The second round of the NHL Playoffs rolls on today, and the Florida Panthers are on the verge of elimination. Hopefully, for excitement's sake, the Panthers can make it interesting and extend the series at least one more game. In the west, the Blues and Avalanche are set for game 4, where they will both be missing prominent players. Jordan Binnington for the Blues, and Sam Girard for the Avs, will both miss the rest of the series. Will the Blues even things up or will the Avalanche take a stranglehold on the series?

Below are a few of my favorite prop bets for tonight's games to consider:

Victor Hedman Over 2.5 Shots (-150)

Hedman has been a favorite of mine these playoffs when it comes to shot props. In his 10 games so far, he has had three or more shots in seven of them. In his three games against the Panthers this series, he has hit the over twice. The fact that he is hitting the over in 70% of playoff games, including twice against the Panthers already, gives me the confidence to place this bet. In four regular season games against the Panthers, Hedman hit the over in all of them. Regular season success doesn't always translate to the playoffs, but for Hedman, and shot props, it appears it has.

David Perron Over 0.5 Powerplay Points (+185)

Perron has started the playoffs with 11 points in nine games, good enough for second on the team. Out of those 11 points, six of them have come on the powerplay. Through the first three games of the series, Perron has seen his powerplay time-on-ice increase each game, a trend I hope continues in game 4. With Perron producing at over a point-per-game and averaging .67 powerplay points-per-game, this prop looks like a good bet to me. 

Ryan O'Reilly Over 2.5 Shots (-140)

Watching the Blues during the playoffs, it's easy to see that O'Reilly is carrying his team. He currently leads the team with 12 points, seven of them goals, in nine games. He is also averaging over three shots per game. In his nine playoff games so far, he has had three or more shots in seven of them. During this series versus the Avalanche, he has hit the over in every game. I am extremely confident that O'Reilly will continue to carry his team in game 4, and that he will win us this bet.

Devon Toews Over 2.5 Shots (+110)

Toews is nearly perfect during the playoffs when it comes to hitting the over on shot props. In his seven games so far, he has had three or more shots in six of them. He is also playing a ton of minutes which gives him plenty of opportunities to shoot the puck. He is currently averaging 25:40 minutes of time-on-ice a game. Last game, after Girard left with an injury, Toews played a whopping 30:56 minutes. With Girard out for the rest of the playoffs, Toews should continue to play extra minutes moving forward. Seeing as he might be on the ice for half of game 4, and he has hit the over in six of seven games, placing this bet is a no-brainer.

Enjoy the action tonight everyone, and hopefully, we can cash some bets! Always remember to gamble responsibly.

Odds are from Bet365 as of Monday morning

Will McLean