The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers face off in the second round for the second time in three years, starting with Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena tonight.
The Panthers look poised for another run to the Stanley Cup Final after taking out the Lightning in five games, but this could be the year for the Leafs with Craig Berube behind the bench and Anthony Stolarz playing stellar in net.
Let’s get right into my Panthers vs Maple Leafs props and NHL picks on Monday, May 5.
Best Panthers vs Maple Leafs props
Bennett 1+ points (-105)- Reinhart 1+ power-play points (+210)
- Marchand 1+ assists (+240)
Panthers vs Maple Leafs player props for May 5
Sam Bennett 1+ points (-105 at Sports Interaction)
Sam Bennett always seems to step up when it matters most and that's exactly what he did in the first round. The Florida Panthers center was tied for second on the team with five points while generating a team-high 29 shot attempts and 24 scoring chances for 2.16 expected goals.
He had points in four of the five games vs. Tampa, including two to open things up on the road, which is the exact scenario the Panthers are facing again here.
Bennett had 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists) in 76 games this season, recording a point in over half of those contests. If you add in the playoffs, he's found the scoresheet in 45 of 81 games.
While it's easy for a player to get hot for one round, Bennett has shown in the past that he picks it up in the playoffs. He has 29 points in 39 games over the last two runs to the Stanley Cup Final (0.74 points per game) after putting up 81 points in 132 games (0.61 P/G) in those regular seasons.
Finally, Bennett has a point in five straight games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, including three multi-point games. That 2+ points at +550 could be worth a look as well.
Sam Reinhart 1+ power-play points (+210 at Sports Interaction)
There’s no love lost between these two teams, and officials usually call more penalties early in playoff series. That’s a recipe for some power plays and some goals with the man advantage tonight in Toronto.
In Game 1 of the first round, the Panthers went 3-for-3 on the power play with Sam Reinhart picking up an assist on the man advantage. The Florida winger is the trigger man on the power play, so he should be involved if the Cats strike.
Reinhart led the Panthers with 30 power-play points in the regular season, and despite only getting two in the first round, this is a great price at +210. He had two power-play points back on March 13 in Toronto and another on April 2 as well.
Brad Marchand 1+ assists (+240 at Sports Interaction)
The Maple Leafs thought they’d avoid Brad Marchand in the playoffs with the Boston Bruins in the basement, but the Panthers made a last-minute move at the deadline to add Toronto’s nemesis.
Marchand isn’t quite playing the role that many are used to, slotting in on the third line as more of a depth piece rather than his top-line status in Boston. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be effective.
The former Bruins winger had four points — all assists — in the five-game series against Tampa Bay, including three in the last two games. He does get some time on the second power-play unit as an added opportunity for a helper as well.
You can get Marchand to get a point at +125, but with 28 of his 51 points this season being assists, plus all four points in the playoffs thus far, I'll happily take the assist at this +240 price.
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