3 Best Prop Bets for Panthers vs Hurricanes NHL Playoffs Game 1 on May 18 (Barkov Drives Florida's Attack)

Thursday's slate of NHL postseason games includes a Game 1 showdown between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. FanDuel Sportsbook's latest NHL odds list the Hurricanes as the -152 moneyline favorite at home with the projected total set at 5.5 goals.

Here are three of the best NHL player prop bets for the Panthers-Hurricanes game, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Panthers vs Hurricanes Player Props

Here's a breakdown of why I like each bet.

1. Aleksander Barkov — Shots on Goal: Over 2.5 (-110)

Although he's only scored twice in 12 postseason contests, Aleksander Barkov has done well at generating offense. The Panthers captain ranks fourth on his team with 34 total shots, equating to an average of 2.8 per contest. Regarding this prop bet, Barkov has finished with more than 2.5 shots in four of his past six games, generating nine in the last two games alone. Considering how he recorded 13 total shots in three 2022-23 regular-season games against the Hurricanes, I don't see Barkov having an issue hitting the Over tonight.

2. Sergei Bobrovsky — Saves: Over 31.5 (-122)

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky better prepare to face a barrage tonight. The Hurricanes are good at generating offensive opportunities, averaging 32.9 shots over their last 10 games. They finished with 36-plus shots in five of those contests, indicating that Bobrovsky will be a busy man. That isn't new territory for him, though. The Russian netminder has had to make 32-plus saves in five of his last eight outings — including a 50-save performance in his latest appearance. With all four of Carolina's lines capable of creating offense, Bobrovsky is in line for another massive performance.

3. Martin Necas — Any Time Goal Scorer (+220)

Martin Necas has been enjoying his best NHL campaign to date. The former 2017 first-rounder tallied a career-high 28 goals in the regular season and now has four goals in 11 playoff games. For reference, he only had three goals in 33 postseason contests before this year. Necas has also racked up three goals in his last four outings and has scored 14 times in 47 games at PNC Arena this season. The Hurricanes seem to get different players stepping up every night and after he failed to score in his last game, look for it to be Necas' turn to shine tonight.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.