Ryan Hodges
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The weekend begins with a 3-game slate in the NHL before another whopping 13-game slate on Saturday. But for tonight, fans can watch the Coyotes vs Senators, Flyers vs Capitals and Devils vs Ducks. Despite a smaller schedule, there is still plenty to watch for as the Coyotes will be anxious to snap an ugly streak, while the Capitals and Devils attempt to climb up in the playoff picture. There is also plenty of betting value on the board if you decide to have a little skin in the game. Along those lines, below are a couple of prop bets I like tonight.
You can find my 2 best NHL player prop bets below, but make sure you also read our NHL predictions for today’s game.
Shane Pinto, OTT, Over 0.5 points (-120)
It has been a bit of a bizarre season for the youngster Shane Pinto. In his first full NHL season last year he delivered his first 20-goal campaign. Unfortunately, he was suspended for half of this season due to violating the NHL’s gambling policy. The upside is there, as shown last season. In 16 games since his return this year, Pinto has 5 goals and 13 points along with a +6 rating and nearly 18 minutes of ice time per game. Even though it is too little too late, he has provided a spark to the Senators.
Entering tonight, Pinto has 2 goals and 4 points in his last 4 games. He is centering the second line between Brady Tkachuk and Vladimir Tarasenko. Pinto has also taken the reigns centering the top powerplay with Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson. That is pretty impressive company Pinto has alongside him every time he steps on the ice. Pinto and the Senators get a favorable matchup tonight against a completely reeling Coyotes team. He should be able to produce.
Read our full analysis of Friday’s 3-game NHL slate.
Jack Hughes, NJ, Over 0.5 goals (-120)
It has also been a weird year for Jack Hughes. He looked like a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate early on, then got injured, looked good in his return, but has seemingly yet to remain consistently healthy. The Devils currently find themselves 6 points back of a playoff spot. If they are going to get back into real contention and make any kind of run, they need Hughes to be on the ice. He is that much of a difference maker. Not only is Hughes one of the best players in the NHL, but he will also — it can be assumed — play with even more urgency tonight and for the rest of the season to try to will his team to the playoffs.
Fortunately for the Devils, they have a favorable matchup to collect a much-needed 2 points. While the Devils have not exactly been impressive this year, the Ducks have been a punching bag. Anaheim is the 30th out of 32 teams in the NHL, allows the 4th-most goals per game and is saddled with the 6th-worst penalty kill. Hughes just had a goal and 2 assists against the Sharks in his last game. A similar effort should bring more results against Anaheim.
