The NHL returns with a nine-game slate tonight, including an excellent Western Conference showdown between the Jets and the Golden Knights. I'm heading to the prop sheet to get in on the betting action, and below you can find my three favorite prop bets at PrizePicks. If all three of these player props cash, they'll net us a 5x multiplier.
The NHL returns with a nine-game slate tonight, including an excellent Western Conference showdown between the Jets and the Golden Knights. I'm heading to the prop sheet to get in on the betting action, and below you can find my three favorite prop bets at PrizePicks. If all three of these player props cash, they'll net us a 5x multiplier.
Best NHL PrizePicks Player Projections
(Props courtesy of PrizePicks)
Brock Nelson More Than 0.5 Points
Let's get it started in the Midwest, where the Avalanche (46-26-4) are set to play for a second straight night, after beating the Blackhawks in a 3-2 (OT) game last night. Up next is the Blue Jackets (34-30-9), who find themselves sitting two points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. This contest gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.
While the Jackets are in playoff contention, it certainly hasn't been their defense that's gotten them this far. Columbus' defense is one of the worst in the NHL, ranking 27th in GAA (3.19), 23rd in SV% (.887), and 24th on the penalty kill (75.76%). Over the last 10 games, the Blue Jackets are 28th in GAA (3.64) and 22nd in high-danger shots against (39).
This feels like a great spot to back Brock Nelson (23G, 29A) to simply log a point. In 13 games with Colorado, the second-line centerman, who's now playing alongside talented skaters like Val Nichushkin and Martin Necas, has racked up nine points (3G, 6A). He has seven points (3G, 4A) in his last seven games, clearing this 0.5-point threshold in five of those outings. Give me Nelson to score a point tonight.
Pavel Dorofeyev Fewer Than 0.5 Points
The marquee matchup in the NHL tonight comes in Sin City, where the two Western Conference division leaders square off. This contest between the Jets (51-20-4) and the Golden Knights (45-21-8) is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Vegas' Pavel Dorofeyev is having a breakout season, logging 49 points (32G, 17A) in 74 games played. However, he has gone pointless in four out of his last six games. On the season as a whole, he's only scored 1+ points in 34 of his 74 games (45.9%).
I'm not looking to back Dorofeyev in this contest. He draws a tough matchup against the league's best defense, and goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who's the frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy (-20000) and sits second in the Hart Trophy race (+180). Winnipeg's ranked first in GAA (2.13) and SV% (.913) while ranking third in high-danger shots against (227). Goals will likely be tough to come by in this one, and I'm going to wager that Dorofeyev goes pointless.
Leon Draisaitl More Than 1.5 Points
The Oilers (43-26-5) find themselves on a collision course with the Kings in the first round, and the two organizations are jockeying for the 2-3 spots in the Pacific Division heading into the night. Los Angeles holds a slim two-point edge in the race, and both teams have played 74 games. Edmonton will try to pull even tonight when they take on San Jose (20-44-10), and this divisional tilt is set for 10:30 p.m. ET from the SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA.
The only man who sits above the aforementioned Hellebuyck in the Hart Trophy race is Leon Draisaitl, who is in the range of -230 to win the award for a second time (2019-20). Edmonton's superstar centerman leads the league in goals (52) while sitting third in scoring with 105 points. Draisaitl has six multi-point games in his last 11 outings. As for the season as a whole, he has 36 multi-point games out of 70 games played (51.4%), which is pretty insane to think about.
Considering this matchup against lowly San Jose and the fact Edmonton needs points, I'm locking in Draisaitl to go for 2+ points. The Sharks have been abysmal defensively this season, ranking dead last in GAA (3.54) and high-danger shots against (311), while sitting 30th in SV% (.882) and 27th on the penalty kill (74.24%). Draisaitl's primed for a big night against this inferior opponent.
