A bunch of marquee players and marquee teams return to the ice Tuesday, as the NHL schedule features a 10-game slate — that, of course, means a bunch of NHL betting opportunities.
As is the case every Tuesday and Thursday, we lace up our skates, buckle our chin straps, and dole out our five favorite NHL prop bets of the night.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings and FanDuel, updated 3 p.m. ET Nov. 9.
Carolina Hurricanes: C Martin Necas
The Prop: 0.5 Total Points (at Tampa Bay)
The Odds: Over +126/Under -154
It’s been slow going so far for Necas, who has tallied just two goals and three assists in 10 games. However, that modest output isn’t because of a lack of effort or opportunity. Necas has the fourth-highest shot total among Carolina’s forwards (21), and he plays on both the power play and penalty kill units.
The Hurricanes have performed well and exceeded their expected goal total when Necas has been on the ice. In 5-on-5 situations, Necas has an on-ice expected-goals-for (xGF) of 4.58, but the team has nine 5-on-5 goals with Necas skating.
Necas has four goals and five assists in 11 regular-season games against the Lightning; those nine points are more than the 22-year-old has against any opponent except the Florida Panthers. Trust Necas to find the scoresheet Tuesday night.
Edmonton Oilers: C Connor McDavid
The Prop: Anytime Goal (at Detroit)
The Odds: +100
McDavid continues to be a human highlight reel. Here’s proof:
CONNOR. MCDAVID.
WHAT. A. GOAL. 🥵 pic.twitter.com/ujq0WeMSbw
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 6, 2021
The Oilers’ superstar ranks second in the league with 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists). But while he’s picked up at least one point in nine of 10 games (and multiple points in five of those contests), he’s cooled off from a goal-scoring perspective. Since notching six goals in his first four games, McDavid has lit the lamp just twice in the last seven (single goals against the Flyers on Oct. 27 and Rangers on Friday).
Tonight, McDavid likely will be taking aim at expected Detroit goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (2-2-2, 3.03 GAA, .910 save percentage). Nedeljkovic has never played the Oilers, and thus has never faced McDavid, who has 10 points in nine career games against the Red Wings … but only two goals.
St. Louis Blues At Winnipeg Jets
The Prop: First Period Result
The Odds: Blues +180, Jets +190, Tie +175
The Blues (10 games) and Jets (11) have played 21 combined games this season, and the first period has ended in a draw in 12 of those contests. Overall, St. Louis is 3-2-5 in the opening 20 minutes, while Winnipeg is 2-2-7.
St. Louis has outscored opponents 7-6 in the first period, while the Jets have both scored and allowed nine first-period goals. With numbers that are pretty much even across the board, playing the tie at a nice plus-price seems like a solid value play in this one.
Calgary Flames: C Elias Lindholm
The Prop: Anytime goal (vs. San Jose)
The Odds: +140
Lindholm has been on a tear this season with seven goals and seven assists through 11 games — in fact, it’s been one of the most dominant scoring stretches of his nine-year NHL career.
Elias Lindholm has been playing great hockey this season so far. Yesterday he added another two assists. Ten points in eight games. The Flames outplayed the Flyers with Elias Lindholm on the ice by far. 84.8% share at expected goals is incredible value! Amazing performance! pic.twitter.com/jmajDiSZ1A
— Andy & Rono 📊 (@HockeyStatsCZ) October 31, 2021
With at least one point in 10 of 11 games this season, Lindholm arguably will be the most dangerous offensive player on the ice in this matchup. And he also figures to be on the ice as much as anyone, as he leads all Calgary forwards in ice time per game. He also leads the team in power-play points.
Seattle Kraken At Vegas Golden Knights
The Prop: Goal in the First 10 Minutes
The Odds: Yes -145/No +115
Both Seattle and Vegas have a propensity to score and allow early first-period goals. In their combined 24 games, there’s been a goal in the first 10 minutes a whopping 19 times.
Goal in the first 10 data with home and road splits after 11/8 @VSiNLive @paulyhoward @MitchMossRadio #FollowTheMoney pic.twitter.com/VinYyc4mAj
— Ian Duncan (@ianduncs) November 9, 2021
As you can tell from that chart, the Golden Knights have seen an early goal in nine of 12 games overall (tied for second in the league), including all five of their home games. Seattle has scored or allowed a quick goal in six of seven road games.
When these two teams met in the season opener back on Oct. 12 in Vegas — the first game in Kraken history — the Knights put the puck in the net twice in the first seven minutes. There’s no reason to assume we won’t see something similar on Tuesday.
