Sure, the World Series begins tonight in Houston, and a bunch of marquee NBA teams are in action (including the Lakers, Sixers, and Warriors, plus a Northwest Division showdown between Denver and Utah). But don’t forget to save a little bit of your betting bankroll for the NHL, which offers up a seven-game Tuesday slate — and with it, many opportunities to make some cash.
Here are five NHL betting props to consider for Tuesday.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings and FanDuel, and updated as of 1:30 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay Lightning At Pittsburgh Penguins
The Prop: 5.5 total goals
The Odds: Over -125/Under +110
The defending champions have struggled to begin the season, dropping four of their first six games, the most recent being Monday’s stunning 5-1 loss at Buffalo. (We can think of a bunch of American Hockey League teams that wouldn’t lose by four goals to the Sabres!).
Now the Lightning find themselves in their first back-to-back situation of the season, which is dicey since teams tend to have lower goal outputs and allow more high-danger scoring chances in their own end on the second leg of a back-to-back
These teams squared off in the season opener two weeks ago, when the Penguins went to Tampa Bay and rolled 6-2. However, that game was 2-0 with less than 8 1/2 minutes to play. Then the teams each traded two goals, and Pittsburgh tacked on two empty-netters. Just like that, the Over — which looked dead in the water — easily cashed.
Worth noting: Only two teams have allowed more goals than the Lightning this season, while Pittsburgh is averaging 4.60 goals per game, the second-highest in the league.
San Jose Sharks: C Logan Couture
The Prop: Couture to score anytime goal
The Odds: +235
Couture has the sixth-best odds to score in this game, trailing Nashville’s Filip Forsberg, Eeli Tolvanen, and Matt Duchene, and teammates Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl.
This season, Couture is tied for the team lead in goals (three), ranks second among forwards in time on ice per game (18:10), and ranks third in power-play time on ice. Two more reasons Couture is worth a flyer at +235 to put the biscuit in the basket: His 71 shots in 5-on-5 situations rank second on the team, and he’s one of two Sharks forwards with a positive shot attempt differential this season.
Vegas Golden Knights At Colorado Avalanche
The Prop: Time of first goal
The Odds: Before 9:30 minutes -160/After 9:30 minutes +120
While the Golden Knights (1-4-0) and Avalanche (2-3-0) haven’t been the powerhouses to begin the season that many expected, their matchup tonight should carry playoff-level intensity. Vegas trailed Colorado 2-0 in a 2021 best-of-7 playoff series, then rallied to win the next four tand eliminate the Avs, so both teams will be out for blood.
Vegas has allowed a first-period goal in three of five games, while Colorado has surrendered at least one in four of five. Furthermore, the Avalanche have scored six first-period goals while the Golden Knights have netted five.
However, the timing is key here, as this prop is all about a goal being scored in the first 9:30 of the game. Well, the first goal has come before the 9:30 mark in every Vegas game so far and four of Colorado’s five contests.
Minnesota Wild
The Prop: 2.5 team goals (at Vancouver)
The Odds: Over -152/Under +120
The Wild had exceeded 2.5 goals in three consecutive games prior to Sunday’s 5-2 home loss to Nashville. Still, Minnesota ranks 11th in the league at 3.40 goals per game, while Vancouver has allowed 2.83 goals per game (which ranks in the middle of the pack).
However, Minnesota has tallied five goals total in its two road contests this season and now gets to face the Canucks in their home opener. A raucous crowd north of the border could be a factor in this one.
Winnipeg Jets At Anaheim Ducks
The Prop: 5.5 total goals
The Odds: Over -115/Under -105
With an expected goaltending matchup of Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (33.2 shots faced per game) against Anaheim’s John Gibson (34.8 shots faced per game), you’ve got two netminders who are used to seeing pucks fly at them all night. They’re also letting a bunch of those pucks get past them, as Hellebuyuck sports a 3.80 goals-against average, while Gibson is at 2.67.
Winnipeg is tallying four goals per game this season while the Ducks average 2.83. However, Anaheim’s power play is operating at a sizzling 33.3 percent clip this season, while the Jets’ penalty kill is at an atrocious 54.6 percent.