Mark Lammey
Show Bio
We’ve got a strong 10-game slate in the NHL tonight, which means plenty of opportunities for profit. Despite several matchups, it doesn’t mean all of the sides or totals are jumping off the board. However, there is always the player prop market to take advantage of. We can focus on individual skaters to perform rather than sweating out the results of a game. There’s a bit of a theme for our favorite plays tonight. We’ll be targeting skaters on the teams returning from the NHL Global Series in Finland last weekend. 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.
Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 shots on goal (-125)
Let’s get things started with one of the most notable names on one of the most recognizable teams. The Colorado Avalanche are the defending Stanley Cup champions and are fresh off their back-to-back blowout wins over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Finland. Right-winger Mikko Rantanen had incredible performances in his home country, and now it’s time for MacKinnon to take over. It’s not as if he didn’t also have great games across the Atlantic. His 7 assists and 10 shots on goal helped the Avs outscore the Jackets 11-4 in those 2 games.
One of the things MacKinnon is most known for is his shot-taking prowess. He has 55 through 11 games so far this season after having 299 in just 65 games last season. Now he gets to face a Nashville Predators team he has feasted on. MacKinnon racked up 6 and 9 shots on goal in their 2 most recent meetings, and that was just the regular season. In the Avs’ 4-game sweep of the Preds in the playoffs last season, MacKinnon had shot totals of 6, 8, 6 and 9. Nashville is allowing the 14th-most shots per game overall, but the numbers are more favorable than that. They’re allowing the 3rd-most to centers specifically. That’s MacKinnon’s position, so expect him to remain consistent, especially at home.
Be sure to check out our Nashville Predators vs Colorado Avalanche predictions
Johnny Gaudreau over 3.5 shots on goal (+100)
We’re not going far in terms of prop market, and for good reason. Johnny Hockey came through for us in that first game over in Finland last weekend. The Blue Jackets as a whole have not had a great season but Gaudreau is trying to do his part. He certainly expected to make an impact with his new team after coming over from the Calgary Flames in the offseason. Even if he doesn’t have the same caliber of pieces around him, he continues to take his chances. Gaudreau took 10 shots on goal across those 2 games against the Avalanche last weekend.
Now he gets to face off against a Philadelphia Flyers team that is a prime matchup. Admittedly, the Flyers are having a stronger start to the year than most expected. That’s primarily been due to the play of goaltender Carter Hart, but we’re not worried about Gaudreau scoring a goal. We’re focused on him taking advantage of what remains to be a weakness for Philly. After allowing the 4th-most shots per game last season, they’re allowing the 3rd-most this year. That means Gaudreau should have no issues repeating his success against them. In 2 meetings against the Flyers last season, he recorded 4 shots in the first, and a whopping 10 shots in the second. We don’t need nearly that many, so expect Gaudreau to continue trying to carry this team tonight.
Pickswise is the home of free NHL Picks and NHL Predictions. Check back for our daily NHL Best Bets, including our favorite NHL Prop Bets.
