AI-Powered Stanley Cup Playoff Picks for April 22

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Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars

The last two Western Conference series begin Monday as the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings meet in the First Round for the third straight season while the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights face off in the postseason for the third time.

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs will look to even their series Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins, respectively.

Our AI-powered dfsPro model projects a number of individual performances worth keeping an eye on during Monday’s games. Let’s dive into some of our favorite NHL player props for Day 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Hottest Props: Eastern Conference

Jake DeBrusk: Over 0.5 Points (+110, DraftKings)

Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk led all skaters with three points (2 goals, 1 assist) to lift Boston to a 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 1. Our model likes him to be a key contributor on offense again in Game 2, projecting a 33% increase over his average of 0.5 points per game.

Brady Skjei: Over 0.5 Points (+105, DraftKings)

Carolina defenseman Brady Skjei had two points (both assists) in the Hurricanes’ Game 1 win over the Islanders on April 20. Prior to that, he recorded an assist in each of his last five games to end the regular season. Skjei is already averaging over 0.5 points per game, and our model projects a 50% increase over that average in Game 2 against the Islanders.

Morgan Rielly: Over 0.5 Assists (+100, DraftKings)

The Bruins held Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly off the scoresheet in Game 1, leading our model to project a slight decline in his assist potential in Game 2, but he is still expected to remain above the betting line at 0.67. Rielly averaged an assist per game over his final four contests of the regular season, and he was a key contributor during Toronto’s last playoff run in 2022-23 with 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) over 11 postseason games.

Hottest Props: Western Conference

Jack Eichel: Over 0.5 Assists (+124, DraftKings)

Golden Knights center Jack Eichel had a breakout performance in his first career playoff appearance last season, recording 26 points (6 goals, 20 assists) in 22 games to help lead Vegas to a Stanley Cup championship. Eichel averaged 0.59 assists per game during the regular season, and our model projects a slight uptick in his potential to dish out at least one helper in Game 1 against the Stars.

Leon Draisaitl: Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+110, DraftKings)

Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl averaged just over 2.5 shots per game during the regular season, and our model projects a 27% increase over that average in Game 1 against the Kings. In four regular-season meetings with Los Angeles, Draisaitl was held to fewer than 2.5 shots on goal just once.

Jake Oettinger: Under 2.5 Goals Against (+100, DraftKings)

All-Star goaltender Jake Oettinger ended the regular season on a tear, winning 10 of his last 11 games. Our model projects his expected goals against to decline by 23% against the Golden Knight in Game 1, down to 2. In three-regular season meetings with Vegas, Oettinger gave up more than two goals just once, allowing six in a Dallas loss on Dec. 9.

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Emma Lingan covers the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball for Heavy.com. She has covered the NHL in multiple capacities since 2018, including as a senior content manager and beat reporter for the Nashville Predators and a team site editor for The Hockey News. More about Emma Lingan