Mark Lammey
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After a huge Tuesday night NHL slate, Wednesday brings fewer games, but still plenty of value in the player props markets. Familiar teams face off, division foes battle for seeding, and teams outside of playoff contention look to spoil each others’ chances. The Red Wings look to a rookie after an embarrassing loss in which they allowed 11 goals, and the Oilers look to overtake the Kings for 2nd in the Pacific Division. Along with our player props, be sure to check out our full game previews for tonight’s matchups.
Moritz Seider over 0.5 assists (+135)
At first, playing any kind of prop that requires a player to score against the Rangers might not seem like a smart move. It might be even more of a concern to play a scoring prop for a Red Wings player. However, rookie Moritz Seider is something of an exception and provides a great betting opportunity today. The Rangers have been in the top 5 for goaltending all year, mostly due to the great play of Igor Shesterkin. He is still the heavy favorite to win the Vezina Trophy (best goalie) this season. Seider also has an award in his sights as he is the favorite for the Calder Trophy (best rookie).
The youngster has quickly proved himself both to Red Wings fans and to the league as whole. Although his average is below a point per game, his tally of 42 points in 66 games as a rookie on a struggling team is still impressive. All but 5 of those 42 points came from assists as Seider is not much of a shooter, but he leads the Red Wings in ice time, averaging a ridiculous 23+ minutes per game. The other key factor for this prop, is the fact that the Rangers and Shesterkin played last night in a challenging game against the Penguins. Now they travel to Detroit on a back-to-back and will have backup netminder Alexandar Georgiev between the pipes. There is a massive drop off from Shesterkin’s save percentage of .936 to Georgiev’s .896. Lastly, Seider and the Red Wings faced the Rangers in New York in mid-February and Seider recorded an assist in that matchup, even against the stronger goaltender.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for the New York Rangers vs Detroit Red Wings.
Evander Kane over 0.5 goals (+125)
The Oilers have the top 2 point scorers in the NHL in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, yet this prop is not about them. Contrarian as it may seem, the Oilers’ third offensive weapon, Evander Kane, provides great value tonight. Since his transition from the Sharks to the Oilers, Kane has recorded 23 points in just 28 games. Over half of those points (15) have been goals. This comes as no surprise as he has been a known shot-taker throughout his career. His puck sniping has continued in Edmonton, as he’s already had 91 shots on goal in 28 games (3.25 per game).
In the Oilers’ past 2 games, Kane has been held pointless, while both McDavid and Draisaitl have scored goals. However, Kane had scored goals in 4 straight games prior to that. It may also seem contrarian to expect goals against Jonathan Quick and the Kings. Los Angeles is in the top 10 in goaltending, however, that ranking has steadily got worse recently, as they had been top 3. A slow decline in goaltending is not good news for the Kings as the Oilers are 6th in the NHL in goalscoring at home with 3.61 per game. If there were still any concerns about Kane being able to find the net against Los Angeles, he recorded both a goal and an assist in his game against the Kings just over a month ago.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for the Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers.
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