Mark Lammey
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Wednesdays are generally one of the lighter nights on the ice, and this week we have just three NHL games on the board. That means finding puck lines, money lines and totals that you find valuable can certainly be tough. That’s why I have picked out my favorite spots for NHL player props and provided them for you here. I’m focusing on two earlier games, so let’s dive right in.
Along with our best NHL player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
Auston Matthews over 0.5 assists (+105)
Over 0.5 assists (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -115.
The first puck drop of the night features Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs are coming off an incredible come-from-behind win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, defeating their division rival 6-5 after being down 4-1 in the first period. That was largely thanks to Matthews’ hat-trick, which he has several of already this season. He’s already regarded as one of the best American-born goalscorers, yet we’re going to focus on his assist prop.
It provides more value at this point, as it’s not as if Toronto doesn’t have other elite goalscorers. One of which would be William Nylander, who has just 2 points fewer than Matthews this season. He’s also taken just 2 fewer shots, and he’s been the one to thrive against the Senators. Nylander has scored a goal in 3 of his last 4 games against Ottawa, while Matthews has recorded 4 assists over his last 4 games against the Sens. With Ottawa struggling overall and allowing the 7th-most goals per game, I’m trusting Matthews to link up with a teammate to find the back of the net.
Alex Ovechkin under 3.5 shots on goal (+120)
Under 3.5 shots on goal (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable to +100 or under 4.5 to -140.
On the topic of elite goalscorers, Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin is out to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record before he retires, but it’s been a rough start to the year for the Caps. They’re scoring the 2nd-fewest goals per game at just 1.9, and they’ll be facing a Florida Panthers team that hasn’t allowed many chances. The Panthers have allowed the 5th-fewest shots per game, and it’s a team that Ovechkin has historically struggled against.
He hasn’t recorded a single point in his last 2 games against Florida, and that’s largely due to him not giving as many opportunities. Over his last 5 games against them, he’s recorded over 3 shots on goal just once. We’ve already seen his shots-on-goal prop bump down from 4.5 several times this season, and for good reason. He’s had back-to-back games with 3 shots on goal to begin this month, and we’re expecting it to be 3 straight to close out our best NHL player props.
