It’s time to ratchet up the intensity, folks — the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin today. The journey from 16 hopeful franchises to one eventual champion gets rolling in the afternoon as the puck drops on a three-game slate. Here’s what’s on deck for Saturday:
- Senators vs. Hurricanes – 3 p.m. ET
- Wild vs. Stars – 5:30 p.m. ET
- Flyers vs. Penguins – 8 p.m. ET
Whether you choose to tune into just one or spend the whole day watching the action, here are the top NHL Playoffs player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday, April 18!
For up-to-date betting information and data, check out both the DraftKings Sportsbook betting splits page and the DraftKings Sportsbook player props page!
Best NHL prop bets for Saturday 4/18/26
Linus Ullmark over 24.5 saves (-130)
A former Vezina Trophy winner, it’s largely been a season to forget for Linus Ullmark at first glance. His second campaign in Ottawa has been marred by a career-low SV% of .891, significantly worse than a preview low mark of .905. A 2.73 GAA is also the second-worst average of his extensive career as well. Why would we want to bet on this guy against the best team in the Eastern Conference and one of the most high-octane attacks in the sport?
As it turns out, Ullmark has been a good deal better since the Senators turned their season around after New Year’s Day. The team has the third-most points in the NHL since that span and the netminder has played a large role in that revival himself. His SV% since January 1 sits at .904; his GAA comes in at a much-improved 2.41. Those are encouraging numbers for the over on his saves line of 24.5 today. The rest of the reasoning stems more from the Carolina offense than his own abilities, though. The Hurricanes rank second in the league with 32.2 shots on goal per game. Not only that, but they’re also second in total low-danger chances as well — while they do lead the NHL in high-danger attempts, there are plenty of less-risky pucks flung in the netminder’s direction. The volume should prop up the over on Ullmark’s saves prop.
Matt Boldy 4+ shots on goal (+135)
The first-round series between the Stars and Wild is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, these are the second and third-best teams in the Western Conference, so there’s no doubt this matchup is the top watch of the day and probably most interesting series the entire opening round. On the other, it’s a shame one of these sides will eventually be sent packing for home.
With that said, the last meeting between these teams got quite heated. Matt Boldy was at the center of a scrum and is sure to be energized heading into today. The Minnesota winger just recorded a career-best 85 points with 42 goals this season, playing a massive role in his team’s jump to contender status. Additionally, he recorded an average of 3.34 shots per game. But that’s below today’s prop mark of 4+ SOG, yeah? Sure it is, but let’s dive in a little bit more. Boldy recorded at least four shots on goal in eight of his last 15 games to close the regular season and in 30/76 overall. One of those numbers fells more encouraging than the other, but here’s one more for you — in his four games against Dallas this season, Boldy recorded at least four shots in all with totals of four, four, five and 10. In fact, he also put five and seven pucks on net in two prior meetings to end the 2024-25 regular season, making it six straight games of 4+ SOG against the Stars.
