Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz and Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins among names listed for struggling players yet to produce in Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Stanley Cup Playoffs have seen some exciting moments early on like Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog returning to the lineup after being sidelined for three years or Toronto depth defenceman Simon Benoit finally getting his moment and contributing two overtime winners.
It's been fun to see some players get their day in the sun but for others, this postseason has been one to forget following a slow start. Here are some players that have either been out to slow starts or have done well but aren't being respected at the sportsbooks.
Roope Hintz - Dallas Stars
The 28-year-old Finnish winger has struggled to generate offence early on after recording 28 goals and and 39 assists for 67 points this season. His 0.88 point-per-game average was still very solid and people expected the young centre to play a big role in the Stars' postseason success.
After the first four games of the opening round, Hintz has recorded just one point—a surprising turn considering he came into the series riding a three-game point streak against Colorado and had finished the regular season strong with 12 points in his final 13 games. Points will come eventually for Hintz and I expect his prop bets to become a great value over the final three games.
Ivan Demidov - Montreal Canadiens
This one is more of a player simply being due as the highly-anticipated Russian prospect has now played five career games in the NHL and hasn't gotten on the scoresheet since his debut. His wild first game was fun to watch and I expect another big Demidov game as the Habs have the momentum in the series after a big game three win.
The Capitals have also lost a ton of steam after losing starting goaltender Logan Thompson to what looked like a painful knee injury. They will likely smell blood in the water and play a very tight second game in Montreal. Demidov is seeing more chances after playing just over 15 minutes in game three which was his most time on the ice since his debut. If he gets more ice-time the chances should come.
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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have really struggled to find secondary scoring with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl being forced to carry the load. While both star players were out this season, Nugent-Hopkins stepped into a much bigger role as the team's top centre and finished the season strong with ten points over his last 13 games.
He recorded his first point of the series with a goal in a 7-4 game three win and I expect him to build on it as the Oilers will only look to get hotter and climb back into their series with LA. Nugent-Hopkins sees time on the first power play unit, which has been shown to be deadly in the past and could provide a cheap option to get in on scoring from McDavid and Drasaitl for odds at plus money.
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Mark Stone - Vegas Golden Knights
It was a breakout year for the Vegas captain, who managed a 1.02 point-per-game average with a career-high 67 points through 66 games. It was a solid campaign from the 32-year-old Winnipeg native but since turning to the postseason, he hasn't found nearly the same success.
Stone is known to be a gamer for Vegas with 64 points through 75 playoff games with the Golden Knights. However, the Minnesota Wild have been shutting down Stone and limiting his chances with just one point through the first four games of the series. I expect a huge bounce back from Stone after finishing second on the team in points during the regular season and will most certainly see points start to come as he plays with lethal forwards in Ivan Barbashev and superstar Jack Eichel.
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John Carlson - Washington Capitals
A name that many may forget about is Carlson as a solid defenceman that has helped quarterback the Capitals blueline since being drafted back in 2008 with the 27th overall pick. The now 35-year-old defenceman has been a decent source of points throughout his career with 51 points this season and passing the 50-point mark for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons.
When making the playoffs, Carlson has also been one of the highest producing blueliners in the game with 40 points over his last 54 playoff games. He has no points through the Capitals' three games so far and I expect this to change over the next few games.