NHL Thursday: Daily fantasy hockey picks for Hurricanes-Panthers, Game 1

We are down to the conference finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so there will be only one game per night. Tonight it's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with Carolina hosting Florida. For single-game contests, you have a salary of $136 for five players with your Superstar receiving 1.5 times the salary.

SUPERSTAR

Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at CAR ($29): Bobrovsky has been the star of the Stanley Cup playoffs, working his way back from being the second-string goaltender to becoming a plausible choice to win the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Panthers go all the way. Bobrovsky has won seven of his last eight starts, giving up 21 goals on 291 shots. He was absolutely spectacular in eliminating Toronto in Round 2, allowing only 10 goals on 174 shots including 50 saves in the overtime 3-2 clincher in Game 5. Bobrovsky left a lot to be desired with his regular-season play, going 24-20-3 with a 3.07 GAA and .901 save percentage, but his play in the playoffs has been out of this world.

FLEX

Aleksander Barkov, FLA at CAR ($27): Barkov was held off the scoresheet in his final three games versus the Maple Leafs, but he is still the best center in the series versus Carolina. Before his mini-slump, Barkov had two goals and seven assists in eight games against Boston and Toronto. Barkov had two goals in three regular-season games versus the Hurricanes, part of his 23 goals and 78 points in 68 games in 2022-23.

Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. FLA ($18): Jarvis has been a gem in the playoffs, scoring four times and adding four assists in 11 games. The 21-year-old had a bit of a relapse in his sophomore season, finding the back of the net 14 times and adding 25 assists in 82 games, after a 17 goal, 40-point rookie season in 68 games. He has more than made up for it in the postseason. He had four assists in three regular-season games versus the Panthers this season.  

Sam Bennett, FLA at CAR ($21): Bennett has been a huge force for the Panthers in the playoffs. He was a star against the Maple Leafs, hitting everything that moved and forcing Toronto into plenty of turnovers. Bennett managed to scored once and add a pair of helpers in the five-game series, after he had three goals and five points in six games against Boston in the opening round. Bennett had 16 goals and 40 points in 63 games for the Panthers in the regular season, including a goal and an assist in two contests versus the Hurricanes in 2022-23.  

Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. FLA ($24): Aho is tied for the Carolina lead in points with 10 along with Jordan Martinook, scoring five times and adding five assists. Aho was second in points on the Hurricanes during the regular season, picking up 67 points in 75 games and trailing only Martin Necas, who had 71. Aho had a goal and two assists in three games versus Florida this season.