New York’s Artemi Panarin is ready to explode in Eastern Conference Finals versus Panthers, who he regularly dominates
The Conn Smythe trophy winner is very difficult to predict as you have to pick the best player on a Stanley Cup winning team, who is also regraded as the biggest reason why that team has won.
For our case we look to dive into a handful of different players that should have a shot to take home the prestigious trophy if their team takes home lord Stanley.
All betting lines are from BetMGM and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Artemi Panarin to win Conn Smythe trophy (+3000)
The Russian winger has become the subtle face of the franchise for the Rangers with the team lead in assists (312) and points (461) since joining the team in the 2019-20 season.
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He hasn’t been the hottest Ranger this postseason but still ranks third on the team in points at 11 but is far behind the goal leaders with just four so far. Panarin has been known to score big goals in big moments as one of the leagues most clutch players that usually sees him celebrate with his signature kick celebration.
He’s made dozens of highlight reel goals and should again in the Eastern Conference Finals. Panarin should excel more than people expect as the matchup is very favourable for him with seven goals and 13 assists in 11 matchups versus Florida while a member of the Rangers.
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Panarin has the second-highest odds for a New York player to win the Conn Smythe trophy as his netminder Igor Shesterkin has been sensational so far this postseason but may not be the lead man for much longer.
Goalies tend to not win the award as often with the position winning just once in the last decade (Andrei Vasilevskiy - 2021). It’s usually because they start the playoffs on a hot streak but may start to fade once playing better and better competition that will score more.
The rare case right now is a team like the Panthers, where Sergei Bobrovsky’s play between the pipes has kept them alive at times with memorable saves through the first two rounds.
Shesterkin’s case doesn’t seem to be the same and should see a trend downwards when running into teams like the Panthers and possibly the Oilers or Stars, who all average almost three goals a game this postseason.