Three games are scheduled for Wednesday as the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continues. Two home teams aim to extend their series lead to 2-0, while a crucial third game is set in a Western Conference series. The Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings look to solidify their positions as they host the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, respectively. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche return home to face the Dallas Stars after splitting the initial two games in Texas.
The Eastern Conference`s top seed, Washington, let a two-goal lead slip away in the third period of their series opener against Montreal. However, Alex Ovechkin netted his first career playoff overtime goal to secure a 3-2 victory for the Capitals. Los Angeles also surrendered a three-goal advantage in the third period of Game 1 against Edmonton in their Western Conference clash but still clinched a 6-5 win thanks to Phillip Danault`s second tally with just 42 seconds left in regulation.
After a dominant 5-1 win in their opener, Colorado was just 10 minutes shy of taking a 2-0 series lead before the Stars forced a 3-3 tie with a goal from Evgenii Dadonov. Colin Blackwell, a healthy scratch for Game 1 who saw the least ice time of any player on either team on Monday, scored at 17:46 of overtime to level the series for Dallas.
Following a successful couple of days where four recommended “best bets” resulted in goals, here are some players worth considering for anytime goal scorer prop bets on Wednesday.
Best Anytime Goal Scorer Bets
Ovechkin has been exceptionally hot, especially while chasing Wayne Gretzky`s all-time record. He scored 22 of his 44 regular-season goals in his final 31 games, including eight in his last nine. The three-time Hart Trophy winner and 2018 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient continued this form in Game 1 against the Canadiens, scoring a power-play goal in the first period and then the overtime winner. This brings his total to seven goals in eight career playoff games versus Montreal. At 39, it`s difficult to bet against him scoring, so expect him to climb the NHL`s all-time playoff goals list; he`s currently tied with Joe Pavelski (74 goals) for 13th and trails Mario Lemieux (12th) by two.
Caufield led Montreal with a career-high 37 goals during the regular season and added one of the team`s two tallies in Game 1. The 24-year-old right wing is known for scoring in bunches, having six instances in 2024-25 where he scored in consecutive games, five of which were streaks of three games or more. Caufield also scored in all three regular-season meetings against the Capitals and has accumulated nine goals in 12 career contests against Washington, including the series opener.
Hintz has managed only two goals in his last nine playoff games, both occurring against the Avalanche. One of these was Dallas` only goal in the series opener, breaking the 28-year-old center`s seven-game drought dating back to the end of the regular season. Hintz has not scored in six consecutive playoff road games, suggesting he might be due to find the back of the net.
It feels almost guaranteed that Draisaitl will score in a playoff game against the Kings. Including the start of this series, the 29-year-old has scored 18 goals in 19 career postseason contests versus Los Angeles, all within the last four years. In comparison, Draisaitl has 24 goals in his other 56 playoff games. He`s been hot recently regardless of the opponent, netting 18 goals in his last 22 games overall and seven in his past eight outings.
