With tonight's nine-game NHL schedule, there's no shortage of ways to get in on the action. I've narrowed in on three player predictions over at PrizePicks. If we nail all three plays, this trio will net us a 5x multiplier.
With tonight's nine-game NHL schedule, there's no shortage of ways to get in on the action. I've narrowed in on three player predictions over at PrizePicks. If we nail all three plays, this trio will net us a 5x multiplier.
Thursday’s Best NHL PrizePicks Player Predictions
Timo Meier More Than 0.5 Points
The Devils (21-10-3) have won three straight games and sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 45 points. Up next is a divisional opponent in the Blue Jackets (12-15-5), who reside in the cellar of the Metropolitan Division. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.
The main reason why the Blue Jackets find themselves in last place is their inability to keep the puck out of the net. Columbus enters the night ranked 31st in GAA (3.44), 32nd in SV% (.873) and 25th in high-danger shots against (117).
Columbus welcomes a New Jersey offense ranked seventh in the league in scoring this season, averaging 3.4 goals per game. Their offense should explode tonight, and I expect Timo Meier to have his hand in a goal.
The top-line winger is fifth on the team in scoring. His 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) are the 95th-most in the NHL. Meier has at least one point in five of his last 10 games (50%). Considering Meier gets a favorable matchup against one of the league's worst defenses, I expect him to get a few quality looks tonight. Give me Meier to record at least one point.
Rickard Rakell More Than 2.5 Shots on Goal
The Penguins (14-14-5) pack their bags for a two-game road trip, which features stops in Nashville and New Jersey. Up first is a cross-conference meeting with the Predators (9-17-6). This one gets underway at 8:00 p.m. ET from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.
Nashville is already hitting the "sell button" this year, as they just shipped defenseman Alexandre Carrier (one goal, six assists) to Montreal. It'll be interesting how this underwhelming team tries to fill a gap of 20:07 of ice time on the backend. It could have an impact on this player prediction because I'm taking Rickard Rakell to clear 2.5 shots on goal tonight.
Rakell will be shooting the biscuit at a Nashville defense that has blocked the ninth-fewest shots this year (506). They've faced the seventh-most shots on goals (SOG0 with 958 this season. Rakell trails only Sidney Crosby (102) in shots on goal this season for the Pens, racking up 79 over 33 games (2.4 shots on goal per game).
The top-line winger and leading goal scorer (14 goals) for Pittsburgh has logged three or more SOG in four of his last six games. He's lit the lamp four times in his last five games, so look for Rakell to be active tonight since he's wielding a hot stick.
Nathan MacKinnon More Than 1.5 Points
The NHL action wraps up out west with a Western Conference showdown, as the Sharks (11-18-5) host the Avalanche (18-15-0). The nightcap gets underway at 10:30 p.m. ET from the SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA.
I'm sometimes hesitant to play guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid or Nikita Kucherov to go for 2+ points, but I think this is a good matchup for MacKinnon, who leads the league in scoring, to notch a multi-point game.
The superstar centerman has two multi-point games in his last four outings, one of which includes a five-point (one goal, four assists) night against the Penguins on December 10th. Overall this season, MacKinnon has 50 points (first), which have come via 13 goals (30th) and 37 assists (first).
Tonight's opponent is the Sharks, who have some intriguing offensive talent, but still can't keep the puck out of their own net. San Jose enters this game ranked 29th in GAA (3.26). They've faced the fourth-most high-danger shots (136) and most overall SOG (1,104).
To put that last metric into perspective, only two teams have faced 1,000+ SOG; the other being Pittsburgh 1,056). Now the Sharks are tasked with trying to shut down the league's top scorer in MacKinnon. Good luck. Give me MacKinnon to score at least two points tonight in San Jose.

