After a long and grueling season, one team is just four wins away from lifting Lord Stanley. On one side, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking to make history with their third-straight Cup victory, while the Colorado Avalanche will look to capture their first title since 2001.
This is NHL betting’s biggest stage and time for its best players to shine. We’re thus targeting three of the Conn Smythe odds favorites for Game 1 props: Cale Makar, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Nathan MacKinnon.
Here are our best free NHL player prop picks for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, June 15.
Lightning vs Avalanche Game 1 prop picks
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis. Each odds widget below represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated US sportsbooks.
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Lightning vs Avalanche Game 1 props
Makar has the power
Cale Makar is one of, if not the best power-play quarterback in the entire NHL.
The Colorado Avalanche have the most elite man-advantage unit in the NHL and, as of now, are converting at a 31.1% rate in the postseason.
With the emotion of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, and the refs potentially looking to set the tone for the series, I anticipate each team to get some opportunities on the power play, which means that Makar will have chances to add to his point total on the man advantage, currently at eight in 14 postseason games.
The Avs power play runs through Makar and he has been elite on the blue line all season — he’s a good bet to pull through with a point on the man advantage at this price tonight.
PICK: Cale Makar Over 0.5 power-play points (+155)
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Vas difference
Andrei Vasilevskiy has proven time and time again that he’s the best goaltender in the world, and he rarely crumbles under the pressure.
His opponent, the Avalanche, have been generating 40.7 shots on goal per game in the postseason, which is a ridiculous amount, but this team is so talented offensively that I think they can actually sustain this number.
Vasilevskiy has been stellar in the postseason and his current save percentage is at a .928 so he should be able to hit the Over on saves with the amount of shots that he will face tonight.
PICK: Andrei Vasilevskiy Over 32.5 saves (-122)
Nate will be great
Nathan MacKinnon has put the Colorado Avalanche on his back this postseason as he has made it clear that he is playing with a chip on his shoulder while he tries to capture his first-ever Stanley Cup.
MacKinnon is leading the playoffs with 82 shots on goal in only 14 games, and he is going to be buzzing tonight considering it’s his debut in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Avalanche are well-rested and eager to get this series underway, and if they are going to win, MacKinnon will play a huge factor in that. I expect him to lead the charge offensively.
PICK: Nathan MacKinnon Over 4.5 shots (-135)
Did you know that if you played today’s Stanley Cup Final props as a parlay, you could win $77.56 on a $10 bet?
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