The Stanley Cup Playoffs began Saturday, and continue Sunday with the Vegas Golden Knights hosting the Minnesota Wild in the first game of their series. Vegas won all three regular season games against Minnesota. Jack Eichel, Vegas`s star center, had a career-best season in points and goals, leading both teams` players in these stats this year.
Vegas is heavily favored to win at home with money line odds of -206, while the Wild are at +170. The over/under for the game is set at 5.5 goals, with -110 odds for both over and under.
SportsLine`s projection model simulates each NHL game 10,000 times and provides top-rated player prop picks. These expert picks can be helpful for creating winning parlays on various betting platforms and same-game parlays on betting sites.
Here are three of SportsLine model`s highest-rated player prop picks for Sunday`s Wild-Golden Knights game, including the potential payout if combined into a same-game parlay:
Wild-Golden Knights SGP (+1183)
- Alex Pietrangelo Over 1.5 shots on goal (+122): 4.5 stars
- Jack Eichel Under 0.5 points (+200): 4 stars
- Ryan Hartman Over 1.5 shots on goal (-108): 4 stars
The SportsLine model highlights prop bets with plus-money odds for Pietrangelo`s shots and Eichel`s points. Pietrangelo, a defenseman, plays the most time on ice for Vegas, while Eichel leads forwards in this category.
Pietrangelo, while not a top scorer, averages 1.73 shots per game. The model predicts he will exceed 1.5 shots against the Wild, making the Over bet at +122 attractive.
Despite being Vegas`s leading scorer with career highs in points (94) and goals (66), the model suggests betting Under 0.5 points for Eichel at +200 odds. Eichel has gone under his points prop in four of his last five games.
For Minnesota, Hartman, a fourth-line player, is second on the team in shots on goal, averaging nearly 2.3 per game. The model projects Hartman to have 1.9 shots on goal on Sunday. He has exceeded his shots on goal line in three of his last five road games, averaging 2.4 shots per game in that span.
