Mark Lammey
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Following last night’s draft, the NHL All-Star Game rosters are set. However, that’s for tomorrow’s matchup. We still get to enjoy tonight’s NHL Skills Competitions, and there are 8 events in total! The 3 most popular are the Accuracy Shooting, Fastest Skater and Hardest Shot contests. We’ve provided our 2 best bets among the 3, but before we dive into our NHL All-Star Skills picks, Connor McDavid is always a safe bet for the Accuracy Shooting Contest. Along with our best NHL All-Star Skills picks, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for the big games in the 2nd half of the season.
NHL Fastest Skater Contest best bet: Connor McDavid (+130)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
We mentioned McDavid already, and that’s where we’re beginning our NHL All-Star Skills picks. Not only is he a safe bet for the Accuracy Shooting Contest, but he’s also our best bet to win Fastest Skater. It’s an event he’s more than comfortable with, as he won it 3 straight seasons beginning in 2017. However, he hasn’t won it the past few seasons, and that’s likely due to some fatigue with all the events. This is just another weekend for him, but we expect him to be motivated to get back in the win column. After all, he still doesn’t have the overall record.
His confidence should also be sky-high, as his Edmonton Oilers are entering this All-Star Weekend on an incredible 16-game winning streak. That has all but nullified their terrible start, so it would only be fitting for McDavid to win this event. He’s the favorite for a reason, and anytime we can get the greatest in the world at plus-money odds, it’s too valuable to pass up. So, we’ll start our NHL All-Star Skills picks with Connor McDavid to win his 4th Fastest Skater.
NHL Hardest Shot Contest best bet: David Pastrnak (+450)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Another skater who should have extreme confidence is David Pastrnak. After a record-setting season with the Boston Bruins last year, they yet again have the most points in the Eastern Conference and are tied for the most in the entire NHL. As you can see, we’re getting an even greater payout with this pick, and this event is a lot more up in the air. Not a single skater has odds shorter than +250, and even a defenseman may surprise fans and win the Hardest Shot contest.
Regardless, we’re comfortable taking a skater that is known for firing away. Pastrnak led the entire league with 407 shots last year and is leading it once again with 248. That’s 24 more than Nathan MacKinnon in 2nd, who is a captain of one of the all-star teams. Again, this event can be difficult to handicap, as it is often decided within just a decimal point, so use the second of our NHL All-Star Skills picks on David Pastrnak as a smaller wager.
