Draisaitl to feast on Kings in Game 5

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We put together another 2-1 card Tuesday night. William Nylander soared over his shot total and Quinn Hughes picked up an assist on the Canucks' lone goal. Unfortunately, Artturi Lehkonen didn't reach three shots against the Jets despite scoring.

Let's look at three players worth backing Wednesday night as we set our sights on a sweep.

Wyatt Johnston: Over 3.5 shots

Johnston's shooting the puck like there's no tomorrow. He's tallied 27 scoring chances and 43 shot attempts through just four games, both of which lead the Stars by a country mile.

Jamie Benn (14) is the closest in scoring chances, while Miro Heiskanen is second in attempts (30). Johnston is lapping the field.

His success with regards to shots on goal came in Vegas, but Johnston's process was very strong at home as well. He attempted 17 shots over the first two games of the series; he just missed the target on 13 of them.

Johnston's volume is encouragingly high on a nightly basis, and his usage reflects that. He leads all Stars forwards in five-on-five ice time in this series, which is no small feat considering they roster high-end forwards like Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.

Given how well he played while dragging Dallas back into the series, Pete DeBoer will undoubtedly look to ride the hot hand in Game 5.

Odds: +110 (playable to -110)

Leon Draisaitl: Over 2.5 shots

Draisaitl's shot the puck quite a bit in this series. He's piled up 17 shots on goal through the first four games, second to only Adrian Kempe on either side.

Draisaitl's an efficient shooter, but his volume is generally inconsistent - until the postseason. Since the beginning of the 2023 playoffs, the German has picked up at least three shots in 15 of 17 outings and nine of 10 against these same Kings.

The lone exception came in Game 4 when Draisaitl took only two shots while missing the target on three other opportunities. Otherwise, he recorded 11 shots on goal over the first two contests while playing at home, nearly double the six he put up on the road.

With a chance to put away the series, I expect Draisaitl to be at his best and get right back on track when it comes to shooting the puck.

Odds: -134 (playable to -155)

Kevin Fiala: Over 2.5 shots

Fiala recorded over three shots in each of the first four games and attempted at least seven in every contest.

Nobody in the series has matched Fiala's attempt volume (34), and the location of the game hasn't impacted his ability to generate shots. Fiala attempted 17 shots over the two contests in Edmonton and subsequently did the same thing in Los Angeles.

Shooting success against the Oilers is nothing new for Fiala: He's gone over his total in six of the past seven head-to-head meetings and 12 of the last 16.

Fiala's ice time has also increased as the series has progressed. He should see roughly 20 minutes in a do-or-die game for the Kings - more than enough time to hit three shots in what has mostly been a high-event series.

Odds: -125 (playable to -150)

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

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