Another day, another couple of COVID-related postponements in the NHL, as Hurricanes-Flyers and Islanders-Flames were scratched from the Tuesday slate. The good news: There are still seven matchups on the NHL betting odds board — and they’re mostly quality matchups, as only two of the 14 teams in action have losing records.
Although we struggled with last week’s shot-related props, we had some juicy plus-money hits on goal-scoring props involving the Devils’ Jack Hughes and the Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat. Let’s try to score a few more winners with Tuesday’s top NHL prop bet selections.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings and FanDuel, updated as pf 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 11.
Tampa Bay Lightning: RW Nikita Kucherov
The Prop: Score Anytime Goal (at Buffalo Sabres)
The Odds: +125
Lightning fans have been waiting with baited breath for Kucherov’s return to the ice, and he dazzled against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, picking up a pair of assists in a 4-1 win. That was Kucherov’s first action in 32 games after undergoing surgery for a lower body injury.
After being held scoreless in Saturday’s disappointing 5-2 home loss to the Boston Bruins, expect Kucherov to have a chip on his shoulder on Tuesday. More importantly, expect him to have some success against the downtrodden Sabres, who have lost five straight games and 13 of their last 16.
Kucherov has dominated Buffalo in his career, recording 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists) in 26 games. With his last goal coming almost three months ago (Oct. 14), you know he’ll be firing at the net in bunches. (He’s accumulated eight shots in two games since his return.)
Considering Buffalo is allowing 3.47 goals per game (sixth-most in the league), look for at least one of Kucherov’s shots to tickle the twine.
Florida Panthers: D Aaron Ekblad
The Prop: 0.5 Total Assists (vs. Vancouver Canucks)
The Odds: Over +114/Under -140
Ekblad is playing like a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman this season. Beyond ranking seventh in points, he’s excelled in shutting down opponents’ top lines, trailing only Colorado’s Devon Toews in plus-minus ratio this season (+21).
He’s also fifth among defensemen in 5-on-5 on-ice Corsi For percentage (CF%) at 57.95, and 14th in expected goals percentage (xGF%) at 57%. Ekblad is playing tough minutes, too, ranking ninth in time on ice this season — and everyone on the list ahead of him has played at least one more game to boot.
All that to say, Florida — which is tied with Tampa Bay for the NHL’s points lead with 51 — is a vastly better team when Ekblad is on the ice.
On Tuesday, Ekblad faces a Vancouver squad that’s allowing nearly one more goal per game on the road (3.11) than at home (2.31). Couple that with the fact that the Panthers have been a scoring machine on home ice (4.43 goals per game at FLA Live Arena), and Ekblad is a solid bet to bag an assist in this one.
Colorado Avalanche: RW Mikko Rantanen
The Prop: 0.5 Total Goals Scored (at Nashville Predators)
The Odds: Over +138/Under -170
This NHL betting prop is a great example of how you can gain an advantage by comparing odds at multiple sportsbooks. Rantanen’s goal prop is +138 on FanDuel but only +135 on DraftKings. While that’s only a slight difference, those small incongruencies add up over time.
As for this particular prop, anytime you can get a team’s leading goal scorer at plus money, it’s worth a look. That’s especially true in important games, as this one is for two teams duking it out for first place in the Central Division. (Nashville leads the Avs by two points in the standings.)
With six goals and 15 assists in his last 11 games, Rantanen has been on a tear. And the Predators know it, as Rantanen had a goal and assist in Colorado’s 5-2 loss at Nashville on Dec. 16. Of course, that was a below-average performance compared with what Rantanen did in his first meeting this season against the Preds: Back on Nov. 27 at home, he had a hat trick, plus an assist.
Look for Rantanen, who has 17 goals on the season, to light the lamp against Nashville once again.
Vegas Golden Knights: C Chandler Stephenson
The Prop: 0.5 Total Assists (vs. Toronto Maple Leafs)
The Odds: Over +120/Under -148
With Max Pacioretty in and out of the lineup all season — he’s currently sidelined with a broken wrist — Stephenson has quietly become a force in the offensive zone for the Golden Knights. He leads Vegas in assists with 25 in 37 games, 15 of which have come in 21 home games.
While the Maple Leafs have put up quality defensive and goaltending numbers this season, they’re still allowing half a goal per game more on the road.
Stephenson leads all Vegas forwards in time on ice per game this season (19:27/GP), meaning he should get plenty of offensive opportunities. Only Brett Howden has a higher offensive zone start percentage among Vegas centers. However, Howden plays half the minutes Stephenson sees, so he’s not nearly the same threat to pick up an apple.
Detroit Red Wings: LW Lucas Raymond
The Prop: Score Anytime Goal (at San Jose Sharks)
The Odds: +210
Raymond has cooled off in the goal-scoring department since collecting four goals in his first six games. In fact, he hasn’t found the net since Dec. 1 (a stretch of 12 games). Still, the 19-year-old rookie has 30 points in 36 games and has shown a ton of offensive prowess.
Half of Raymond’s 10 goals have come on the road this year. Tonight, he takes aim against a Sharks team with 11 players either injured or on the COVID list. In other words, the Red Wings (and Raymond) are catching San Jose at the right time.
Detroit has struggled on the road this season with a 4-11-2 record, but the Sharks allow the fifth-most goals per game at home (3.29). And since returning from the holiday break, San Jose has yielded a whopping 27 goals in six games.
