As the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, Thursday is set to be a pivotal night with four first-round series potentially concluding. Three Game 6 matchups are scheduled in the Western Conference, alongside one in the Eastern Conference, as three teams have already advanced to the second round.
In the East, the Toronto Maple Leafs are on the road aiming to finish their series and secure a second-round meeting with the reigning champion Florida Panthers. Toronto was the only team across the league to initially take a 3-0 lead in their first-round contest, but they`ve since dropped back-to-back games to the Ottawa Senators, being outscored 8-3 in those losses. Meanwhile, Eastern Conference counterparts like the Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Washington Capitals have already punched their tickets to the next round.
Out West, the Vegas Golden Knights are looking to advance when they travel to face the Minnesota Wild. The 2023 Stanley Cup champions found themselves trailing 2-1 in the series before bouncing back with consecutive overtime victories. Brett Howden played hero in Game 5 on Tuesday, netting his third goal of the series just over four minutes into the extra frame.
The Colorado Avalanche are fighting to force a decisive seventh game as they host the Dallas Stars. Colorado managed to even the series with a dominant 4-0 shutout victory at home in Game 4, but they were significantly outplayed in a 6-2 road loss on Monday. Wyatt Johnston was a key factor for Dallas in that game, scoring his first two goals of the postseason and adding an assist, putting the Stars just one win away from moving on.
Rounding out the action, the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers seek their fourth consecutive victory as they welcome the Los Angeles Kings to Rogers Place. After struggling defensively and allowing six goals in each of the first two games of the series (both losses in Los Angeles), the Oilers switched goaltenders, replacing Stuart Skinner with Calvin Pickard. Since that change, Edmonton has tightened up, surrendering a total of eight goals over their three straight wins.
Following a successful night where three out of four recommended bets hit, here are some promising player prop betting options to consider for Thursday`s playoff games.
Best Bets
Kirill Kaprizov anytime goal scorer
The Minnesota Wild have scored 17 goals through the first five games of their series against the Vegas Golden Knights, and Kirill Kaprizov has been a major contributor, accounting for nearly a third of them. The 28-year-old Russian left wing is currently tied for the playoff lead with five goals, alongside teammate Matt Boldy, Carolina`s Andrei Svechnikov, and Colorado`s Nathan MacKinnon. Kaprizov, who scored twice in his lone regular-season appearance against Vegas, has already recorded two multi-goal games in this playoff matchup and found the back of the net again in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Anze Kopitar 1+ assist
Age doesn`t seem to be slowing down Anze Kopitar. The 37-year-old Slovenian center is tied for third in the league with seven assists through these playoffs, matching his assist total from the previous two postseasons combined (11 games). This is the second-highest single-postseason assist total of his career, only surpassed by the 21 assists he tallied in 26 games during Los Angeles` run to their second Stanley Cup championship in 2014. The Kings` captain has recorded at least one assist in four of the first five games against the Oilers in this series.
Connor McDavid anytime goal scorer
Connor McDavid has primarily been setting up plays in the series versus the Kings, currently tied for the playoff assist lead with eight. However, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner is more than capable of finding the back of the net himself. McDavid scored in two of the first three games against Los Angeles and ranks 22nd all-time among players with at least 20 career playoff goals, averaging 0.49 goals per game over 79 contests – with only three active players ahead of him. Even though he hasn`t scored in his last two games, betting on the three-time Hart Trophy winner to score is always a sound proposition.
Best Longshot
Matthew Knies anytime goal scorer
After scoring 15 goals in his rookie campaign (2023-24), Matthew Knies significantly increased his production this season, finishing with 29 goals, which included his first two NHL hat tricks, ranking him fourth on the Maple Leafs roster. The 22-year-old left wing has carried that scoring touch into the series against the Senators, where he is tied with John Tavares for the team lead with three tallies. With Toronto looking to bounce back from a shutout loss and avoid a Game 7, Knies presents good value as a longshot candidate to light the lamp for his team.
