Mark Lammey
Show Bio
The 2022-23 NHL season got underway last Friday, but tonight marks the first action in the United States. We’ve already seen players on new teams stand out like Nino Niederreiter of the Nashville Predators, along with the tried and true players like Roman Josi. Now that we have more than just the Preds taking on the San Jose Sharks, it’s time for another great season of player props. We still only have two games going on tonight, but they both still provide great opportunities. Let’s break down those spots and get off to a strong start for this year’s player props. Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
Let’s take a closer look at my 2 favorite player props.
Steven Stamkos over 2.5 shots on goal (-170)
Let’s get things started with the rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Lightning travel up to New York to take on the Rangers, and there will certainly be no love lost between these teams. They also have arguably the 2 best goaltenders in the NHL, so scoring will likely come at a premium. Of their 6 games in the postseason last season, all but the opening game finished with 5 or fewer goals. Therefore, we’re going to target a shooting prop instead.
There’s no shortage of superstar names on the Lightning, especially as they’ve won 2 of the last 3 Stanley Cups. One of the leaders of those championships is Steven Stamkos. He should get off to another strong start and come out firing. Stamkos led Tampa in shots taken last season, and continued to do so in the playoffs. He hit this prop in each of the first 4 games in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Rangers, and in 5 of the 6 games. New York also spent much of the season within the top 15 in terms of shots allowed per game until a strong surge in the last month of the year. It’s still as early as it gets, so expect Stamkos to take plenty of snipes at Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
Be sure to check out our Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers predictions
Kevin Fiala over 2.5 shots on goal (-120)
Just as we mentioned in our intro, there are plenty of skaters on new teams after an action-packed offseason. One of which is Kevin Fiala, who was on the Minnesota Wild last season. The Kings targeted him as they realized they needed more offense for a deeper run in the postseason. They were one of the best defensive teams in the NHL, which is what lowers the value of many of the Golden Knights’ skaters. However, Fiala should shine bright in his Los Angeles debut on Tuesday.
Fiala was brought in to apply more pressure to opposing goaltenders, as the Kings didn’t have many volume shot-takers last season outside of Viktor Arvidsson. There should be no concern about them vulturing shots from each other; they are both right-wingers and will be on different lines. Fiala is also coming into this game having taken 15 shots across the Kings’ last 3 preseason games. One of which was against this same Vegas team and he also scored a goal in that matchup. He averaged well over 3 shots per game after taking 262 shots in 82 games with the Wild last season, so expect more of the same with even more opportunities with the Kings.
Be sure to check out our Vegas Golden Knights vs Los Angeles Kings predictions predictions
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