Mark Lammey
Show Bio
We’ve finally got our first full slate of games tonight and it couldn’t be more exciting. There are old faces in new places, a classic rivalry and the defending Stanley Cup champions in action. That also provides several spots to target in terms of player props. There are still some unknowns with the new offseason acquisitions, so we’re going to start out targeting some of the more established names early in the season. 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 favorite player props.
Auston Matthews over 0.5 goals (-130)
We’re going to start out with one of the biggest names in the NHL, and deservedly so. It wasn’t Nathan MacKinnon or even Connor McDavid who won the Hart Trophy last season, it was the Leafs’ Auston Matthews who was named as the league’s MVP. He led the league with 60 goals, which was an incredible feat as he became the first American-born player to do so.
Matthews is from Arizona, but he plays far better than the Coyotes. There’s no denying his goalscoring ability, and the Leafs still have some of the most elite skaters around him to assist him. Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares are why Toronto is always a perennial favorite to make it out of the Eastern Conference. Matthews and company should start their quest to hoist the Cup strong with such a great matchup against the Canadiens. They allowed the most goals per game in the NHL last season, and Matthews was a part of those struggles. He scored 2 goals the last time he faced Montreal, who did nothing to address their poor goaltending during the offseason. There’s still no Carey Price in net, so Matthews should have a great opening night against Jake Allen and the Canadiens.
Be sure to check out our Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens predictions
Andrei Svechnikov over 2.5 shots on goal (-130)
After targeting one of the biggest names in hockey, we’re going just slightly less chalky. Andrei Svechnikov is not unknown by any means, but he also doesn’t get quite as much spotlight as guys Matthews and McDavid. Regardless, he is one of the leaders of a Hurricanes team that finished as the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference last season.
Carolina now gets to open up their season on home ice in what is one of the toughest places for opponents to play in. That opponent will be the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight, which is perfect for this prop. The Jackets allowed the 2nd-most shots per game last season, behind only the Arizona Coyotes. The Yotes finished last season as the worst team in the NHL, so that is never great company to be in. Columbus added superstar Johnny Gaudreau to the team over the summer, but that was to become more potent on offense. Svechnikov also performed extremely well against the Jackets last season. He hit this prop in all 4 games against them, including an incredible 8-shot performance. Expect the up-and-coming 22 year-old to come out fresh and firing tonight.
Be sure to check out our Columbus Blue Jackets vs Carolina Hurricanes predictions
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