NHL Player Props: Scott Erskine Recommends Nick Suzuki for Sunday Playoffs

NHL player props: Canadiens center Nick Suzuki among best bets for Sunday's playoff games

SportsLine NHL analyst Scott Erskine gives his thoughts on which players to back in Sunday's Stanley Cup Playoff games

By Scott Erskine

May 10, 2026 at 3:46 pm ET • 3 min read

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The Montreal Canadiens have alternated wins and losses over their nine games since opening the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-3 overtime triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning in their first-round series, making their streak the longest to begin a postseason in NHL history. The Buffalo Sabres will be doing their best to help the run continue on Sunday.

Montreal attempts to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference second-round matchup when it hosts Buffalo for Game 3 at the Bell Centre. After suffering a 4-1 loss in the series opener, the Canadiens drew even with a 5-1 victory on Friday as Alex Newhook scored twice and Nick Suzuki extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.

The Sabres were superb on the road in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins , winning all three games that took place at TD Garden while allowing just one goal in each contest. The Canadiens went 1-2 at home in their matchup with the Lightning, with all three games being decided by one goals -- including two in overtime.

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In the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights attempt to push Anaheim to the brink of elimination when they visit the Honda Center to take on the Ducks in Game 4 of their second-round showdown. Each team posted a 3-1 victory at T-Mobile Arena before the Golden Knights cruised past the Ducks 6-2 on Friday as Mitch Marner recorded a natural hat trick and also picked up an assist.

Brett Howden and defenseman Shea Theodore each registered a goal and an assist for Vegas, which will be without captain Mark Stone on Sunday due to a lower-body injury that sidelined him for the final two periods of Game 3. Howden has scored in five of his last six contests and is tied with Marner for the team lead with six goals.

Here are some players with value to consider for player prop betting for Sunday's  NHL playoff games.

NHL Best bets for Sunday, May 10

Nick Suzuki, Canadiens: Anytime goal scorer (+195, DraftKings)

Suzuki was held without a goal over the first six games of Montreal's first-round series against Tampa Bay before opening the scoring in the club's 2-1 triumph in Game 7. That appeared to get the 26-year-old center going as he converted during a power-play opportunity against the Sabres in the series opener and sealed the Canadiens' victory on Friday with an empty-netter. Suzuki has yet to tally at home this postseason, but I like him to net his first at the Bell Centre and extend his overall streak to four games on Sunday.

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Josh Doan, Sabres: 1+ assists (+250, FanDuel)

Like Suzuki, it took Doan a while to heat up this postseason. The 24-year-old right wing failed to land on the scoresheet in Buffalo's first three contests against Boston in the opening round but registered a goal and an assist in Game 4 and set up a tally in Game 6. Doan notched an assist in each of the Sabres' first two second-round contests, and I believe he'll make it three straight games with one.

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Shea Theodore, Golden Knights: Over 0.5 assists (+115, BetMGM)

Theodore is yet another player who got off to a slow start offensively in this year's playoffs. The 30-year-old defenseman did not record a point until scoring the winning goal in overtime of Game 4 of Vegas' first-round series against the Utah Mammoth . Theodore has netted two more goals this postseason, but he has notched an assist in four of his last five contests. I expect him to set up another goal in Game 4 against the Ducks.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/nhl-player-props-canadiens-center-nick-suzuki-among-best-bets-for-sundays-playoff-games/)._