Ryan Hodges
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Despite tonight’s small slate, there is plenty of betting value on the board. First, the Blue Jackets visit the Rangers on the second leg of a home-and-home situation. Columbus beat New York on Sunday and the Rangers are anxious to get them back. Not long after the start of that game, the puck will drop in Edmonton for a matchup between the Blues and Oilers. The Blues were in a playoff spot a couple weeks ago but are now on the outside looking in. There is plenty of intrigue on this small slate to make for an entertaining night of hockey.
You can find out our 2 best NHL player prop bets below, but make sure you also read our NHL predictions for today’s game.
Chris Kreider, NYR, Over 0.5 goals (+120)
Despite losing to the Blue Jackets on Sunday, the Rangers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL for nearly a month. They won 10 straight games prior to Sunday and will come out on Tuesday ready to prove that loss was a fluke. The Rangers boast the third-best winning percentage in the NHL, while the Blue Jackets are in contention to win the draft lottery. The Rangers should bounce back and win this one just fine.
While this is not a money line pick, it is to illustrate the kind of night the Rangers should enjoy. If it holds true, Chris Kreider will likely be a key contributor. He has 29 goals and 54 points in 59 games this season. Kreider plays on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko, as well as the top powerplay with Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. This plus money for a great goal scorer to tally one against a bad team is very good value.
Read our full Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Rangers predictions
Connor McDavid, EDM, Over 1.5 points (-125)
For 5 consecutive games, Connor McDavid has collected 2 points in each matchup. In his last 14 McDavid has 32 points — for an average of 2.29 points per game during that stretch. He has shown no signs of cooling off and has a favorable matchup tonight. The Blues have allowed 10 goals in their last 2 games. Prior to their most recent win a week ago, they allowed 9 goals in 2 games before that. St. Louis is a vulnerable team right now and it is something that McDavid can exploit.
Things have not been pretty for the Oilers, either, over the past week. They just snapped a 3-game losing streak, which included 16 goals allowed. That is an average of 5.33 goals allowed per game that they hope is firmly in the rearview. Nonetheless, if recent trends hold true in this game, it will be a second consecutive high-scoring affair between these teams. That being the case, McDavid feels like all but a formality to continue his rampant production.
