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NHL player props for Stanley Cup Final Game 2: Aleksander Barkov among Friday's best bets
SportsLine NHL analyst Scott Erskine, who hit on all four of his best bets in the series opener, gives his thoughts and top picks for Friday's Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers
The Edmonton Oilers attempt to continue their strong play at home and climb within two wins of their first championship since 1990 when they host the defending champion Florida Panthers on Friday for Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton improved to 7-1 at Rogers Place this postseason on Wednesday as it drew first blood in the rematch of last year's Final with a 4-3 overtime victory.
Leon Draisaitl, who recorded 52 goals during the regular season to win the Maurice Richard Trophy, opened the scoring in Game 1 just 96 seconds into the first period and ended the contest with a power-play tally at 19:29 of overtime. It was the first multi-goal performance of these playoffs for Draisaitl, while 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Connor McDavid notched a pair of assists for his league-leading 10th multi-point effort.
McDavid leads the NHL with 28 points this postseason and is two multi-point games away from equaling his career high for one playoff year, which he set in 2022 and matched last year. Draisaitl is one such performance - and one point overall - behind McDavid in these playoffs after having a career-best 10 multi-point outings last postseason.
Kasperi Kapanen also registered two assists for the Oilers, while Carter Verhaeghe and defenseman Nate Schmidt did the same for the Panthers. Meanwhile, Sam Bennett scored twice for Florida to increase his league-leading total to 12 goals.
Edmonton, which has scored first in each of its last nine playoff games, is three victories away from becoming the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. The Oilers tied the franchise record of three multi-goal comebacks in one postseason with Wednesday's triumph, while the Panthers fell to 1-8 all-time on the road in the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida will be eager to even the series as 50 of the 55 teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win the championship. Edmonton, which has won 13 of it last 15 games this postseason, accomplished that feat in 1987, 1988 and 1990.
Here are some players with value to consider when making NHL player prop bets for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Carter Verhaeghe anytime goal scorer (+245, DraftKings)
Verhaeghe is tied for second on the Panthers with six goals this postseason and scored twice in each of the team's first three series. The 29-year-old center, who is Florida's all-time leader with 32 career playoff goals, notched a pair of assists in Game 1 on Wednesday after netting a tally in the clinching Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Verhaeghe scored twice against the Oilers in last year's Stanley Cup Final and tallied in both of Florida's meetings with Edmonton this past regular season.
Leon Draisaitl anytime goal scorer (+115, FanDuel)
Draisaitl failed to score against the Panthers last postseason but, like Verhaeghe, converted in both regular-season meetings between the teams in 2024-25. The 29-year-old German leads the Oilers with nine goals in these playoffs and matched his total from his previous eight contests in Game 1. Draisaitl has a tendency of scoring in streaks, so it would not be surprising in the least to see him record another goal or two Friday.
Aleksander Barkov 1+ assist (+105, DraftKings)
Barkov has registered 11 assists this postseason and trails Matthew Tkachuk by one for the team lead. The 29-year-old Finnish captain, who was awarded the Selke Trophy for the third time in his career earlier this week, was kept off the scoresheet in Game 1 after notching a pair of assists in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Hurricanes. He finished with four in that series after recording three in each of the Panthers' previous two playoff matchups, so he's likely to figure in the team's offense in Friday's contest.
Sam Reinhart Over 0.5 assists (+135, bet365)
Reinhart returned from a two-game absence due to a lower-body injury to record two assists against Carolina in the conference final clincher. The 29-year-old center was kept in check by the Oilers in Game 1 but has notched nine assists in 16 games this postseason after registering 12 over his first 55 career playoff contests. Reinhart helped set up two goals against Edmonton in last year's Final and is likely to get involved in the team's scoring in this series sooner rather than later.
Eetu Luostarinen Over 0.5 points (+185, bet365)
Luostarinen has been cold of late, as he enters Game 2 with a five-game point drought. The dry spell has followed a stretch during which the 26-year-old Finnish center collected all of his career-high 13 playoff points over 10 contests. Florida hasn't relied on just a handful of players for offense this postseason, as 10 members of the team have recorded at least 11 points and another has nine. Luostarinen has elevated his game in these playoffs as he has posted three multi-point performances, and I believe he'll end his current slump with at least one point in Game 2.
