Mark Lammey
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It’s been an exciting weekend in the NHL, and now it’s time to start out the week strong. The push for the playoffs is becoming even more tense and the trade deadline is fastapproaching. That means skaters out to impress potential new teams or give their current teams reason to hang on to them. With that, the player prop becomes even more interesting. However, I’m sticking with 2 skaters on 2 division leaders for my favorite plays today, and you’ll quickly see why.
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
David Pastrnak, BOS, Over 0.5 goals (+100)
It’s finally time. The Boston Bruins are continuing their trip out west by heading north to Edmonton to face the Oilers. This very well may be the Stanley Cup Finals preview everyone has been waiting for. Boston’s David Pastrnak and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid are the top 2 favorites for the Hart Trophy (MVP) and have fantastic casts around them. While McDavid is virtually a shoo-in for the Hart and Art Ross Trophy for the most points, we’re focused on the Bruins. That’s because Boston’s goaltending has been elite, while that is easily the Oilers’ biggest concern.
Edmonton recently just lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are the worst team in the Eastern Conference, by allowing 6 goals. Therefore there’s no reason not to expect the Bruins to light up the scoreboard in such a high-profile game. That also means Pastrnak should be involved in a big way. Again, he may not catch McDavid; but his 42 goals are the 2nd-most in the NHL and he’s loved taking on McDavid and the Oilers in his career. In his 11 meetings with Edmonton, Pastrnak has recorded 8 goals. That includes a 5-game goal streak, and he has never gone back-to-back games without a goal against them. His 279 shots are the most in the NHL, so we know he’ll take his chances. I anticipate the best of him to come out against McDavid and will trust him to find the back of the net.
Don’t miss out on our NHL mega parlay at +966 odds for today’s action!
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Miro Heiskanen, DAL, Over 0.5 assists (-130)
I’m focused on another Pacific Division team for my 2nd play. We’ll be picking on them yet again, and for good reason. The Vancouver Canucks didn’t just trade away their former captain in Bo Horvat, but their goaltending has also been dreadful. They are allowing the 2nd-most goals per game this season, and the most since the start of 2023. Anytime a team has a stat worse than the Anaheim Ducks, it’s cause for concern. That poor goaltending should be on full display against a very strong Dallas Stars team, especially on home ice.
I considered another goal-scoring play with Jason Robertson, but I’m giving a lesser-known guy some attention. The top line of Robertson, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz may get most of the attention, but they wouldn’t have the numbers they do without defenseman Miro Heiskanen. He has 42 points on the year — 35 of which are assists. As a defenseman, he’s on the ice with more than just that top line — including captain Jamie Benn. In fact, he is virtually always on the ice; his 25:32 per game is the 6th most in the NHL. While the Stars and Canucks haven’t met yet this season, Heiskanen has an assist in 3 of his last 4 games against them and 4 overall. Given Vancouver’s goaltending has never been worse, I’ll back that trend to continue tonight.
Be sure to check out our Vancouver Canucks vs Dallas Stars prediction
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