Ryan Hodges
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The NHL delivers a jam-packed 14-game slate on Thursday with perhaps the best matchup being the finale between the Golden Knights and Canucks. If you live in the eastern time zone where it is difficult to stay up for those West Coast games, don’t worry. The action begins at 7:00 pm ET and goes all night. There are several intriguing matchups and betting value on the board if you want to jazz up your viewing experience a little bit. This slate is a fantastic bridge to Friday. You can also find out our NHL predictions for today’s games, but now let’s dive into my best NHL prop bets for this mega slate.
David Pastrnak over 1.5 points (-130)
This Sharks-Bruins game is the most lopsided on tonight’s slate in terms of position in the league standings. Boston should take care of business just fine in this one. If and when they do, there is a good chance that David Pastrnak is a key contributor. Pastrnak had a career year last season with 113 points. Through 21 games this season, he is on pace to surpass last year’s point production.
This is a guy who averages over a point per game and gets a favorable matchup against a bad team. The opportunity will be there to produce and Pastrnak does not typically miss those opportunities. The Sharks allow the most goals per game in the NHL and they have the 3rd-worst power play. Pastrnak plays on a line with Brad Marchand and Pavel Zacha, as well as on the power play with those guys plus Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk. Look for Pastrnak to be firmly in the mix on Thursday.
Read today’s NHL mega parlay at HUGE +1095 odds!
Alex DeBrincat over 0.5 goals (+130)
This is another game that looks likely to be lopsided. The Blackhawks are a good team to target when looking at opponents’ props. They rank 28th in the NHL in goals allowed per game which is a good matchup for the Red Wings’ 4th-ranked scoring. Detroit also has the league’s 9th-best power play to Chicago’s 21st-ranked penalty kill. The goal leader of the 4th-ranked scoring Detroit Red Wings is Alex DeBrincat.
In 21 games played this season, DeBrincat has 12 goals and 20 points. By odds, he is the most likely player to score in this game. DeBrincat also gets a favorable matchup against a bad team which gives this +130 value and appeal. He may also have a little pep in his step playing against his former team and on the back of the news that Patrick Kane will be joining him on the Red Wings. There is a good feeling in the Red Wings’ locker room all around right now. They should be able to run up the score on Thursday with DeBrincat being a contributor.
Check out our full Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings predictions
