NHL bets: Our favorite prop for Panthers-Rangers Game 1

The Eastern Conference Finals get going tonight in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the New York Rangers host the Florida Panthers. This series should be a ton of fun, with high-end goalies and deep and talented offensive groups.

For Game 1, we like a touch of sloppy play to provide us the chances we'll need to cash our favorite prop tonight.

1u: Over 1.5 power-play goals (+140 FanDuel)

I want to get a bit creative as we head into a fresh playoff series here. As I gathered some numbers for this Panthers-Rangers series, the penalty numbers stick out.

Both teams have had issues staying out of the box, especially in their respective locations tonight. Florida is handing out 3.4 power-play opportunities per game as the visitor this postseason, while New York is allowing an atrociously-high 4.4 PPO per game.

That proclivity for penalties could create some offense here tonight, as both sides have shown themselves very capable of scoring on the power play. 

The Rangers have scored 11 power-play goals in 10 games, and their 31.4% power play scoring rate is this team's best chance at making a Stanley Cup run.

The Panthers have nine power-play goals in 11 games, and they've been even more effective on the road, scoring a power-play goal at a 35.3% rate.

The path to this bet cashing is quite simply a volume play. Both teams have had an extended break heading into this Game 1, and that, to me, suggests it's more likely we see the penalties continue early in the series before teams get comfortable and tighten up.

If you give both of these power-play units 3-4 power plays, I like their chances to capitalize. The beauty of this bet is we don't necessarily need both sides to find success. The Rangers themselves have netted 2+ power-play goals four times this postseason, including Games 1 and 2 of their last round.

In 12 Game 1s this postseason, this bet has cashed seven times, as the start of the series may open up some sloppiness that gives us the chances we need.

At +140, I'm in. You can find this on FanDuel under "Popular."