Mark Lammey
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After a relaxing Wednesday night, nearly the entire NHL is in action tonight. There’s potential for some things to be decided in terms of the postseason by night’s end. Six of the 8 playoff spots in each conference have been determined, but nearly every seed is still up for grabs. The Central Division alone has 3 teams all tied with 98 points. With so many teams still motivated to perform, we’re able to trust the majority of skaters as well. There’s a lot of matchups to analyze, but we’ve done the hard work for you and come up with 2 great spots to target. Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
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Elias Pettersson over 1.5 points (+120)
Our featured skater is a guy many fans may not have even heard of. However, Pettersson is among the NHL leaders for points with 97. That’s more than other household names like Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews and Steven Stamkos. Another reason he may not get as much limelight is the fact that the Vancouver Canucks have had a relatively disappointing season. Thankfully for them, they’ll be on home ice facing a team struggling even more. The Chicago Blackhawks had the best odds for the #1 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, but their upset over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night may have thrown a wrench in that plan.
Regardless, we aren’t expecting another shocking performance from them tonight. Instead, we fully anticipate Pettersson to inch closer to that milestone of a 100-point season. He just had 2 goals against Chicago on Sunday and had 2 assists against them in his other matchup against them this season. Given that he has so many points this year, it’s no surprise that he has quite a few multi-point games. In fact, the last time he went more than 3 games in a row without multiple points was back in January. Given that he’s only been having single-point nights recently, we’re expecting a surge of points tonight as he strives for that 100-point season.
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Jeff Skinner over 0.5 points (-140)
We wanted to show appreciation for Pettersson’s season, but now let’s backtrack in terms of targeting one of the early matchups tonight. Skinner is another skater you may not recognize, but if you’ve been following our props this season, he’s come through for us multiple times. It’s generally Tage Thompson who garnishes most of the attention on the Buffalo Sabres, but he wouldn’t be nearly as successful without his linemate. Not only does Skinner set up most of Thompson’s goals, but he’s also been a sniper against the Detroit Red Wings, who he’ll be facing tonight.
Skinner has found the back of the net in 4 straight games against the Wings, and 5 of the last 6. We only need him to record a point of any kind, which makes this play even more valuable. We’re getting this at a reasonable price for 2 reasons. Firstly, the Sabres are on the road. Secondly, Skinner did not record a point in their last game, which was also on the road. Oddsmakers tend to give more favorable prices in those circumstances, and we’ll gladly take the value. Not only has Skinner feasted on Detroit, but he also has 73 points through 73 games this season. With Buffalo also fighting for their playoff lives, we’ll trust another strong night from the 13-year veteran.
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