NHL player props for Stanley Cup Playoffs: Connor McDavid among Tuesday's best bets
SportsLine NHL analyst Scott Erskine gives his thoughts on the top picks in Tuesday's Game 4 of the Western Conference Final between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers
The Dallas Stars look to even the Western Conference Final at 2-2 when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Game 4 as the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue Tuesday. Dallas erupted for five goals in the third period of the series opener to erase a two-goal deficit and post a 6-3 victory but has scored just once in losing the next two contests, including a 6-1 defeat in Game 3 at Rogers Place.
Zach Hyman netted two tallies and set up another while 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Connor McDavid also scored twice on Sunday for the Oilers, who are two wins away from making their second straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. Defenseman Evan Bouchard recorded a goal and an assist, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane each notched three assists and Stuart Skinner turned in another strong performance with 33 saves.
A finalist for the Calder Trophy in 2023, Skinner has been an enigma for Edmonton this postseason, going 4-4 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. The 26-year-old has allowed 20 goals in his four losses but just one in his four victories and is tied with Sergei Bobrovsky of the reigning Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers for the playoff lead with three shutouts.
Jason Robertson scored the lone goal in Game 3 for the Stars, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time this postseason. Mikko Rantanen is tied for first in the NHL with nine goals and second with 21 points but has registered only two assists in his last five games and enters Tuesday with a six-game goal-scoring drought.
The Oilers will be without right wing Connor Brown, who exited Game 3 with an undisclosed injury, but could have defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) in the lineup for the first time since April 11. Dallas is hoping center Roope Hintz (lower body) is ready to return after sitting out Sunday's contest.
Here are some players with value to consider when making NHL player prop bets for Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.
Leon Draisaitl anytime goal scorer (+125, bet365)
Draisaitl has scored just one goal in six home games this postseason. He also has tallied only once in his last six contests. And yet, the 29-year-old German still is tied for fifth in the NHL with six goals in these playoffs. Draisaitl, who scored 52 times in the regular season to earn the Maurice Richard Trophy, has contributed seven assists over his last six games but is due to break out of his goal-scoring slump.
Connor McDavid 2+ points (-111, FanDuel)
Yes, McDavid is coming off his seventh multi-point effort of the postseason as he scored a pair of goals in Game 3. The 28-year-old superstar is tied for the playoff lead in such performances with Bouchard, who posted his second straight Sunday. McDavid has notched at least two points in 15 of his last 29 postseason games and has been especially productive against the Stars, registering two or more points in six of his nine career playoff contests against the club. I like McDavid, who tops all players with 22 points this postseason, to continue the trend in Game 4.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 1+ assist (+132, FanDuel)
Nugent-Hopkins is one of four Oilers in the top seven in assists with 11 this postseason. The 32-year-old center has recorded five over the first three games of this series, including three in Game 3. He is four shy of matching the playoff career high he set last year. The first overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Nugent-Hopkins helped set up a goal in seven of his last nine contests and - including the regular season - has collected seven assists in six games against the Stars in 2024-25.
Thomas Harley 1+ point (+112, FanDuel)
Harley is second among defensemen with 11 points in these playoffs, even though he has yet to land on the scoresheet in this series. The 23-year-old is also tied for the most power-play points (six) by a blue-liner. Harley has gone three games without a point for the first time since the first three contests of the 2024 Western Conference Final, but he followed that drought with an assist in back-to-back outings. I believe the Stars are going to figure out how to beat Skinner multiple times Tuesday and think Harley will be involved in doing so.
Miro Heiskanen 1+ point (+110, bet365)
Prior to Dallas' current offensive slump, Heiskanen landed on the scoresheet in three of his first four games this postseason. In the three contests the 25-year-old Finnish blue-liner failed to record a point, the Stars produced a total of one goal. Heiskanen has figured in the team's scoring in six of his last 11 playoff games, with Dallas recording just three tallies in the five he was held without a point. Suffice it to say, when the Stars score multiple goals in a contest, it's likely Heiskanen will be a contributor. I think Game 4 will be one of those times.
