Mark Lammey
Show Bio
After going 2-0 last night, we’re 3-1 so far this weekend. Our 6-game NHL slate today gets started with a premier matchup on ESPN and wraps up with the best in the east versus the best in the west. Everything is shaping up for a great Sunday on the ice, and we’re here to help you profit off the action. If you aren’t loving many of the sides or totals, we also have you covered. We’ve broken down the matchups and found the best spots for player props. We’re even getting started with the first game of the day, so let’s dive in.
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
Valeri Nichushkin over 0.5 points (-170)
We’ve got afternoon hockey, so it’s only fitting that our first player prop takes place in that first game. The Colorado Avalanche are taking on the St. Louis Blues in a rematch of the 2nd round of the Western Conference playoffs last season. There’s no denying that the Avs are banged up right now, but their one piece of good news is that Valeri Nichushkin returned on Friday. Not only did he begin the season with a point in all 7 games he played in, he recorded multiple points in 4 of them.
His return over the weekend was the only game in which he didn’t notch a point, and we expect him to start a new streak today. Colorado is going to need him to perform with Nathan MacKinnon now out for a month. That also puts Nichushkin on the top line with Mikko Rantanen, who scored a goal for the Avs in their last game. He’ll also be on the first power-play unit and most importantly, has a great matchup against the Blues. St. Louis is allowing the 4th-most goals per game overall and are even worse at home. They’re allowing 3.92 goals per game in their own arena, the 2nd-most in the NHL. Colorado may not be at full strength, but they can still exploit such weak goaltending.
Be sure to check out our Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues predictions
Andre Burakovsky over 0.5 points (-160)
Our second player prop is on Nichushkin’s former teammate. Andre Burakovsky was a member of the Avalanche when they hoisted the Stanley Cup last season, but he has since moved west. He’s now on the Seattle Kraken, and one of the primary reasons for their improvement this season. After their inaugural year last season, the Kraken are 15-8-3 and in second place in the Pacific Division. That’s even after their current 3-game losing streak, and we anticipate a bounce-back spot for them.
That may seem surprising with them on the road, but they have thrived outside of Seattle. The Kraken are scoring 4.18 goals per game on the road, the most in the NHL. Now they’ll get to face a Florida Panthers squad that was in Tampa Bay for a rivalry game against the Lightning yesterday. Although they’ll be back in South Beach, the Panthers are still allowing 3.43 goals per game at home in the last month. Regardless, that high-flying Kraken attack on the road is led by Burakovsky, who has 26 points in 26 games. We also love his shots-on-goal prop, but we’re sticking with his point prop to help us cash another 2-0 day like he did for us just 2 weeks ago.
Be sure to check out our NHL mega parlay at +1217 odds for today’s action!
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