The Florida Panthers open their title defense tonight, facing off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This `Battle of Florida` is the final first-round series to begin. It marks the fourth playoff meeting between the rivals in five years and the third in the opening round. Tampa Bay secured victory in their first two postseason series against Florida, while the Panthers won the most recent encounter in five games last postseason.
Meanwhile, three other series continue tonight, with the home teams aiming for 2-0 leads. The Carolina Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils after a dominant 4-1 win in Game 1. The Toronto Maple Leafs face the Ottawa Senators in the ongoing `Battle of Ontario`, following Toronto`s convincing 6-2 victory in their opener. The Vegas Golden Knights will look to follow up their 4-2 win as they welcome the Minnesota Wild.
In the earlier games, Logan Stankoven had a memorable playoff debut for Carolina, scoring two goals, including the game-winner, against New Jersey. The Golden Knights and Wild opener saw multiple goal scorers, with Matt Boldy netting both goals for Minnesota and Brett Howden scoring twice for Vegas. For the Maple Leafs, six different players found the back of the net in their Game 1 rout, including William Nylander, who finished the regular season second in the NHL with a career-best 45 goals.
Following success in previous bets, here are some players offering value for anytime goal scorer prop bets tonight.
Best Anytime Goal Scorer Bets
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs (+125, FanDuel) Three-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews had a relatively quieter season in 2024-25, scoring 33 goals in 67 games after a career-high 69 the year before. Despite dealing with injuries, the 27-year-old finished the regular season on a three-game scoring streak and registered two assists in Game 1 against the Senators. Matthews boasts a strong record against Ottawa, with 25 goals in 35 regular-season meetings. After seeing six teammates score in the opener, look for Matthews to get on the board tonight.
Sam Reinhart, Panthers (+210, FanDuel) Sam Reinhart also saw his goal production dip this season, finishing with 39 goals after an outstanding 57-goal campaign in 2023-24. The 29-year-old has a history of scoring against Tampa Bay, with two goals in three regular-season games this year and three goals in last postseason`s first-round series win. Overall, Reinhart has scored 22 goals in 43 career games against the Lightning (regular season and playoffs) and 21 goals in 55 career playoff games.
Nikita Kucherov, Lightning (+175, bet365) Tampa Bay features numerous scoring threats, and Nikita Kucherov is a prime candidate to find the net tonight. He`s consistently hit the 30-goal mark, doing so in eight of the last nine seasons. The 31-year-old right wing ended the regular season strong with three goals in his final three games and scored twice in four matchups against the Panthers this season. Kucherov has 21 regular-season goals and five playoff goals against Florida in his career. Currently on a 10-game postseason scoring drought, he`ll be motivated to break through and help the Lightning bounce back from last year`s series defeat.
Brandon Saad, Golden Knights (+330, DraftKings) Brandon Saad recorded just 13 goals in 72 games this season, his lowest output since 2012-13. Six of those goals came in his 29 games with the Golden Knights after joining them in late January, following seven goals in 43 games for the St. Louis Blues. Despite struggling offensively late in the season, the two-time Stanley Cup winner ended a 15-game scoring drought in the final regular-season game. While he didn`t score in Game 1 against the Wild, he registered an assist and was noticeable on the ice. Don`t be surprised if Saad scores his first playoff goal since 2022 tonight.
