The stakes couldn’t be higher for Sunday night’s Game 7 matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
The Maple Leafs will be looking to overcome their playoff demons and reach the Conference Finals for the first time in the “Core Four” era. Florida will be hoping to prolong the pain in Toronto and keep their quest for back-to-back Stanley Cups alive.
Let’s take a look at a few players who could play prominent roles with my Panthers vs. Maple Leafs props and NHL picks for May 18, including John Tavares.
Best Panthers vs Maple Leafs props
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Bennett o2.5 SOG (-133) -
Tavares o0.5 pts (-133) - Reinhart 1+ goal (+210)
Panthers vs Maple Leafs player props for May 18
Sam Bennett Over 2.5 shots on goal (-133 at Sports Interaction)
Sam Bennett has had a productive shooting series. He is tied for second on the Florida Panthers in shots on goal and has attempted 36 shots, good for an average of six per game.
Bennett is a north-south player who lives around the net, so a lot of his shots come from close proximity, making it easier for him to get pucks on target.
His shot outputs have been higher on the road as well. Bennett has attempted 21 shots through three games in Toronto, including a pair of eight-attempt showings. He recorded at least five in each meeting.
Bennett had three shots or more in 86% of games this year when generating at least five attempts, which has been his road floor in this series.
If he can hover around that number in a do-or-die Game 7, he has a strong chance of clearing this line.
John Tavares Over 0.5 points (-133 at Sports Interaction)
John Tavares is quietly having a strong offensive series against the Panthers. He has scored a pair of goals and recorded more shots than all but Auston Matthews among Toronto Maple Leafs players.
He’s actually been the best of the bunch in terms of threatening Sergei Bobrovsky, leading the team in scoring chances, high-danger opportunities, and rebounds created. He’s generated plenty of quality looks in tight, too.
Tavares will not see a ton of the Aleksander Barkov line at 5-on-5, which should help open the game up for him. He also skates on the No. 1 power play unit, giving him exposure to all of the team’s most dangerous players. The role is fantastic.
Tavares has hit the scoresheet in 63% of his games this year and 67% when playing on home soil.
While the screws tend to be tightened in Game 7s, it’s tough not to jump on board at this price for a player who mostly hovered around -200 during the regular season.
Sam Reinhart anytime goal (+210 at Sports Interaction)
Sam Reinhart has constantly threatened the Maple Leafs’ net. He has recorded 53 shot attempts, 32 scoring chances, and 14 high-danger chances in the series, three outputs that haven’t been bested by any other player.
He has done everything but fill the net with goals, which is what he’s best at. Reinhart has established himself as one of the league’s most lethal finishers over the last few years. Goals tend to follow in bunches when generating chances — and he’s getting a lot of them every night.
Reinhart has generated 3.26 expected goals through six games yet scored just once. Reinhart is a player who consistently scores more goals than expected. What better time for the pendulum to swing than in a Game 7 against a division rival?
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