Despite a limited number of games, it was a wild Monday night in the NHL, with five of six teams joining the six-goal club in victories. That includes the Buffalo Sabres, who rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Blackhawks 6-5 in Chicago. Will the scoring fest continue Tuesday? There certainly will be plenty of opportunities, with nine games on the docket. Within that slate, we found five Tuesday NHL props, all involving top-line forwards.
Yes, we stubbed our toe big time Thursday, going 1-for-5 with NHL props. All that means is there’s nowhere to go but up (well, unless we go 0-for-5, but that’s not happening).
Odds via DraftKings and FanDuel, and updated as of 3:15 p.m. ET.
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New York Rangers: LW Artemi Panarin
The Prop: 2.5 total shots on goal (at Pittsburgh)
The Odds: Over +110/Under -146
Usually one of the high-flyers in the offensive zone, Artemi Panarin is at his lowest shots-per-game pace (2.4) since his rookie season in Chicago. For sake of comparison, Panarin averaged more than 2.8 shots per contest in 2019-20, his first season in New York.
Panarin has beaten this prop just twice in his last five games and nine times in 33 road contests this season. And he has just three shots in two games this season against tonight’s opponent, the Penguins. So … of course we’re banking on the seven-year NHL veteran to eclipse this 2.5 shots prop.
Here’s the rationale: The Pittsburgh Penguins are actually conceding more shots per game at home (35.2) than on the road (34.1). To that point: In his two games against the Pens this season, Panarin had two shots at Pittsburgh and one shot at home.
Also, in their past 10 games overall, the Pens have allowed 32.8 shots per game. That number jumps to 35.2 in their last five.
Another reason to like Panarin in this spot: His linemate, Ryan Strome, is a game-time decision. If Strome doesn’t go, expect Panarin to take charge of the offense and provide some extra spark for New York.
Looking for some extra action? Scan the Tuesday NHL props odds board and consider playing Panarin Over his points prop, too. Not only does the Russian winger have 58 assists and 75 points in 61 games this year, but he has 27 points in 21 career games against Pittsburgh.
Columbus Blue Jackets: RW Patrik Laine
The Prop: Score anytime goal (vs. N.Y. Islanders)
The Odds: +140
This Islanders-Blue Jackets tilt offers a lot of intrigue, at least from an offensive perspective. Of the nine NHL matchups on tap Tuesday, these teams have the highest combined shots-on-goal averages over their last 10 games (69.8) and their last five contests (69.0).
With shot totals that high, Patrik Laine presents the best betting value to score a goal, in this game. He’s peppered the net with at least four shots in five of his past seven outings. And for the season, he’s scored 25 goals in 47 games.
One of many great Patrik Laine #NHLJets goals. pic.twitter.com/OmGKzriBcc
— Spinorama 🔄 Hockey (@spinohockey) March 25, 2022
Laine is regaining his form as the elite shooter we thought he’d be early in his career. With head coach Brad Larsen allowing Laine to more focus on shot generation than shot suppression (as was the case under previous head coach John Tortorella), the 23-year-old from Finland is playing with much more poise and confidence.
The Islanders are a stingy defensive team, yielding just 2.69 goals per game (sixth best in the NHL). But even though Laine hasn’t found the net in his last three games, he did pot goals in three of his previous four games. He also scored a goal against New York at home back on Oct. 21 (fourth game of the season).
Florida Panthers: C Sam Bennett
The Prop: 0.5 total points (vs. Montreal)
The Odds: Over -122/Under -100
Sam Bennett was showing signs of a career resurgence after Calgary traded him to Florida last season. However, the eight-year NHL veteran has gone ice cold lately, tallying just three points (one goal, two assists) in his last nine games. Those numbers look even worse when realizing the Panthers have scored 37 goals in that span.
Montreal may seem like an easy team to run up the score on, as their 3.71 goals-against-per-game average ranks 31st in the 32-team league. However, Bennett has been held pointless in more than half of his games this season (28 of 55). He also failed to record a point in Florida’s game against Montreal on March 24 (after potting two goals against the Habs at home on New Year’s Day).
Furthermore, Bennett logged 21 minutes in Sunday’s 5-2 loss at Toronto, which was his third longest stint on the ice this season. Why does that matter? Because he’s played 20-plus minutes four times all season. Here are his point totals in the games that immediately followed: 0, 0, 1, 0.
Expect Bennett to have some dead legs in this one. Play it Under, and do so without having to pay any juice on Fan Duel’s Tuesday NHL props board.
Philadelphia Flyers: RW Cam Atkinson
The Prop: 2.5 total shots (at Minnesota)
The Odds: Over -150/Under +120
For those who have been following my NHL props recommendations, this one shouldn’t come as a surprise. The philosophy has remained the same all season: Play Cam Atkinson to go Over his shot props at home and Under when the Flyers are on the road. The splits are truly Jekyll-and-Hyde like.
Atkinson has 119 shots in 34 home games, which pencils out to a perfect 3.5 per contest. Away from Philly, he’s put the puck on net 81 times in 32 contests (or barely 2.5 per game). In those 32 roadies, the 32-year-old veteran has popped three or more shots on goal just 13 times.
Sticking with the Under tonight makes sense because Atkinson is in Minnesota to face the Wild, who have allowed 27.4 shots per game over their last 10.
Philadelphia is playing its fifth straight road game Tuesday, and while Atkinson did record four shots on goal in the opener of the road trip, he failed to do so in each of the last three. When it comes to Tuesday NHL props, getting Atkinson’s at plus money on this one is an absolute steal.
Dallas Stars: LW Jason Robertson
The Prop: 0.5 total goals (at Anaheim)
The Odds: +172
The runner-up for the 2021 Calder Trophy — which goes to the league’s top rookie — Jason Robertson is on a revenge tour this season. Robertson leads the Stars with 31 goals in 66 games and ranks second in points with 60.
Granted, Robertson has only scored in 13 of 34 road games. But don’t let that meager 38 percent hit rate scare you away from this NHL props pick. The Ducks are on a nine-game losing streak and have been outscored 39-17 in that span. This is also a de facto home game for Robertson, who is from Sierra Madre, California, which is just a 45-minute drive from Anaheim.
It’s true that Robertson has cooled off lately in the goal-scoring department, with just one in his last seven games. But his minutes have decreased some during this stretch, which is obviously a contributor (less time on the ice, less chances to score goals).
It’s also true that Anaheim is far better at suppressing goals at home (2.79 GAA) than on the road (3.58) … and that Dallas scores the third-fewest road goals per game (2.39) in the league.
All that does is explain why we’re getting a solid plus-price with one of the top young scorers in the league. It’s worth taking a shot and seeing if some home cooking is just what Robertson needs to snap out of his mini goal-scoring slump.