Rough go of it Monday, as we took the old-fashioned bagel with our five NHL Props. Not even Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov got involved in the Wild’s eight-goal outburst against Montreal.
The good news: There are plenty of opportunities to bounce back Tuesday, with eight games on the NHL schedule. Our top five NHL Props for Tuesday include an elite goal-scorer, a pair of offensive-minded defensemen, and a point-producing machine from South Florida.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 1:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 25.
Buffalo Sabres At Ottawa Senators
The Prop: 0.5 Goals Scored in First 10 Minutes
The Odds: Over -175/Under +145
A week ago today when these two Eastern Conference bottom-feeders squared off in Ottawa, we rolled with this exact same prop. And we recommended taking the Under, citing both squads’ awful goaltending.
As it turns out, both the Sabres and Senators played conservatively out of the gate, and the first goal wasn’t notched until more than 12 minutes elapsed. (Buffalo netted that goal on the way to a 3-1 win.)
Well, we’re coming back to the same prop for this Tuesday rematch — and we’re sticking with the same opinion. Two reasons why: First, the goaltending situation is still a mess for both teams. Second, the scene has shifted to upstate New York.
Here’s why the latter matters: There’s been a goal within the first 10 minutes in 17 of the Sabres’ 22 home games this season and 14 of Ottawa’s 19 road games. Those two stats rank second and first, respectively, in the NHL:
Goal in the first 10 data with home and road splits after 1/24 @VSiNLive @paulyhoward @MitchMossRadio #FollowTheMoney pic.twitter.com/L0BorqaW3A
— Ian Duncan (@ianduncs) January 25, 2022
Also, as you can see from the above chart, despite last week’s outcome on this prop, both the Sabres (7 of last 10) and Sens (6 of last 10) have scored and/or allowed an early goal more often than not lately. Law of averages in play with this one — take the Under again.
Pittsburgh Penguins: C Evgeni Malkin
The Prop: Score Anytime Goal (vs. Arizona)
The Odds: +150
Malkin hasn’t missed a beat since returning to the lineup from surgery that sidelined him until Jan 11. He’s scored seven points in seven games back, including a trio of goals. Geno is currently on a four-game point streak, and he should have some golden opportunities to extend that tonight against the NHL’s second-worst defensive outfit.
Only the Canadiens (154) have allowed more goals than the Coyotes (148) this season. In fact, the only reason Arizona doesn’t rank dead last is that it didn’t play last night and Montreal did, giving up those eight goals in Minnesota.
On Thursday against Ottawa, which is nearly as defensively deficient as Arizona, Malkin fired five shots on net and scored a goal in a 6-4 win.
1:28 after the Senators tied the game, Evgeni Malkin buries the rebound to help the @penguins re-gain the lead!
Malkin's 3rd of the season was part of a 3-goal 1st period…they hold that 2-goal lead midway through the 2nd period…live now on AT&T SportsNet! pic.twitter.com/GcrqNQ2dqi— AT&T SportsNet™ PIT (@ATTSportsNetPIT) January 21, 2022
Look for a similar result in this one, as the Yotes have yielded 38 goals in their last eight road games dating to Nov. 30.
Florida Panthers: LW Jonathan Huberdeau
The Prop: 1.5 Total Points (at Winnipeg)
The Odds: Over: +135/Under: -170
Huberdeau’s 10th NHL season has been insanely productive, as he’s recorded 58 points in 42 games. The Panthers’ forward has been on a roll lately, too, with five multi-point nights in his last nine outings, including a three-point effort in Sunday’s 5-3 loss at Seattle.
Florida forward Jonathan Huberdeau with a 3 point night including this goal from the point. He’s tied for the lead in NHL scoring and has 25 points in his last 12 games. #HartAndSoul pic.twitter.com/2wQCEvvamR
— Allan Walsh (@walsha) January 24, 2022
The Panthers are catching Winnipeg at the perfect time, as the Jets have dropped four in a row and yielded 15 goals in the process. Considering that Huberdeau was responsible for generating all three of Florida’s goals in Seattle, it’s clear that he is at the forefront of one of the league’s most offensively talented teams.
Worth noting: Huberdeau has 12 points (eight assists) in 15 career games vs. Winnipeg. Take the Over here.
Editor’s Note: New to NHL props? Check out our complete NHL Props Betting Guide to get up to speed!
Vancouver Canucks: D Quinn Hughes
The Prop: 0.5 Power Play Points (at Edmonton)
The Odds: Over +115/Under -145
Hughes has been excellent on the power play this season, particularly of late. Of his 32 points this year, 16 have come on the power play, including four in his last four games.
Vancouver’s power play currently ranks at 17th in the league — not great, but not terrible. However, Hughes is the guy on the backend and will be the one driving the action when the Canucks get the extra-man advantage.
The Oilers currently rank 23rd on the penalty kill (77%). Given Edmonton’s recent struggles (3-13 last 16 games), there’s a good chance Vancouver will be in this game the entire way. And if the Canucks get a power-play opportunity, Hughes is a good bet to generate a special-teams goal for his club.
Nashville Predators: D Roman Josi
The Prop: 3.5 Shots on Goal (at Seattle)
The Odds: +105 Over/-130 Under
To say that Josi is having a great year is akin to saying Wayne Gretzky had a great career. The Predators’ veteran defenseman is absolutely rocking it this season with 42 points in 41 games. Not only does Josi lead his team in scoring — quite rare for a defenseman — but he’s a serious contender for the Norris Trophy.
Josi’s lofty point total includes 13 goals, which shows he’s not gun-shy about firing away at the net from the blue line. That said, he’s been extremely feast or famine with his shot output this year. Example: He had four shots in his last game against Detroit; only one shot in the game prior against Winnipeg; and nine shots against Boston on Jan. 15.
The inconsistency aside, Josi and his mates will be taking aim at a shaky Kraken defense. And for what it’s worth, Josi nearly hit this prop in the season opener against Seattle: three shots (including one goal) in a 4-3 loss.
