After winning the decisive Game 5 on Thursday, the Florida Panthers are one game away from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive season. The Panthers will look to close out this series in front of their home crowd Saturday night inside the Amerant Bank Arena.
The New York Rangers are standing in their way. The Rangers need to win two straight games to reach their first Stanley Cup Finals since 2014 when the team lost to Los Angeles in five games. A win on Saturday will force the decisive Game 7 back to New York, giving the Rangers a chance to finish the job in front of their fans.
With so much riding on this game for both teams, which players should bettors feel confident will produce for their teams (and successful wagers)? We’ll cover that with our top three player prop bets as well as our best bet for the Panthers versus Rangers Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals matchup.
Florida Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk Anytime Point Scorer (-205)
Florida scored twice in the third period of Game 5, turning a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the game. The offensive fury came from unexpected sources as Gustav Forsling and Anton Lundell scored their fourth and third goals, respectively, of the playoffs.
Panthers fans are used to seeing left wing Matthew Tkachuk post points as the 6-foot-2 athlete is leading Florida in total points this postseason. Outside of a two-game stretch against Boston, Tkachuk has not been held without a point in back-to-back games.
After being held without an assist or goal in Game 5, expect Tkachuk to bounce Saturday and cover this player prop bet.
New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad UNDER 2.5 Shots On Goal
The Rangers defense was among the best this season, allowing the seventh-fewest goals this season. Having one of the best defenses in the league allowed New York to avoid needing to take as many shots, and the Rangers have struggled offensively at times this series.
New York center Mika Zibanejad has recorded 37 shots in 15 games this postseason, averaging slightly less than 2.5 shots per game. But Zibanejad’s shots come in bunches instead of consistent flows.
The Swedish athlete has five games with three or more shots, accounting for 25 of his 37 overall shots. Expect he’ll fall short of the 2.5-mark again tonight.
Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky OVER 22.5 Saves
While the Rangers own one of the best defenses in the league, the Panthers can lay claim to the best defense in the NHL. Florida held their opponents to 198 total goals this season, a figure that served as the league’s best this season.
While their defense was responsible, having one of the best goalies in the league – Sergei Bobrovsky – certainly didn’t hurt. Bobrovsky has recorded 92 saves in this series, but twice the goalie did not meet the saves mark as Florida’s defense held New York to just 23 shots in back-to-back games.
The 14-year veteran can expect to see plenty more Saturday with the series on the line. Expect Bovrovsky to record 25 or more saves to cover this player prop bet.
Best Bet: UNDER 5.5 Goals
Four of the five games this series have seen five or fewer total goals scored. There’s little reason to believe that the defenses aren’t up to task on Saturday, so expect a final score around 2-1 or 3-2 for the Game 6 rematch.
Since this is a win or go home scenario for the Rangers, look for them to rachet up the defensive intensity in this one. That should further bolster the chances of this Under hitting! Good luck!
