NHL Prop Bets with Chris Meaney (4/18)

Welcome to the first Stanley Cup Playoffs NHL Prop Bets article w/ Chris Meaney. There are four games on the slate for Tuesday and all four are the Game 1 in their respective series. 

I understand that some books will only allow you to take a shot prop in regulation (60 minutes). Try to avoid those situations. As we saw Monday, games get extended into overtime quite often during the NHL Playoffs, which can help us hit some of our props. Use our Prop Shop for the best possible odds.

It’s not too late to get into the Dangle Bet Celly NHL Bracket Challenge. You have until Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET to enter. I shared my thoughts on each Stanley Cup Playoff matchup and highlighted my best NHL bets for each series. I also shared my NHL Bracket.

This is a great night for SGP point parlays, so be sure to check out our FTN Bets Tracker for more. With our betting package you get all of our picks across all sports, plus access to our Discord channel and to our projections. Promo code Meaney will get you 20% off all packages at FTN. 

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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. 

Season Record: 71-63, +8.31 (Bonus not included in record)

The reason I list three official picks is because I don’t want to confuse anyone with too many picks. I also feel strong about my bonus picks, but they are longer shots. If you’re looking for more be sure to check out our Pick Tracker. 

The Best NHL Prop Bets

Jack Hughes Over 3.5 SOG

(-135, FanDuel Sportsbook)

The odds have changed, but I’m still leading with Jack Hughes to have at least four shots on goal. I put this in our Bet Tracker just after that epic two overtime game between Dallas and Minnesota. I’m not going to lie and tell you I wasn’t half asleep when I made the pick. The point is, I thought the odds would change and he’s the first person I thought of when I looked at the slate. The odds haven’t really changed at FanDuel or from Mean Streets. Others may have to chuck him into a parlay (check the tracker). 

As discussed in the Devils/Rangers preview, NJ has a very strong 5v5 game that I respect. They ranked fifth in both shot attempts for and shot attempts against. They allowed the fewest high danger chances and they created the third most. I know Hughes hasn’t shot the puck as much since they acquired Timo Meier, but those two are on separate lines. It doesn’t even really matter as I’d like him just as much if they were together at 5v5. However, I like Hughes when he’s skating with Jesper Bratt who is a pass-first player. In four games against the Rangers this season, Hughes put 28 pucks on net (10,7,8,3). 

Bonus

• Vladimir Tarasenko Point (+100, FanDuel)
• Nico Hischier O 2.5 SOG (-130, DraftKings)
• Mika Zibajenad, Chris Kreider & Patrick Kane Points SGP (+260, BET365)
• Artemi Panarin & Vladimir Tarasenko Points SGP (+170, BET365)
• Nico Hischier & Dawson Mercer Points SGP (+145, BET365)
   

Evan Rodrigues Point

(-102, FanDuel Sportsbook)

I like Rodrigues and Artturi Lehkonen to pick up points in Game 1 against the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken can go toe-to-toe with any offense in the league as they led all teams in goals at 5v5/60, but they have issues keeping the puck out of their net. Rodrigues will play on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, which increased his chances of hitting the scoresheet.

The winger played 21:46 in his last game, which was a must win game for Colorado to get top spot in the division. He may not get 21 minutes tonight, but his ceiling is clearly high if he sticks with the big boys. He has three points in his past two games and two of the three were assists (+200). I’m not going to fool you into thinking this is all about Rodrigues as a player. MacKinnon had a ridiculous 111 points in 71 games this season and he has 93 in 71 career playoff games. 41 of those 93 points are goals. Nate has 64 points in his last 45 playoff games. 

Bonus

• Nathan MacKinnon O 4.5 SOG (-125, PointsBet)
• Rodrigues Assist (+200, DraftKings) 0.5
• Jared McCann Point (-135, DraftKings)
• Artturi Lehkonen Point (-140, PointsBet)
• Lehkonen Assist (+150 (-125, DraftKings) 0.5

William Nylander Over 3.5 SOG

(+102, FanDuel Sportsbook)

Nylander played a career-high 18:33 this season and took his game to another level along the way. He finished with a career best 40 goals, 87 points and 293 shots on goal. The winger averaged 3.8 shots over 41 home games compared to 3.2 shots per game on the road. This may seem like a tough matchup against the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning, but Nylander has excelled in all three games against them. He had six shots, eight shots and five shots in his most recent game against them April 11. The winger has 24 shots on goal in his last four games.

Bonus

• Brayden Point O 2.5 SOG, +100 (FanDuel)
• Auston Matthews O 4.5 SOG (+105, FanDuel)
• Matthews Assist (+100, FanDuel)

Goal Scorers

Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Mika Zibanejad, Brayden Point, Jack Hughes, Jared McCann, Jonathan Marchessault, Vladimir Tarasenko, Evan Rodrigues

I shared a few other NHL props to consider on Mean Streets: