Ryan Hodges
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Wednesday’s 6-game NHL slate is a nice little bridge to the latter part of the week. Every game has big-time star power that will make highlight reel plays and steal the show for their team. Although the NHL has great parity, these matchups largely look lopsided, at least on paper. With that, there is potential for some big performances. If you are looking to have some action yourself, here are our favorite NHL player prop bets for Wednesday night’s schedule. You can also check out our NHL picks for all of today’s games.
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Auston Matthews over 1.5 points (+120)
The Maple Leafs have a very favorable matchup on Wednesday as they visit the Blackhawks. Not too long ago, this game would have been appointment television. But now this is a game where any outcome for Toronto other than running up the score in a win is underachieving. The Maple Leafs score the 8th-most goals per game in the NHL, and have the 4th-best power play. That scoring strength matches up well against the Blackhawks’ 28th-ranked goals allowed per game and 24th-ranked penalty kill. Toronto has major advantages and scores at a pace that the Blackhawks just can’t keep up with. To no surprise, the Leafs are deep. Right among their superstars that average over a point per game is Auston Matthews.
Matthews has 25 goals and 53 points in 47 games played so far this season. He is currently slated on the Maple Leafs’ top line in between Michael Bunting and William Nylander. That line has a combined 151 points in 155 games carried by Matthews and Nylander. When these guys are on the ice, there is a good chance for production. Matthews is also on Toronto’s top power-play unit with Nylander, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Morgan Reilly. Toronto should win by at least a few goals on Wednesday. That being the case, Matthews should be right in the middle of the action for a couple of points.
*Matthews has missed 5 games due to a knee injury. He was a full participant in practice on Tuesday and is expected to return on Wednesday. If there is a set back, take a look at Toronto player props specifically for good value in a smash spot.*
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Steven Stamkos over 0.5 goals (+115)
There are a few games on Wednesday that look like they could get ugly purely from a lopsided matchup standpoint. Lightning at Coyotes is one of those games. The Lightning are 6-1-1 in their last 8 games and beat the Coyotes 5-3 in their lone head-to-head matchup this season. They score the 4th-most goals per game in the NHL and have the 3rd-best power play. The Coyotes rank 25th in the league in goals allowed per game and their penalty kill is ranked 23rd. As long as Tampa executes like they normally do, the door will be open to score plenty of goals. If the Lightning can hold to their averages and produce against an opponent that fosters production, Steven Stamkos will likely be involved.
Stamkos has 25 goals and is another star on this slate that averages over a point per game. He plays over 19 minutes per game on average. Stamkos is currently slated on the 2nd line and top power play. At any time he is likely on the ice with some combination of Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. That is pretty good company that Stamkos keeps. With such a favorable matchup and the Lightning needing to keep pace in a ridiculously competitive Eastern Conference, they will come looking to score early and often. Stamkos is often put into positions to succeed and has solid value to bury one against a weak team on Wednesday.
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