Ryan Hodges
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Wednesday brings an NHL slate with a solid 3-game appetizer before a packed schedule on Thursday. Don’t let a smaller slate fool you. All 3 games on Wednesday are division-rivalry games. Blues vs Blackhawks is a great rivalry that always brings the juice. Sabres vs Senators and Kings vs Oilers are both games that have the makings of high totals, which could mean plenty of back-and-forth scoring. If you’re looking to have some action, check out our favorite NHL player props for Wednesday night. Along with our player props, be sure to also check out our NHL picks for each of today’s games.
Tage Thompson over 0.5 goals (+145)
Tage Thompson has picked up right where he left off last season. Through 16 games played, he has 11 goals and 10 assists. The Sabres have the NHL’s 5th-best goal-scoring led by Thompson, who leads the team in goals, assists and points. He centers Buffalo’s top line, is on the Sabres’ top powerplay unit, and averages over 18 minutes of ice time per game. The Sabres’ first line of Thompson, Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch has a combined 49 points in 48 games played. Any offense Buffalo generates will likely go through their first line, with Thompson serving as the catalyst.
Thompson’s performance and situation in Buffalo’s system has been great. It looks even better from a pure matchup standpoint on Wednesday night against Ottawa. The Senators allow an average of 3.53 goals per game, which is bottom 10 in the league. Neither Ottawa goaltender has found consistent success early on. Buffalo has weak goal prevention and a weak penalty kill themselves matched up against Ottawa’s 10th-ranked scoring. The Sabres have lost 6 straight games after a great start, and should play with added urgency to break out of this slump. In a game that is likely to see plenty of offense, it’s tough to imagine a game script in which Thompson doesn’t light the lamp.
We’re looking to cash our 2nd NHL mega parlay in a week at +868 odds
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins over 2.5 shots on goal (+120)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins earned a spot on Edmonton’s top line alongside Connor McDavid. With that, Nugent-Hopkins has 8 goals and 9 assists in 16 games played. He averages over 19 minutes of ice time, which includes a spot on Edmonton’s top powerplay along side Leon Draisaitl in addition to McDavid. With 40 shots on goal in 16 games, he averages exactly 2.5 shots per game. He has 3+ shots on goals in 2 of his last 4 games, and Wednesday’s matchup should foster plenty of offense.
The Oilers have scored the 4th-most goals per game in the NHL with 3.69. The Kings rank 13th in scoring and 23rd in goal prevention. This has all the makings of a high-scoring game. With that game script, it is all but a formality that McDavid will be a key contributor. If McDavid is a key contributor, his line mates will be involved. Being on McDavid’s line both 5 on 5 and on the power play, Nugent-Hopkins is on the ice nearly every minute McDavid is on the ice. The pure matchup between the Kings and Oilers paired with Nugent-Hopkins’ situation in the Oilers’ lineup gives his props great value. Nugent-Hopkins having over 2.5 shots in what figures to be a high-scoring game looks a good play on Wednesday night.
Be sure to check out our full Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers predictions
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