Best NHL player props for Tuesday's slate: Matthews makes his mark

Sunday was an electric slate of Game 4s and every series in action tonight is now tied up at 2-2. With Game 5s now on the horizon, each series changes venue and heads back to where it began. The Maple Leafs get to head back to Toronto to prove it’s their year to take down the defending champs, and the Oilers head back to Edmonton to rebound from a shutout. Let’s take a look at some player prop markets in those matchups. Along with our player props, be sure to check out our full game previews for tonight’s matchups.

Auston Matthews over 0.5 goals (-110)

There’s not much that hasn’t already been said about Auston Matthews, but that’s because he’s that talented. We’ve targeted him several times and we should trust him in Game 5. He accomplished a great achievement this season by becoming the first American-born player to record a 60-goal season. He’s the primary reason why the Leafs are always considered one of the best offensive teams in the NHL and may be the reason the defending champs get knocked out in the first round. While John Tavares holds the title of captain for Toronto, it’s clear that the goal production runs through Matthews.

His 60 goals speak for themselves, and Matthews is loud about taking his chances. He also led the league in shots taken this season with 348, more than even Alex Ovechkin. He went on a month-long stretch towards the end of the regular season where he scored a goal in 14 of 16 games. Within that streak, he recorded a total of 18 goals, including 2 hat-tricks. The concern may be the fact that he is facing a great goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Lightning. However, one of those 2 hat-tricks was against Vasilevskiy in Tampa. Now Matthews will be on home ice and ready to help lead his team and retake the series lead. He may have been held goalless in the last 2 games, but Tuesday night should be where that drought ends.

Be sure to check out our full game preview for the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Connor McDavid over 1.5 points (-120)

Just as Auston Matthews is synonymous with goals, Connor McDavid is synonymous with points. He’s been regarded as the best player in the world for several years now and has backed it up. His team may not have had the success most expect, but there is no denying his dominance. He once again finished the season with the most points in the league, winning the Art Ross trophy. There were a few skaters that surpassed that century mark this season, but it was McDavid who led the way with 123 points.

Another one of those 100+ points skaters was his teammate, Leon Draisaitl. Skating alongside another superstar like Draisaitl lends McDavid even more opportunities to record points. The entire team was shut out in Game 4, but they will now head back to Edmonton for Game 5 and need to bounce back. It’s rare for McDavid to disappoint; he recorded multiple points in 45 games this season. It’s hard to comprehend how amazing that is, but it’s more than half of the games played in the regular season, and most guys go entire careers without even a single point in that many games.

Not only has McDavid demonstrated his dominance throughout the regular season, but he also recorded 2 points in each of the first 3 games of this series. The Kings had the Oilers’ number in Game 4, but McDavid should get his revenge on home ice to retake the series lead.

Be sure to check out our full game preview for the Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers

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