoff game against the Kings. Including the opener of this series, the 29-year-old has scored 18 goals in 19 career postseason contests versus Los Angeles – all in the last four years. By comparison, Draisaitl has netted 24 tallies in his other 56 playoff games. He’s been hot of late regardless of who he’s facing, scoring 18 goals over his last 22 overall contests and seven in the past eight.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Shedeur Sanders to Browns: Which QBs had good careers after getting drafted in Round 5 or later?
Getty Images The wait is over for Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. Once projected to be the second quarterback taken in the draft, Sanders wasn't one of the top five quarterbacks taken and his draft stock took a massive slide. On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns took a chance on Sanders early in the fifth round with the No. 144 pick, adding their second rookie quarterback of this draft (selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round). They traded up ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles to assure they landed their guy.No quarterback was taken in Round 4, meaning Sanders slipped even further on Day 3 of the draft. The Heisman Trophy finalist continued to wait until Cleveland made the move. What does it mean for Sanders being a fifth-round pick? It doesn't mean he can't carve out a good career in the NFL. […]
Shedeur Sanders drafted by Browns in Round 5: Colorado QB finally selected with pick No. 144
Getty Images The wait is finally over for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as the Browns selected him with the No. 144 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, was widely expected to be a first- or second-round pick but instill fell all the way to the fifth round and was selected behind five other quarterbacks. The Browns gave up picks 166 and 192 to trade up 22 spots with the Seattle Seahawks for the right to select Sanders. Sanders now presumably gets a chance to develop and compete in a quarterback room that includes the injured Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett (acquired via trade), Joe Flacco (signed in April) and Dillon Gabriel (third-round pick). It's a far cry from where Sanders likely expected to be coming into this weekend, but he's still getting his NFL […]
Browns end Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders’ draft skid, take him with No. 144 pick
<!--> The slide has ended. Shedeur Sanders' landing spot was the most talked-about subject heading into the 2025 NFL Draft and became a primary talking point after he was continually passed on Day 1 and 2, and now we have an answer. The former Colorado quarterback was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 pick in the draft, the sixth pick of the fifth round, on Saturday.Sanders was the sixth quarterback off the board, being selected after Miami (Fla.)'s Cam Ward (No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans), Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart (No. 25 to the New York Giants), Louisville's Tyler Shough (No. 40 to the New Orleans Saints), Alabama's Jalen Milroe (No. 92 to the Seattle Seahawks) and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel (No. 94 to the Cleveland Browns).ADVERTISEMENT -->Sanders has been a polarizing prospect during the draft process. There has […]
Wrexham are heading to the Championship: This is the story of their third straight promotion season
Even for a club dubbed ‘Hollywood FC’ and whose players recently starred alongside Channing Tatum in a Super Bowl advert, Danny DeVito high-fiving supporters in a Los Angeles bar to celebrate a stoppage-time winner remains one of the more surreal moments this season.Ollie Rathbone’s darting run and angled shot from 20 yards to break the deadlock against Barnsley was certainly worthy of such an effusive reaction from the 80-year-old as he joined fellow It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-stars in saluting Wrexham’s goal.AdvertisementBut still, DeVito is acting royalty, and this was a match being played two tiers below the Premier League and 5,200 miles away. The footage of DeVito’s celebrations quickly went viral with comments such as, “Just when you thought you’d seen it all!”To those with inside knowledge of Wrexham’s rise under co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — […]
Crystal Palace je prvním finalistou Anglického poháru
Semifinálový účet otevřel Eze, který nejprve zamířil z dálky přesně pod břevno a po změně stran si došel pro penaltu. Ale Francouz Mateta selhal a poslal míč vedle pravé tyče. Stalo se mu to poprvé po jedenácti úspěšných pokusech. Další dva góly přidal Senegalec Sarr, na něhož nebudou hráči Aston Villy rádi vzpomínat. V únoru jim také dvěma brankami připravil ligovou porážku 1:6.Crystal Palace je v lize až dvanáctý, ale má šanci probojovat se do pohárové Evropy, což se mu ve stodvacetileté historii ještě nepodařilo.Semifinále Anglického fotbalového poháru:Crystal Palace – Aston Villa 3:0 (58. a 90.+4 Sarr, 31. Eze)
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid predicted lineups, projected starting XI: Kylian Mbappe won’t start El Clasico
Getty Images Real Madrid's season and Barcelona's treble hopes hang in the balance as the two sides meet Saturday in the Copa del Rey final. With games coming thick and fast as we reach the run in of the season, both sides will have injury issues to deal with when it comes to setting up for the match. Barcelona will be without Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski, while Real Madrid has picked up new injuries to David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga. And in a shock the side announced that star striker Kylian Mbappe will not be in the starting lineup. Both managers have needed to balance numerous injuries with getting the best out of their teams all season, but now a trophy is on the line, and the decisions made will loom larger. We got to see our first look at […]
Related
Shedeur Sanders to Browns: Which QBs had good careers after getting drafted in Round 5 or later?
Getty Images The wait is over for Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. Once projected to be the second quarterback taken in the draft, Sanders wasn't one of the top five quarterbacks taken and his draft stock took a massive slide. On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns took a chance on Sanders early in the fifth round with the No. 144 pick, adding their second rookie quarterback of this draft (selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round). They traded up ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles to assure they landed their guy.No quarterback was taken in Round 4, meaning Sanders slipped even further on Day 3 of the draft. The Heisman Trophy finalist continued to wait until Cleveland made the move. What does it mean for Sanders being a fifth-round pick? It doesn't mean he can't carve out a good career in the NFL. […]
Shedeur Sanders drafted by Browns in Round 5: Colorado QB finally selected with pick No. 144
Getty Images The wait is finally over for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as the Browns selected him with the No. 144 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, was widely expected to be a first- or second-round pick but instill fell all the way to the fifth round and was selected behind five other quarterbacks. The Browns gave up picks 166 and 192 to trade up 22 spots with the Seattle Seahawks for the right to select Sanders. Sanders now presumably gets a chance to develop and compete in a quarterback room that includes the injured Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett (acquired via trade), Joe Flacco (signed in April) and Dillon Gabriel (third-round pick). It's a far cry from where Sanders likely expected to be coming into this weekend, but he's still getting his NFL […]
Browns end Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders’ draft skid, take him with No. 144 pick
<!--> The slide has ended. Shedeur Sanders' landing spot was the most talked-about subject heading into the 2025 NFL Draft and became a primary talking point after he was continually passed on Day 1 and 2, and now we have an answer. The former Colorado quarterback was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 pick in the draft, the sixth pick of the fifth round, on Saturday.Sanders was the sixth quarterback off the board, being selected after Miami (Fla.)'s Cam Ward (No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans), Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart (No. 25 to the New York Giants), Louisville's Tyler Shough (No. 40 to the New Orleans Saints), Alabama's Jalen Milroe (No. 92 to the Seattle Seahawks) and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel (No. 94 to the Cleveland Browns).ADVERTISEMENT -->Sanders has been a polarizing prospect during the draft process. There has […]
Wrexham are heading to the Championship: This is the story of their third straight promotion season
Even for a club dubbed ‘Hollywood FC’ and whose players recently starred alongside Channing Tatum in a Super Bowl advert, Danny DeVito high-fiving supporters in a Los Angeles bar to celebrate a stoppage-time winner remains one of the more surreal moments this season.Ollie Rathbone’s darting run and angled shot from 20 yards to break the deadlock against Barnsley was certainly worthy of such an effusive reaction from the 80-year-old as he joined fellow It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-stars in saluting Wrexham’s goal.AdvertisementBut still, DeVito is acting royalty, and this was a match being played two tiers below the Premier League and 5,200 miles away. The footage of DeVito’s celebrations quickly went viral with comments such as, “Just when you thought you’d seen it all!”To those with inside knowledge of Wrexham’s rise under co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — […]
Crystal Palace je prvním finalistou Anglického poháru
Semifinálový účet otevřel Eze, který nejprve zamířil z dálky přesně pod břevno a po změně stran si došel pro penaltu. Ale Francouz Mateta selhal a poslal míč vedle pravé tyče. Stalo se mu to poprvé po jedenácti úspěšných pokusech. Další dva góly přidal Senegalec Sarr, na něhož nebudou hráči Aston Villy rádi vzpomínat. V únoru jim také dvěma brankami připravil ligovou porážku 1:6.Crystal Palace je v lize až dvanáctý, ale má šanci probojovat se do pohárové Evropy, což se mu ve stodvacetileté historii ještě nepodařilo.Semifinále Anglického fotbalového poháru:Crystal Palace – Aston Villa 3:0 (58. a 90.+4 Sarr, 31. Eze)
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid predicted lineups, projected starting XI: Kylian Mbappe won’t start El Clasico
Getty Images Real Madrid's season and Barcelona's treble hopes hang in the balance as the two sides meet Saturday in the Copa del Rey final. With games coming thick and fast as we reach the run in of the season, both sides will have injury issues to deal with when it comes to setting up for the match. Barcelona will be without Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski, while Real Madrid has picked up new injuries to David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga. And in a shock the side announced that star striker Kylian Mbappe will not be in the starting lineup. Both managers have needed to balance numerous injuries with getting the best out of their teams all season, but now a trophy is on the line, and the decisions made will loom larger. We got to see our first look at […]
Be the first to leave a comment