Best NHL Player Props to Bet for Sunday (May 7)

Sunday brings three more NHL playoff games to sweat. Two of the six teams involved, the Maple Leafs and Devils, are on life support in their respective 2nd round series, and are facing must-win situations.

As a result, big names such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton will be counted on heavily to produce, which should cause action on them to spike in the player props market.

Hughes and Hamilton have the unenviable task of facing the Stanley Cup odds favorite Hurricanes, and that contest is where we’ll start our betting card.

NHL Player Props for Sunday, May 7

Per the NHL odds, Hughes is the only player in that matchup with an over/under points total north of one. The 21-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games to start the 2nd round, neither one of which was remotely close.

Pick #1: Jack Hughes Under 1.5 Points

Carolina has outscored New Jersey 11-2 so far, dominating nearly every statistical category. The Hurricanes lead the playoffs in goals against average, surrendering just a single goal in three straight games. They’ve also allowed the fewest shots and scoring chances out of all 2nd round teams except for Vegas, who’s played two fewer games.

As for Hughes, his struggles have merely been a carry over from an underwhelming 1st round matchup versus the Rangers. He averaged less than a point per game against New York, and didn’t record a single multi-point effort.

Nearly a third of Hughes’ 99 points during the regular season came on the powerplay, but Carolina has done a fantastic job of staying out of the penalty box. The Devils have had only five powerplays so far, and less time with the man advantage equals less productivity for Hughes.

Pick: Jack Hughes Under 1.5 Points (-230)

Pick #2: William Nylander Anytime Goalscorer

So far in the Maple Leafs vs Panthers series, it’s Sergei Bobrovsky 2, Leafs All-Stars 0. Bobrovsky has held Matthews, Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander scoreless, despite facing a ton of rubber. He’s steered away 69 of the 73 shots he’s seen, making a combined 23 saves alone on Toronto’s Big 4 in Game 2.

But the Maple Leafs are due for some positive regression. They’ve had 22 high-danger scoring chances in the first two games, the majority of those coming from Nylander and Co. The 27-year-old hasn’t scored since Game 2 of the 1st round, but the opportunities have been there.

He’s recorded 13 shots on goal versus Florida alone, and 30 in total over his last six games. You’re simply not going to keep a 40-goal scorer off the board for long if he sees this many chances, and we should expect him to light the lamp very soon.

Pick: William Nylander Anytime Goalscorer (+150)