This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Picks: Florida Panthers 
at
New York Rangers 
Game 1 NHL Best Bets and Player Props
The Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers meet in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN and ESPN+.
The latest NHL odds for the playoffs and the Stanley Cup odds are updated throughout the postseason as the Conference Finals get underway. The BetMGM bonus code now gets new players a first-bet offer worth up to $1,500, allowing them to get in on the action for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This is it. We're down to the NHL's version of the Final Four, but instead of just three more games, we have three more best-of-seven series, and plenty of hockey to be played before we see Lord Stanley's Cup make an appearance.
The Florida Panthers dismissed the Boston Bruins in six games in the second round and they paddled the Sunshine State rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round. Florida enters with a lot of confidence, and a lot of swagger, and this team was just in the Stanley Cup Final last season against the Vegas Golden Knights, so they know what it takes to get the job done.
The New York Rangers breezed through the first round against the Washington Capitals, and they opened a 3-0 series lead on the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Carolina forced a Game 6 back in Raleigh after winning two in a row, before New York went south and polished off the Canes to clinch its spot in the ECF.
For Florida, Matthew Tkachuk has been his normal, productive, and pesky self. He leads the team with 14 points, including a team-high 10 assists, while posting 17 penalty minutes. Aleksander Barkov has five goals with 13 points, including a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal. And Carter Verhaeghe continues to be an unsung hero, leading the team with six playoff goals, including two on the man advantage.
Sergei Bobrovsky (8-3-0, 2.37 GAA, .902 SV% - postseason) allowed four goals in the series opener in Boston, but he shut the door in the final five games of that series. He allowed only eight goals in the final five outings, posting four victories to get Florida through.
The Rangers are led by Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck, a former Panthers forward. Both players have a team-best 14 points in the playoffs, with Zibanejad scoring three goals, and Trocheck posting six. Chris Kreider leads the way with seven goals, including a natural hat trick in the third period of Game 6 at Carolina, while posting two power-play goals and a shorty.
Igor Shesterkin (8-2-0, 2.40 GAA, .923 SV% - postseason) has allowed three or more goals in the past three games, but that's a bit misleading. He faced a lot of rubber in the Carolina series, making 183 saves on 193 shots faced in the final five games of that series, posting a .924 SV%, which is right in line with what he has done for the entirety of the playoffs.
Florida won two of the three regular-season meetings, but two of the meetings this season were one-goal games, so expect a tight series, which is to be expected in the ECF. Lean Rangers in Game 1.
NHL Moneyline Bets for Panthers at Rangers
- Rangers ML (-105 at DraftKings)
The Over not only cashed in all three regular-season meetings between these teams, but the Over is an amazing 19-0-1 in the past 20 meetings in this series dating back to Nov. 20, 2016, when James Reimer backstopped Florida to a road win against Henrik Lundqvist and New York.
We're almost certain to have an Under result in this playoff series, but we might get some wide-open play in the first couple of games before the offensive dies down, and the physicality, hitting and defensive play ratchets up.
Go high, as it's almost impossible to go against that type of run.
NHL Totals Bets for Florida Panthers at New York Rangers
- Over 5.5 (-110 at Caesars)
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NHL Player Props for Florida Panthers at New York Rangers
For the player props, we'll keep it simple in Game 1. Really simple. We're looking for the stars to shine at MSG in the series opener with a couple of Anytime Goal Scorer (AGS) props.
Looking to the home side, Kreider is the team's goal leader in the playoffs with seven, although, again, three of those goals came in Game 6 in Carolina. Still, he finds a multitude of ways to get involved, and for the chance to double up with the team's leading goal scorer, sign me up!
- Chris Kreider Anytime Goal Scorer (+200 at FanDuel
For the visitors, yeah, you have to ride with the irritant, Matthew Tkachuk. He just seems to be wherever the action is. He has just four goals in these playoffs, but he gets goals when they seem to matter the most. Don't be surprised if he is the player to set the tone early with Florida's first goal, too. In case you were wondering, that pays (+1200 at FanDuel), by the way.
- Matthew Tkachuk Anytime Goal Scorer (+195 at FanDuel)
