Ryan Hodges
Show Bio
The NHL is peppering fans with a loaded slate every other day. Wednesday is one of those down days as there are just 2 games on the schedule. The Capitals visit the Senators and the Penguins visit the Red Wings as a precursor to a jam-packed 12-game slate on Thursday. When the pucks are dropped tonight, your work week will be over halfway through and you will have a big-time Thursday night of hockey to get excited for. You can find out our NHL predictions for both of today’s matchups, but for now, let’s dive into our best NHL prop bets.
Alex Ovechkin over 3.5 shots on goal (-130)
What Washington will be this year still remains to be seen, but it was good to see some resilience early on. Another thing that also remains to be seen is how productive Alex Ovechkin will be in his chase for Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goalscoring record. Ovechkin is still after his first point of the season. With each game that goes by, more effort will come from Ovechkin to tally his first goal.
In his career, Alex Ovechkin has 6,359 shots on goal in 1,349 games played. That is an average of 4.71 shots on goal per game. As lethal as his shot always has been and still is, sometimes all it takes is just a little bit of room. He does not wait for the perfect opportunity, he will get a shot off from anywhere if there is a window. As Washington looks to maintain pace in the standings while Ovechkin looks to chase down Gretzky, the captain will be taking every chance he gets to throw the puck on net. Over 3.5 shots on goal looks good tonight for number 8.
Check out our 3-star best bet in our Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators predictions
Bryan Rust over 0.5 points (-105)
In 3 games to start the season, Bryan Rust has been great for the Penguins. He is tied with Sidney Crosby for the team lead with 3 goals and has a +1 rating. Of course, playing on a line with Crosby and Jake Guentzel certainly helps. Rust is also likely to be on the ice with Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson at any time at even strength. Rust is currently on the second power play with Letang, Jeff Carter, Reilly Smith and Jansen Harkins.
If there is anything that Rust lacks in terms of production, it certainly is not opportunities. He is in a great spot with great linemates on a solid team. The Penguins will likely be in a battle against the Red Wings on Wednesday, who have looked solid out of the gates this season. If this game is close in the third period, the top line of Crosby, Rust and Guentzel will log even more ice time. Look for Rust to continue his solid production in what should be a great, close game on Wednesday.
