We have a stacked 12-game slate of hockey tonight with an abundance of options to pick through for prop bets. Below, I give out my three best NHL props for Thursday.
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Alex Ovechkin Anytime Scorer (+105)
The Metropolitan Division’s fourth-place Washington Capitals travel to Toronto to take on the Atlantic Division’s second-place Maple Leafs. While Ovi is an incredibly square player to bet on to score and we are paying a tax on these odds due to his name, I still like this spot for him to pot a goal at plus money.
Ovechkin has been on a tear recently as he has scored in four straight and in 10 of his last 13 games. He will appear to be going against Jack Campbell, the projected starting goaltender for the Maple Leafs.
Campbell has not been in great form recently as he has allowed three or more goals in eight of his last nine appearances between the pipes, posting a lowly 0.863 save percentage over that stretch. Over their last four games, Toronto is giving up an average of 4.25 goals scored.
Oddsmakers expect a high-scoring affair in this matchup as the total currently sits at 6.5 with the juice on the over. If we get a high-scoring matchup with the Capitals going against a struggling goaltender, Ovi should be able to register at least one goal.
Jack Eichel Anytime Scorer (+180)
We are going with another big name to score in this Pacific Division tilt as the fourth-place Vegas Golden Knights travel to Calgary to take on the first-place Flames. Eichel has really found his groove lately as he has notched six goals over his last eight games, and will look to keep It going against the Flames.
Jacob Markstrom is the projected starting goaltender for the Flames and has not played up to his usual standard lately. Over his last five starts, Markstrom possesses a 0.902 save percentage, which is far below his season average.
I think this trend could continue against a Vegas team that is averaging 4.13 goals scored per game over their last eight contests. Vegas absolutely needs this win to stay in the playoff hunt as they will be giving Calgary everything they have, while Calgary does not really have anything to play for as they have the first seed in the Pacific Division pretty much locked up.
Elias Pettersson Anytime Scorer (+135)
Another team that is in a must-win situation to keep their season alive is the Pacific Division’s fifth-place Vancouver Canucks as they host the Central Division’s eighth-place Arizona Coyotes. Last time out against Arizona, Pettersson scored a goal on four shot attempts and could have similar success once again.
Pettersson has been on fire recently as he has eight goals over his last eight games and draws another great matchup against a Coyotes team that ranks 28th in the league in goals allowed per game. Karel Vejmelka is the projected starting goaltender for Arizona and is coming off of two horrible starts between the pipes as he allowed six goals in each contest.
Arizona has pretty much packed It in for the season as they have now lost four straight games and 11 of their last 13. In a must-win game for Vancouver, I expect the bigger names to step up, including Pettersson.
Best of luck!
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