McDavid's shooting to be front and center vs. Canucks

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We're approaching the dog days of the NHL playoffs and the end of multi-game slates. Let's waste no time getting to a few of my favorite props.

Parlay: Guentzel over 2.5 shots and Rangers +2.5 goals

Jake Guentzel quickly registered two shots on goal in Game 5 before being held shotless for nearly 40 consecutive minutes to finish things off. While frustrating, it doesn't scare me away.

He's recorded three or more shots in 15 of the past 18 meetings against the Rangers. Guentzel's averaged well over four shots per game in that span, so it's not as if he's just squeaking by.

He's an elite playoff performer and has been as advertised for the Hurricanes. Nobody on the roster has scored more goals than Guentzel in these playoffs, and he's 13 scoring chances clear of his closest teammate (Andrei Svechnikov).

Igor Shesterkin is a wall almost every night. Carolina will need its sniper to help facilitate offense in this do-or-die game. The Hurricanes having home ice and the ability to control matchups will make life easier for Guentzel.

I like pairing this with the Rangers on an alternate puck line of +2.5 to drastically improve the odds.

New York allows fewer than 2.5 goals per game in the playoffs, and the Hurricanes are renowned for not scoring on as many of their chances as they probably should.

The Rangers have covered this line in all but one playoff game. The exception was Game 5 when they entered the third period up a goal and allowed four unanswered to finish things out.

I think the Rangers will try and play things pretty close to the vest in a high-stakes affair on the road. This game should be low-scoring, making it difficult for the Hurricanes to gain real separation.

Odds: +106

Connor McDavid: Over 3.5 shots

McDavid's recorded at least four shots in three straight games against the Canucks, averaging more than seven attempts per.

I expect the volume to continue in Game 5. McDavid has played at least 23 minutes in each game this series, giving him all the time he could hope for to generate shots on goal.

The Oilers also recently juggled the lines, putting Ryan Nugent-Hopkins back on the top unit with McDavid and Zach Hyman.

This version of Edmonton's top line recorded under 80 shot attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play during the regular season. League-wide, it finished fourth in that category.

The Oilers are seemingly always on the front foot. Game 4 was a perfect example. Edmonton's top line generated a whopping 21 shot attempts in just over 12 minutes of five-on-five play.

Nugent-Hopkins is extremely pass-happy, so a lot of the shots end up on the sticks of McDavid and Hyman.

Game 5 is a huge swing game in the series. Given the stakes and how dominant this Oilers trio has been all year, McDavid should play a ton and earn plenty of shooting opportunities along the way.

Odds: -114 (playable to -130)

Evander Kane: Under 2.5 shots

The Canucks haunt Kane like no other team. Including regular-season play, Kane's finished under his shot total in eight consecutive games against the Canucks. He's rarely even come close.

Kane's recorded just four total shots over his past five games against the Canucks. Generating two shots, let alone three, has proven to be an immense challenge.

The Canucks are a very structured team that gives up very little in the way of shot volume. They allowed 26.75 shots per 60 at five-on-five play during the regular season and have actually reduced that number even further in the playoffs.

The Canucks make it extremely difficult to generate shots efficiently, and Kane doesn't get the ice time - or power-play reps - to compensate for that.

As a bonus, Kane's hit rate on the road is 11% lower than it is on home ice. There just isn't much reason to expect Kane to break out of this shooting slump.

Odds: -150 (playable to -165)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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