NHL picks: 4 best player props for Thursday
Chris Peters picks out his four best player prop bets for Thursday night's slate in the NHL.
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Evgeni Malkin anytime goal scorer vs Ottawa
With four points over his first four games since returning to the Penguins lineup, Malkin hasn’t missed a beat. He had three points in his debut including a pair of goals.
He’s getting it all back really quickly and now he’ll take on a team in the Senators that may have trouble keeping him in check. Malkin has enjoyed a great deal of success against Ottawa in his career with 49 points in 40 career games including 23 goals.
Over his first four games, Malkin has averaged 17:01 of ice time, so they’re not easing him back in. He’s having a substantial impact right away and I’d expect that to continue in this one.
Jonathan Huberdeau to score 2+ points vs Edmonton
The Oilers are struggling to stop anyone, so I’m not sure how they’ll fare against one of the league’s best players this season.
Huberdeau has 11 multi-point games this season. He’s also coming off of a game where he did not score a point against Calgary. There has been only one instance so far this season where he was held off the scoresheet in consecutive games.
In fact, the last time he was held without a point, he exploded for five points against the Rangers. Of his 11 multi-point games, six have come in his last nine games.
He's one of the best playmakers in the game today, and teams have found scoring pretty easy against the Oilers, so I think it could be a field day for Huberdeau.
Leon Draisaitl anytime goalscorer vs Florida
Perhaps you saw Draisaitl’s terse exchange with a reporter after the last game. The frustration and anger is setting in for the Oilers and sometimes that manifests itself in a bigger performance. Draisaitl’s got a little bit of anger in his game and I think that can be good right now.
Over his last six games, he’s scored a goal every other game. I think the pattern will continue because he’s going to be on the ice a lot against Florida.
Even though I expect the Panthers to win, I expect a statement game out of Draisaitl if he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder.
Leon Draisaitl, Alex Ovechkin and Jake Guentzel all to score 1+ goals
I enjoy a good pre-built prop and sometimes I like to throw some money at a major value play. This qualifies, but it features Draisaitl, who I’ve already picked to score in his game, the greatest modern goal scorer in Alex Ovechkin and the red-hot Jake Guentzel.
Let’s start with Guentzel, who has been a streaky scorer this season. He tends to go on runs when his goal scoring is going well and he’s scored in each of his last two games. Just a few weeks ago, he had a five-game goal-scoring streak, his second such streak of the season. I think he stays hot against a weak Ottawa side.
Then there’s Ovechkin, who took over the league scoring lead with goals in three straight games. He’s up to 27 as he looks for yet another Rocket Richard Trophy.
He’s got a tough matchup with the Boston Bruins, a team he did not score a goal against earlier in the season. He has 27 goals in 60 career games against Boston, which is a little behind some of his other opponents in his illustrious career, but when he’s going like he is right now, he’s hard to stop.