Thursday marks the continuation of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with home teams aiming to tie their series at one win each. The Washington Capitals, Eastern Conference`s top seed, play host to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2, while the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Edmonton Oilers for their second Western Conference matchup.
Washington, having won all three home games in the first round against Montreal, lost their Game 1 opener at Capital One Arena to the Hurricanes in overtime, despite holding a third-period lead. The final score was 2-1. Jaccob Slavin, a defenseman, netted the overtime winner for Carolina, a team that has now played into extra time in three of its last four games.
The Vegas Golden Knights` home record this postseason dropped to 2-2 after a 4-2 defeat on Tuesday. Despite captain Mark Stone giving Vegas an early 2-0 advantage with two goals, the Oilers responded by scoring late in the first period and adding three more goals in the third to take the initial series lead.
Edmonton is currently on a five-game winning streak, bouncing back after losing the first two games of their opening round against the Los Angeles Kings. The reigning Western Conference champions have demonstrated resilience, trailing in all five of these victories and entering the third period either tied or behind in four of them.
Here are some player prop bets with potential value to consider for Thursday`s playoff matchups.
Best Bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: Anytime goal scorer (+165, bet365)
Alex Ovechkin, the NHL`s all-time regular-season goal leader, was unable to score in the series` first game. However, he has avoided going two consecutive games without a goal since mid-March. Ovechkin, 39, recorded two goals against Carolina in their three 2024-25 regular-season encounters and scored four times in their seven-game playoff series back in 2019. His next goal will surpass Mario Lemieux for 12th place all-time in playoff goals.
Dylan Strome, Capitals: 1+ assist (+100, FanDuel)
Dylan Strome achieved a career-best 53 assists in the 2024-25 season. He registered at least one assist in four out of Washington`s five first-round games. The 28-year-old center is currently tied for sixth in playoff assists with seven, significantly more than his two assists in his first 13 career playoff games combined. Strome had two assists in four regular-season meetings with the Hurricanes in 2024-25 and totals 11 assists in 22 career regular-season games against them.
Connor McDavid, Oilers: Anytime goal scorer (+165, bet365)
Connor McDavid, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner, recorded two assists in Game 1, marking his fourth multi-point game in seven playoff contests this year. He is, however, on a four-game goal drought after scoring five goals in seven playoff games leading up to this series. McDavid, the 2023 Maurice Richard Trophy recipient, scored five times in Edmonton`s six-game loss to Vegas in the second round last year and is due to score again soon, having assisted on six goals in his last four outings.
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers: 2+ points (+122, FanDuel)
Leon Draisaitl is tied for fourth in the NHL playoff scoring race with 12 points in seven games this postseason. The 29-year-old German forward achieved his fourth multi-point game of the playoffs in the series opener, contributing a goal and an assist. Draisaitl has posted multiple points in 36 out of his 81 career playoff games and has done so in three of his seven career games against the Golden Knights.
Elton Marrow