Mark Lammey
Show Bio
Monday’s NHL Playoffs matchups bring us the rest of the Game 4s, and we may end up seeing the first team moving on to the next round. Stanley Cup favorites the Avalanche are on the verge of sweeping the Predators and earning a few days of rest before their next series starts. However, the rest of the series are much closer and every team needs their superstars to step up. Let’s take a deeper dive into some skaters dishing out apples. Along with our player props, be sure to check out our full game previews for tonight’s matchups.
Kris Letang over 0.5 assists (+100)
The Penguins were able to regain the series lead on home ice on Saturday night despite a valiant comeback effort from the Rangers. Pittsburgh got off to a quick 4-1 lead, only to have New York tie things up at 4. Thankfully, the stars came out and Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel helped secure the 7-4 victory. However, there were a couple of great skaters left out of the box score in Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. It’s a rarity for Letang to not get in on the action, especially when the line including Crosby and Guentzel is scoring. Letang finished the regular season with 68 points in 78 games and has been a core component of this Penguins roster for 15 seasons.
It’s worth taking the risk (and better payout) for his assist prop rather than the overall point prop. Of his 68 points, 58 of them were assists. It’s clear that he prefers to help Guentzel, Crosby, and company find the back of the net rather than do the shooting himself. It also helps that the defenseman is seemingly always on the ice; he averaged nearly 26 minutes of ice time per game during the season. It may cause hesitation to back Letang when facing such a great goaltender as Igor Shesterkin, but he’s proved he can still get the job done. Letang recorded 2 assists in the Penguins’ most recent regular-season home game against the Rangers. We only need 1 from him tonight and he should deliver.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for the New York Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Nathan MacKinnon over 0.5 assists (-110)
The Avalanche are littered with superstar talent across their roster and it can be difficult to find value in the prop market. They are all a threat to record points in any fashion, so those props are far too expensive. It may seem surprising that we are targeting perhaps the biggest superstar of them all, but there is actually value on MacKinnon. Injuries always seem to deny him 100-point seasons, but he still managed to finish with 88 in 65 games. Of those 88 points, 56 were assists. He’s a high-volume shot-taker, yet the majority of his points are by way of the apple.
He already has 5 points in the first 3 games of this playoff series, and will be sure to add to that as he tries to lead the Avs to a round 1 sweep. What’s different about those 5 points, is that the majority have been goals. That’s quite the opposite of his usual ratio and that is what is providing the value from oddsmakers. He recorded a goal in the last game (which one of our cappers predicted), but did not record an assist. With Gabriel Landeskog back in the lineup, the Avs now have a full arsenal of goalscorers in Landeskog, Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar. With so many options of skaters who can find the back of the net, MacKinnon is in a primary position to lend them a hand.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for the Colorado Avalanche vs Nashville Predators
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.
