With eleven games on the slate tonight, let’s look at some trends of the teams playing, as well as finding value with player prop bets.
NHL Trends
- The Red Wings and Islanders are battling for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference and this is a huge matchup between these playoff hopefuls. Both teams have been on quite a losing skid recently, with the Red Wings losing 8 of their last 10 and the Islanders losing 5 straight games.
- The Boston Bruins have won 7 of their last 10 games and take on the leader of the Metropolitan Division, New York Rangers. The Rangers are 6-4 in their last 10 games but have been very good all season. Both the Bruins and the Rangers score 3.3 goals per game on average and give up 2.7 goals against per game. An extremely even game on paper should give an early playoff feel to this contest.
- The Winnipeg Jets are 4-1 in their last 5 games and head into New Jersey to take on the Devils. The Devils are 2-3 in their last 5 games. The Jets won this matchup earlier in the season 6-3.
- The Flyers are trailing the Hurricanes in the standings by 14 points so they are most likely not going to catch them. Both teams however are still playing for very important playoff seeding implications. The Hurricanes are only 2 points outside the top spot in the Metropolitan. The Flyers are in a tight playoff battle, currently holding the 3 seed in the division but are only holding a 3-point buffer on the Capitals.
- The Sabres travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers. The Oilers are 22-8-3 at home this season. The Sabres won the first matchup between these teams 3-2 in a shootout earlier this season.
Player Prop Bets To Target
Sebastian Aho Over 2.5 Shots
Aho is a great playmaker and is constantly involved in the offense. In a divisional game against a hungry Flyers team, Aho should see plenty of opportunity. Aho is usually flirting in the 2-3 shot range per game but has 2 or more shots in all 3 of his last games. He isn’t a shoot-first kind of player, but he is involved and is a key difference-maker for the Canes’.
Tage Thompson Over 2.5 Shots
Tage and his Sabres take on the Oilers in what should be a very entertaining game. Tage has recorded three or more shots in 5 of his last 6 games. He is a physical power forward with a rocket of a shot and should see opportunities for one-timers on the powerplay.
Quinn Hughes Over 0.5 Points
Hughes has been a play-making machine all season for the Canucks. He has recorded 66 assists already this season and is showing no sign of slowing down. He is consistently involved in the offense and he is facing a Canadiens team that is averaging 3.4 goals against per game. In a game where the Canucks are so heavily favored, I like the top assist man on the team to record a point.
Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 Points
Kucherov has been red hot as of late, recording 3 goals and 8 assists in his last 3 games. He has also recorded assists in 11 straight games. The elite playmaker already has 118 points and is making a real case to be considered for the Hart trophy. Not to mention, he is facing the San Jose Sharks in this matchup. The Sharks are averaging 3.9 goals against per game while the Lightning are averaging 3.4 goals per game. I know 1.5 points is a high bar, but the matchup is perfect and Kucherov has been great all season.
Jack Eichel Over 3.5 Shots
Eichel has come back from injury and has been letting it fly. Since returning from injury, he has 3 or more shots in every game. With the absence of Mark Stone, the Golden Knights rely on Eichel to provide scoring chances and shoot the puck. The Kraken do not allow many goals, but they are on a 5 game losing streak and the Golden Knights are looking to capitalize on a suffering team.
Connor Bedard Over .5 Points
Bedard has lived up to the hype and continues to impress with every game. He has been hot recently as well, recording 11 points in his last 5 games. The Ducks are on a skid, losing 7 straight contests. They give up 3.6 goals against per game and are consistently taking penalties. With how involved in the game Bedard is, plus the opportunity he should see on the powerplay, he has a good chance to record a point in this game.
