Mark Lammey
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We had a fantastic New Year’s Eve, going 3-0 on our NHL player props including a +165 play, and we have another two picks for you today. With so many teams in action yesterday, we have several of them on the second night of a back-to-back today. With our player prop plays, we’re targeting those exact situations. Even without that being the case, the skaters we have our eyes on have great matchups. With that in mind, let’s dive into our favorite spots.
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
Timo Meier over 1.5 points (+165)
Of course this is a player prop article, but this is primarily going to focus on just how terrible the Chicago Blackhawks have been. That’s who Timo Meier and the San Jose Sharks will be facing this evening. They’ve actually been 2 of the worst goaltending teams as of late, so we’re expecting a high-scoring game overall. Chicago has started 3 different goalies this season, the best of which has been Alex Stalock. While that isn’t saying much for a team that has allowed the most goals per game this month by a landslide, he was in net for their game yesterday afternoon.
No matter who they start today, their save percentage will be well below .900 and have a record of either 2-9 or 2-10. They also allowed 4 goals to the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday, who are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. Therefore, we expect the Sharks to have a strong offensive night, including Meier. He inexplicably was held pointless against the Blackhawks earlier this season, but don’t expect that to continue. In his previous 5 games against Chicago, Meier had multiple points in all of them. Similarly, prior to the Sharks last 2 games, he had recorded multiple points in 4 of their last 5 contests. Given just how terrible the Blackhawks have looked, expect a big night from Meier and San Jose.
Be sure to check out our San Jose Sharks vs Chicago Blackhawks prediction
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Artemi Panarin over 0.5 assists (-125)
The New York Rangers take on the Florida Panthers to kick off their new year, which is one of the better Eastern Conference matchups we could have. While their records may not indicate it right now, these are still teams with aspirations of a Stanley Cup Final after both making great postseason runs last year. Regardless, this is a game where both teams need to get right. They’ve both been shut out in recent contests, but we’re not worried about sweating out a winner. Instead, we’re focused on Artemi Panarin, the Bread Man, helping to get this Rangers team back on track. He leads the team with 41 points through 37 games and of those 41, 32 have been assists.
Mike Zibanejad scored New York’s only goal unassisted in their recent loss, and we’re looking for Panarin to send out more help this time around. He did exactly that against the Panthers last season. In 3 meetings against Florida, he recorded 7 points, 5 of which were assists. Even after the Rangers have scored just 1 goal in their last 2 games combined, they were still the 9th-highest scoring team in December. On the flip side, the Panthers allowed the 11th-most goals per game last month. While those ranks may not be the most extreme, we’re only looking for a single assist. Panarin’s 32 are the 4th-most in the NHL right now and he can inch closer to Connor McDavid with another one today.
Don’t miss out on our NHL mega parlay at +1002 odds for today’s action!
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