Tuesday marks the commencement of two exciting second-round series in the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, showcasing some of the league`s biggest names. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are set to host their Metropolitan Division rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes, to kick off their series. Meanwhile, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers will visit the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 1 of their Pacific Division showdown.
Alex Ovechkin, who recently became the NHL`s all-time leader in regular-season goals, played a crucial role in guiding the top-seeded Capitals past the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. This marked Washington`s first playoff series victory since their 2018 Stanley Cup Final win against the Golden Knights. The Capitals and the Hurricanes, who defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games, split their four regular-season meetings, with the home team winning each time. However, their only previous playoff battle in 2019 saw Carolina emerge victorious in seven games.
Connor McDavid, who earned the Conn Smythe Trophy last postseason as Edmonton came within one win of the championship, registered 11 points as the Oilers eliminated the Los Angeles Kings for the fourth consecutive year in the opening round. Vegas advanced by beating the Minnesota Wild in six games, winning the final three contests, including two in overtime. The Oilers and Golden Knights also split their four-game regular season series in 2024-25, while Vegas won their sole prior playoff matchup in 2023.
Here are some player prop betting options worth considering for Tuesday`s playoff action:
Best Bets
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals: Anytime Goal Scorer (+135, FanDuel)
Ovechkin has been consistently finding the back of the net, scoring in 10 of his last 14 games dating back to the regular season. The nine-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy and the league`s all-time leading goal scorer recently surpassed Wayne Gretzky. He scored in three of Washington`s five first-round games against Montreal. Ovechkin`s next playoff goal will be his 77th, moving him past legendary forward Mario Lemieux for 12th place in playoff history. The 39-year-old Russian scored twice against Carolina in three regular-season games in 2024-25 and netted four goals during their seven-game playoff series in 2019.
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers: Anytime Goal Scorer (+130, DraftKings)
Leon Draisaitl reached the 50-goal plateau for the fourth time in his career and the third time in the last four seasons, finishing with 52 goals to capture the Richard Trophy this campaign. The 29-year-old German scored in three of the first four games against Los Angeles in the opening round but didn`t score among Edmonton`s nine goals in the final two games. Despite this recent brief drought, Draisaitl scored twice in four games against the Golden Knights this past season and netted six goals in their six-game playoff series loss to Vegas in the second round of the 2023 playoffs.
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers: 1+ Assist (+110, DraftKings)
Evan Bouchard has accumulated 48 assists over 59 career playoff games, including a three-assist performance in this year`s first-round opener versus the Kings. However, the 25-year-old blueliner has gone five games without an assist, his longest such streak since the beginning of the 2024-25 season (six games). His longest playoff assist drought was nine games in 2022. Even with a couple of two-goal games recently, it seems unlikely this assist slump will continue for a sixth straight game.
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers: 2+ Assists (+190, DraftKings)
Connor McDavid, a five-time Art Ross Trophy recipient, boasts 89 assists in 80 career playoff games. He has recorded 28 multi-assist games in his last 67 postseason appearances, with three such performances coming in the recent six-game series win against Los Angeles. The superstar center had multiple assists twice in the Oilers` 2023 playoff series loss to the Golden Knights and achieved this feat nine times last postseason, where he set a new NHL record for most assists in a single playoff year with 34 in 25 games.
