NHL Prop Bets with Chris Meaney (10/10)

The puck drops on the 2023-24 NHL season Tuesday, and even though there are only three games on the schedule, there are a couple of NHL props that stand out. Every Tuesday and Thursday I plan on sharing my favorite NHL props with you.

The odds change pretty quickly in the NHL, so take advantage of our Prop Shop for the best possible odds and check out our Pick Tracker for all of my picks.

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Be sure to check out Mean Streets for daily picks and Dangle Bet Celly for full NHL breakdowns each Tuesday and Thursday.

The Best NHL Prop Bets

Taylor Hall Over 2.5 SOG

(+150, Bet365)

All eyes will be on first overall pick Connor Bedard as he makes his NHL debut against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. I like the over 2.5 SOG prop for Bedard despite the -140 price tag, but I’m also very interested in Taylor Hall who makes his Chicago debut.

I’m surprised Bet365 is hanging +150. Maybe they’re looking into last season too much, but I’m here to tell you Hall’s usage rate is going to be much higher with Chicago than it was with Boston. Hall only averaged 2.5 shots on goal over 61 games with the Boston Bruins in 2022-23, but he played a career-low 15:56 per game.

For the most part, Hall was buried on the third line and second power play unit in Boston. He’ll open up his 12th season in the league on Bedard’s wing on the first line and he’ll skate on the number one power play. Hall isn’t the same player who won the Hart Trophy in 2017-18 when he scored 39 goals, 93 points with 278 shots on goal with the New Jersey Devils. However, he averaged 19 minutes and 3.6 shots on goal per game that season.

Hall is a volume shooter who should get back into the 19-minute-per-game range. The Blackhawks are extremely thin, so they’ll lean on Hall’s experience all season long. Hall is someone we targeted in fantasy hockey drafts, and he’s a player we’ll be hammering until books adjust. Even if this bet doesn’t hit, I believe the ice time and shot attempts will be there right away. If you’re looking for a long shot, consider Hall’s power play point prop at +350 (DraftKings)

Bonus

Taylor Hall Point (-110, DraftKings)
Taylor Hall Assist (+230, Bet365)
Taylor Hall Point & Connor Bedard Point (+180, SGP Bet365)
Connor Bedard O 2.5 SOG & Ryan O’Reilly O 1.5 SOG (+165 Bet365)

Jared McCann 3+ SOG

(-106, FanDuel Sportsbook)

McCann touched career highs in goals (40), assists (30), points (70), shots (210) and ice time (16:20) last season with the Seattle Kraken. He also registered a career-high 19.0% shooting rate (12.1 for his career), which is likely unsustainable. Having said that, McCann has 67 goals and 409 shots on goal in two seasons with Seattle. McCann received more and more ice time as the season progressed, which resulted in more shot attempts. The winger averaged 18 minutes and 3.9 shots per game over his final 22 games, compared to 15 minutes and 2.1 shots per game over his first 19 games.