A huge 14-game NHL slate provides an exciting Saturday and plenty of opportunities for profit. There are some incredible matchups such as the Lightning vs Stars and Avalanche vs Panthers. With so many close contests on the board, it can also make it difficult to predict winners. Rather than sweating out those types of bets, we can target the player prop market instead. We’ve found 3 great spots for today’s games, one which includes a matchup that we previously mentioned.
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
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Josh Morrissey over 0.5 assists (-170)
The Winnipeg Jets will be taking the ice for the first time since the All-Star break. They get to do so with quite a favorable matchup. They’re welcoming in the Chicago Blackhawks, who are the worst team in the Western Conference. Not only that, they were in action last night at home. If that didn’t illustrate their struggles enough, they opened up the second half of their season with a home loss to the Anaheim Ducks, who are the 2nd-worst team in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Jets are working their way to the top of the Central Division.
One of the primary reasons for their success has been Josh Morrissey. He’s come through for us with this prop before, and he’s certainly worth the price. Even making this an assist play rather than overall points play still comes with this price, and it makes sense. Morrissey’s 53 points through 52 games is impressive enough, and 43 of them have been assists. There’s no reason not to expect those numbers to increase; he’s had multiple points in each of his last 3 games against the Blackhawks. Of the 7 points in that stretch, 6 were assists.
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Artturi Lehkonen over 0.5 points (-150)
Finding value when targeting the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche can certainly be tough. They have superstar names such as Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen who have come through for us multiple times this season. However, we’re going to get a much better price on a skater who can still take advantage of skating with those studs. Lehkonen is the winger on MacKinnon’s line and is also on the first powerplay unit. He and the rest of the Avs are going to be coming out with a vengeance after getting blanked by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
They’re taking the short trip down to South Beach to take on the Florida Panthers. The Panthers have looked strong since the All-Star break, but this will at least be a huge step up from their most recent game facing the San Jose Sharks. Even with their strong week, Florida is still allowing the 7th-most goals per game since the start of 2023. You could also consider taking MacKinnon or Rantanen to record multiple points, but until they show consistency in that department, the safer play looks to be with Lehkonen. If MacKinnon does find a groove today, Lehkonen will be right alongside to record a point himself in the process.
Don’t miss out on our NHL mega parlay at +1022 odds for today’s action!
William Nylander over 0.5 goals (+120)
With such a massive slate of action, it’s only fitting to sneak in a bonus play. It’s also time to get some plus-money action. The Toronto Maple Leafs will be back home in Canada to face the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second night in a row. They defeated them just last night on the road in shutout fashion. Michael Bunting came through for us with his assist on the first goal of the game. Now we’re targeting a name with a bit more star power. It was quite shocking to see Nylander not get in the box score, but he should have a great game back on home ice tonight.
Firstly, it’s worth remembering that the Jackets are one of the worst goaltending teams in the NHL. Even without that fact, Nylander is leading the Leafs in goals this season with 28. That’s more than last year’s NHL leader Auston Matthews. With Matthews’ injury, Nylander needs to take over even more, and last night proved he’s still trying to do just that. Despite not recording a point, he still recorded 7 shots on goal. He was behind only teammate John Tavares in expected goals, so he simply had some unlucky bonuses. Nylander found the back of the net each of the last 2 times he’s faced the Jackets at home, and we’re anticipating that trend to continue tonight.
Be sure to check out our Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs predictions
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