Stanley Cup Playoffs prop bets: Vasilevskiy starting to heat up

Now down to a best-of-three, the Eastern Conference Final resumes Thursday night on Broadway as the New York Rangers host the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 5.

Back on Tuesday night, Tampa drew even with an impressive 3-1 victory. The home team has yet to lose a game in the series.

Now that you’re all caught up, here are some prop bets to consider:

PROP #1: Andrei Vasilevskiy Over 28.5 Saves (-110)

As we’ve witnessed time and time again, the Big Cat is starting to heat up. After surrendering a combined nine goals over the first two games of the series, the 27-year-old has now allowed just three over the past two. Furthermore, Vasilevskiy is coming off a 34-save performance and is now averaging 28.8 saves per game through the first four games of the series. Lastly, following back-to-back road losses, the Rangers, who are 8-1 at home in the playoffs, should come out hungry Thursday night.

PROP #2: Adam Fox Over 0.5 Assists (-130)

The 2021 Norris Trophy winner had his eight-game point streak come to an end in Game 4, so you know he’ll be eager to start a new one Thursday night. Through 18 playoff outings, the 24-year-old has 18 assists, 10 of which have come on home ice. Fox has tallied five helpers over four games so far in the series.

PROP #3: Ondrej Palat Over 0.5 Points (-115) + Over 1.5 SOG (-180)

Indisputably, Palat, who’s in a contract year, is playing his best hockey of the season right now. The 31-year-old winger is coming off a three-point outing in Game 4 and has notched at least one point in six of the past seven games. Furthermore, if you’re unsure about the point prop, the Palat shot prop may be the way to go. The winger has cleared the 1.5 number in five straight outings and seven of the past eight. Some food for thought!

PROP #4: Mika Zibanejad Over 2.5 SOG (-140)

Zibanejad leads all skaters in the series with 19 shots on goal, including back-to-back five-shot outputs. Through 18 playoff games, the 29-year-old has mustered a total of 60 shots on goal, good for an average of 3.33 per game. For what it’s worth, in the regular season, the forward averaged 2.7 a game. With the injuries up the middle, New York will need even more from Zibanejad moving forward.

Betting odds listed above via the Bet365 Sportsbook as of Thursday afternoon.

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