I've been on the shelf for a few days, but back to attack tonight's 10-game NHL slate.
I'm betting on a Buffalo forward paying big plus money for a point and joining the top line, fading the Rangers' offense and one of its most disappointing skaters, and getting a big +400 stack for the red-hot Kings.
These are my three favorite NHL picks for Tuesday, December 17.
NHL prop picks and best bets for December 17
Benson Over 0.5 points (+140 at bet365)
Zibanejad Under 0.5 points (+100 at DraftKings)
Danault + Laferriere Over 0.5 points each (+400 at bet365)
Picks made on 12-17 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Today’s NHL prop picks and best bets
Prop bet #1: Zach Benson o0.5 points
There's much to like about Buffalo’s Zach Benson today vs. the Habs, especially with a price of +140 for a point. The winger has jumped up to the top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch but is also playing on the top power-play unit. He picked up an assist on Sunday vs. the Leafs following the promotion and has a great chance to hit the score sheet tonight in a game that could see some scoring.
The last time these clubs bet was back in mid-November in a 7-5 Montreal win. The Montreal Canadiens rank 31st in expected goals allowed/60 on the year, and despite the double-digit losses in a row, the Buffalo Sabres are a -130 road favorite in this game. This top line is pointing tonight and the stack of Thompson/Benson is +260 and worth a look as well.
Skaters who play on PP1 and the top line should be priced -130 or shorter for a point. Other books have this point prop as short as +116, and I'd buy up to -120 in this matchup.
Prop bet #2: Mika Zibanejad Under 0.5 points
Things are a disaster for the New York Rangers. This might be a franchise low-point in a generation as there are issues from the GM all the way down. Artemi Panrin might be out for a second straight game, and Mika Zibanejad has been demoted to the third line.
The struggling forward has 21 points in 30 games after averaging more than a point per game since 2019. He is also a minus-15 on the year for a Rangers team that is 3-7 SU in the last 10 and 4-11 SU in the last 15.
He might still be on the first power-play unit, but one thing the Nashville Predators are good at this year is keeping goals off the board and the penalty kill, which ranks tops in the league on the year.
The Rangers have scored just seven goals over their last four contests, and if Mika is getting just 13 minutes on ice like he did in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to St. Louis, getting a point while skating with Brett Berard and Jimmy Vesey could prove difficult. This might be the best way to fade NYR tonight.
Prop bet #3: Phillip Danault + Alex Laferriere Over 0.5 points each
Over the last 30 days, no team has a better point percentage than the Los Angeles Kings in the West. Los Angeles is 10-3-1 over that stretch and is scoring 3.5 goals per game with a 31% power play.
Offensively, things are good for the Kings and are worth a target tonight vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, who still have one of the worst GAAs in the league and will be starting Alex Nedeljkovic, who hasn’t played since December 6, where he allowed four goals on 32 shots. He has a 3.45 GAA to go along with a .879 SV% since the beginning of November.
If you can get Anze Kopitar/Adrian Kempe to each record a point at +125 or better, that should be your move. However, only bet365 has a good price on that stack (+130), as it's +100 at DraftKings.
A hidden gem stack is with Phillip Danault and Alex Laferriere. They both play on the second line and PP2 and are paying +400 for a point each at bet365, which I’d buy to +300. If you get greedy and add Kevin Fiala, that pays out +600! The Kings are rolling, and they're getting contributions up and down this lineup.
NHL odds today
Here are the full NHL odds for all of today’s matchups.
Not intended for use in MA.
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