Which team ranks 1st in goals per 60 minutes this playoffs? The Edmonton Oilers! (Duh)
Who ranks 1st on that club in Points per 60 minutes? Leon Draisaitl (Duh)
Who ranks 2nd? It has to be Connor McDavid, right?! WRONG. It’s… Evan Bouchard (huh?!)
That’s right. Edmonton’s unsung hero’s averaging 22.3 minutes of ice time this playoffs and capitalizing — recording 1.4 assists per game! Betting his assist prop improved to 7-1 (88%) in the playoffs on Saturday.
Betting markets are starting to catch up, but I see more room to run! The trend coincides with Bouchard getting an increased Special Teams role towards the end of the season — specifically quarterbacking Edmonton’s 1st Power Play unit, which happens to be the BEST in NHL history (as measured by PP success rate). He’s printing assists in this role, in addition to strong 5v5 play.
Vegas was the most disciplined team this season (in terms of penalties taken); however, penalties are inevitable vs. fast paced teams like Edmonton! And when man-advantages arise, Vegas is struggling to kill them off.
Now back home — Look for the favorites to continue pressing on the Power Play and Bouchard to record an assist (most likely via PP, but potentially in 5v5).
- The Pick: Evan Bouchard Over 0.5 Assists (-128) via FanDuel
