Ryan Hodges
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Friday and Saturday delivered in a big way for hockey fans. Now the weekend ends with a 5-game slate. The Blackhawks visit the Panthers in what will be a 1PM ET puck drop while the remaining games will start between 6-8PM ET. This smaller NHL schedule is a nice pallet cleanser to a busy week in hockey. If you can knock out your chores and have time to post up in front of your favorite hockey-watching TV, this will be a good way to end the weekend.
You can also find out our NHL predictions for today’s slate, but for now, let’s dive into my NHL prop bets.
Matthew Tkachuk, FLA, Over 0.5 goals (+115)
Matthew Tkachuk got off to a slow start to the season but appears to be coming back into his own. Also, the bar is high for a “slow start” because it was really only slow compared to his last couple 100+ point seasons. This is a good player on a good team in a favorable spot. Tkachuk has 9 points in his last 8 games and has a great chance to pad those numbers on Sunday against the Blackhawks.
Last week when Tlachuk was looking to get going in terms of points, he collected a goal against this same Blackhawks team in a 5-2 loss. Florida will come out with a little bit more urgency to make sure they do not fall again to a weaker team. This Panthers team should be able to run up the score. If and when they do, Matthew Tkachuk has the best odds on either side in this game to be part of the production.
Read our expert’s NHL mega parlay for tonight at +900 odds
Frank Vatrano, ANA, Over 0.5 points (-125)
The Ducks are trying to avoid coming back down to earth from their surprisingly solid start. Fortunately for them, they get the most favorable matchup in hockey as they will host the Sharks on Sunday. Even if the Ducks were off to the poor start that many expected, they would still have a good matchup against the Sharks. San Jose is that bad this season. The Ducks have also beat the Sharks in 9 out of the last 11 games head-to-head dating back the past couple seasons.
While this is not a game pick, it sets the stage for the top Ducks goal and point producers to…well…produce. Frank Vatrano has done exactly that for the Ducks thus far this season. He has 9 goals and 3 assists in 13 games for Anaheim. Vatrano will play a Sharks team that ranks worse in the NHL in goal prevention and has the 6th worst penalty kill. He plays on the second line and second power play, and will continue to have ample opportunity.
