Best NHL Prop Bets Today: Stuart Skinner to Fall Back to Reality

After bumping down to second on the oddsboard, the Florida Panthers have reclaimed their throne as the betting favorite to win their first Stanley Cup since their inception into the league. That is because the Edmonton Oilers have managed to generate the upset against the Dallas Stars, thwarting them in six games in the Western Conference Finals. While that win was impressive, they now face another tough test against the Florida Panthers, a team that is certainly capable of bringing underwhelming goalie Stuart Skinner back down to reality.

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Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers - Game 1 Prop Bets (8:00 PM, EST)

Stuart Skinner Over 2.5 Goals Against (-160) at BetMGM

While Stuart Skinner has been a consistent fade target for our prop bet series nearly every time the Oilers have played, he deserves some credit for the Oilers managing to get past the former Stanley Cup favorite Dallas Stars. Skinner put together a miraculous performance when the Oilers needed him most, walling off the Stars high quality shot attempts and finishing game six with a Goals Save Above Expected mark of 2.09.

That is far above the median that Stuart has created with his low level of play throughout the playoffs. Reminder, this was someone who was playing so poorly against the Vancouver Canucks that he got benched during the middle of the series. Even after a few successful games in net against the Stars, Skinner still comes into the Stanley Cup Finals with a Save Percentage of .897 and a Goals Against per Game average of 2.50.

Skinner’s presence in net will be a blessing for a Panthers offense who just went through a gauntlet against the Rangers Igor Shesterkin in the Eastern Conference Finals. Shesterkin comfortably outranks Skinner across both previously mentioned metrics, yet still was prone to getting beat against a relentless Panthers offense. Florida ranks near the top of the board in 5-on-5 offensive situations, consistently generating a high amount of Expected Goals for the full 60 minutes of play.

Bet on Stuart Skinner at BetMGM

Zach Hyman Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+102) at FanDuel

While I do expect the Oilers offense to regress against another tough defensive test against the Panthers, Zach Hyman is one of the few exceptions as he has played as one of the best players in the entire playoffs. He has consistently ranked at the top of the board for the Oilers in Expected Goals, rifling off high quality shot attempts while opposing defenses shift their coverage in an attempt to slow down Connor McDavid.

He may have had only three Shots on Goal in game six against the Stars, but the Oilers offense as a whole underwhelmed as they only mustered an Expected Goal of 1.16. Far lower than their average of 2.34, especially after nearly cracking over 4.00 in games four and five. Hyman was instrumental in both of those contests, now needing to find that same level of consistency and aggression in the Stanley Cup Finals in order to contend against the Panthers.

Bet on Zach Hyman at FanDuel