Mark Lammey
If you’re in search of action from the beginning of the day and throughout the night, the NHL has you covered. There are multiple afternoon games and 13 in total. Even with so many matchups it can still be difficult to pinpoint your favorite sides and totals. Thankfully, we have the player prop market that can be just as, if not more, profitable. We’ve found our favorite spots and the first one is in one of those early games, so let’s get into it.
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Mikko Rantanen over 0.5 goals (+120)
Let’s get things started with a skater who has already come through for us several times this season. Mikko Rantanen is looking to rebound as he has shockingly been held pointless in his last 2 games. Admittedly, he hasn’t had a strong February overall, but he can turn that around against the St. Louis Blues today. They’ve allowed the 6th-most goals per game this season and the 2nd-most over the last month. Such poor goaltending should allow Rantanen to continue feasting on the Blues.
He didn’t score against them the last time they faced off, but he recorded a hat-trick in the game before, which was also a matchup in St. Louis. Rantanen also found the net in the game before that one and has scored 5 goals across his last 5 games against the Blues. Despite his slow month, his 34 goals are still tied for the 5th-most in the NHL. The Avalanche have split up him and Nathan MacKinnon, so with Rantanen now the lead man on his line, look for him to take charge and find the net.
Be sure to check out our Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues prediction
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Tage Thompson over 1.5 points (+165)
One of the guys that Rantanen is behind in terms of goals is the Buffalo Sabres’ Tage Thompson. His 36 are the 3rd-most in the league and he’s having a career year. His 70 points through 53 games have helped the Sabres become the 2nd-highest scoring team in the NHL, even above the Boston Bruins. That should be on full display later tonight against the San Jose Sharks. Being far from home is never optimal, but it’s simply providing us even better odds for this play.
The Sharks’ goaltending has been just as awful as the Blues’, as they’re allowing the 4th-most goals per game this season and the 4th-most since the turn of the year. It’s also worth noting the Sabres have allowed the 3rd-most goals per game since the start of 2023. That means San Jose should get theirs too, which will force Thompson and company to continue being aggressive. These teams also faced off in December, when Thompson recorded both a goal and an assist. Like Rantanen, he needs to step it up this month, which we fully expect. He ended January with multiple points in 3 of the last 4 games and can start a new streak tonight.
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