Mark Lammey
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With Monday being a holiday, we’ve had some rather big slates in the NHL over the last 2 nights. We’re due for a lighter one, but we still have 5 games on the board tonight. There are some ideal matchups for player props as well. We’ve targeted 3 of those 5 games where we expect skaters to shine, so let’s get into it.
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
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Nikita Kucherov over 1.5 points (+125)
All 3 of our players are in the later games, but they should make it worth the wait. Nikita Kucherov is a guy who has certainly come through for us, including recently. It’s also his recent success against his opponent tonight that provides confidence in this play. The Tampa Bay Lightning faced the Vancouver Canucks just 6 days ago, and Kucherov led the way with 2 points in their 5-4 victory. That was also the 4th time in his last 5 games against the Canucks in which he had multiple points.
There’s no reason not to expect him to do so again tonight given Vancouver’s goaltending struggles. The Canucks are now tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2nd-most goals allowed per game this season. While they’ll get to be at home this time, that hasn’t helped them much either. At 3.89 goals allowed per game on home ice, they’re also the 5th-worst in that regard. With Kucherov’s 62 points tied for the 3rd-most in the NHL, expect another big night from the former MVP.
Jason Robertson over 1.5 points (+150)
Now we’ll transition back to a multiple points prop. It’s yet another skater that has come through for us this season and continues to prove he’s a future face of the NHL. The 23-year-old Robertson is just behind Kucherov in terms of points with 60. Now he and the Dallas Stars get to face the San Jose Sharks, which sets up nicely for a big game out of Robertson. Much like Rantanen, he bounces back well after an off-night.
Robertson was just held pointless against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, each of the last 3 times that’s happened, he has bounced back with multiple points in the next game. That includes a 3-point game against the Carolina Hurricanes, who are one of the top defensive teams in the league. Now he gets to face the Sharks, who are allowing the 4th-most goals per game this season. Better yet, they’re tied with the Anaheim Ducks for the most allowed per game on home ice. Therefore, we’re expecting Robertson to record his third straight multi-point game against San Jose tonight.
Be sure to check out our Dallas Stars vs San Jose Sharks predictions
Mikko Rantanen over 0.5 assists (+105)
The guy that came through for us on the same night as Kucherov was Mikko Rantanen. He and the Colorado Avalanche seemed to have finally found their groove. After a 7-0 thrashing of the Ottawa Senators, they took down the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 in their most recent game after jumping out to a 5-0 lead. It’s been Rantanen alongside Cale Makar holding the Avs together during Nathan MacKinnon’s injury and with him and Valeri Nichushkin both back in the fold, they look poised for a big run.
We’ll play it a bit safer and back him to link up with MacKinnon or Nichushkin to find the back of the net rather than playing his multiple points prop as we did previously. Despite the Avs’ big win over the Wings, Rantanen had a very rare game without a point. A bounce-back should be expected as each of the last 3 times he’s been held pointless, he’s recorded at least an assist in the next contest. He’s also had an assist in each of his last 3 games against the Calgary Flames, and he should stay hot against them tonight.
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