Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals is set for Wednesday night with the Florida Panthers hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite the lone game, there are still plenty of entries to sift through on PrizePicks.
But first, a quick refresher if you aren’t familiar with PrizePicks: You can combine up to five different player squares to pay out up to 10x your entry.
You can do a Flex Play or a Power Play. A Flex Play gives you lesser odds, but you can win money if you do not nail every pick. A Power Play is an all-or-nothing endeavor.
Here’s how I would approach Wednesday's Game 4 (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
What is PrizePicks? A daily fantasy operator — meaning they’re available in more states (30) than sports betting is! — PrizePicks offers a unique opportunity for action on player picks in which you combine two or more entries together.
Stefan Noesen More Than 2 Shots on Goal
The Florida Panthers host the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday evening with the opportunity to complete the sweep and reach their first Stanley Cup Final since 1996. A big storyline in Game 3 was the poor officiating, whether it be inconsistent punishments during scrums or flat-out missed penalties in crucial situations.
Now, do I think that the refs are going to give Carolina makeup calls in Game 4? Absolutely not. That is not how this works.
However, with all the scrutiny that came from the league, media, Rod Brind'Amour and fans, it would not be shocking at all if the refs call a much tighter game on Wednesday. That could mean more power plays for both sides as the refs try to regain control of this series, which is something we can take advantage of in the betting market.
Enter Stefan Noesen. Serving in the bumper role on the Canes' first power-play unit, Noesen puts himself in the best spot possible during playoff hockey as many goals in a tightly contested series are found in the clean-up area net-front.
He has scored one of Carolina's only three goals in this series while recording at least two shots in all three games. Additionally, at five-on-five, he skates on alongside Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho – the Canes' most important line.
With nothing to lose in a win-or-go-home game, this line will be out there a ton tonight, giving Noesen plenty of chances to record at least two shots on goal.
Sebastian Aho More Than 19.75 Minutes of Ice Time
Building upon that last sentiment above, Sebastian Aho is going to be on the ice as much as possible tonight. Carolina has nothing to lose, and it will surely lean on its most important player in this win-or-go-home game.
I do not know why PrizePicks elected to illustrate this entry as a fraction instead of time-stamp, but we just need Aho to record more than 19:45 of ice time for this pick to go green. Aho has surpassed this number in four of his past five games while falling just 40 seconds short in the game where this pick did not cash.
Furthermore, in potential elimination/clinching games in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, Aho is averaging north of 20 minutes of ice time. In a must-win game, he will be out there for all of the big power plays, penalty kills, and the majority of five-on-five play.
Frederik Andersen + Sergei Bobrovsky Less Than 0.5 Goals Allowed in First 9 Minutes
Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen has been incredible this postseason, going 5-2 with a .937 save percentage (SV%) and 1.58 goals against average (GAA). However, this fact is overshadowed simply because of what the guy across the ice is accomplishing.
Sergei Bobrovsky might be putting together one of the greatest stretches of goaltending I have ever seen. Over his past four starts, he is 4-0 with a .973 SV% and 0.89 GAA.
In fact, he has not allowed more than two goals in each of the last two series! Not only that, but he shut down the Toronto Maple Leafs and is currently stuffing the Canes, two of the most talented offenses in the league.
There have been five or fewer total goals scored in each of the three games of this series, which is a product of the excellent goaltending. Andersen has not allowed a goal in the first nine minutes of a game in each of his past three starts, while Bobrovsky has not allowed one in four of his past five.
