Join Canada Sports Betting’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player prop bets available from Friday’s five-game slate.
Best bet-Jesper Bratt/Dawson Mercer 1+ Points Each: +160
Bratt/Mercer points parlay
Following three straight regulation losses, New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe has opted to shake up his offensive units, dropping one of the league’s most dynamic offensive threats, Jesper Bratt, down to the second line to play alongside Dawson Mercer and Ondrej Palat.
Aided by some power play production, Mercer had still been producing effectively of late while playing alongside Palat and Artemi Gritsyuk on the second line, with five points over the last six games. He’s had a really solid season altogether, with 21 points in 27 games.
Over the last two regular seasons, Bratt has put up 171 points in 163 games, and he’s just one point shy of being a point-per-game player this season. We might be past the point of saying that Bratt is underrated, but he is one of the most gifted offensive skaters in the game and has the production to match. His addition to Mercer’s line should greatly boost Mercer’s chances of recording a point in this matchup, and potentially playing more minutes.
Bratt and Mercer will also play together on the Devils’ top power-play unit, so there is excellent correlation in each recording a point in this matchup.
The Knights have allowed 3.00 goals against per game over their last 10 matchups and a 2.93 xGA/60. They certainly do not provide a better than average matchup, but with a fairly unconvincing starting goaltender in Akira Schmid, they provide a livable spot for this bet considering the price we are getting.
Best bet-Ryan Leonard Over 0.5 Points: +120
Ryan Leonard over 0.5 points
Leonard enters off of the best performance of his brief NHL career, as he was named the first star of Wednesday’s matchup versus the San Jose Sharks after recording two goals, two assists and six shots on target in just 13:39. Those who are most familiar with the Capitals certainly aren’t surprised to see Leonard’s excellent recent production, as he’s looked quite threatening for some time now.
While Leonard has already scored three highlight-reel goals this season, he’s doing a lot of little things well beyond the more obvious instances of brilliance like we see here. He’s a strong forechecker and has done a good job of making plays under pressure in tight areas while also being threatening in space.
The Capitals’ power play has clicked on 30.8% of opportunities in six games since Leonard was elevated onto the top unit, and he’s recorded three power-play points in that span.
With Ville Husso likely to start in goal, the Anaheim Ducks provide a strong matchup for Leonard to extend his four-game point streak. The Ducks have allowed 3.61 xGA/60 over the last 10 games and still appear to be a fairly suspect defensive side that looks to win high-event affairs with strong offensive upside, a strategy which is much more concerning with Lukas Dostal sidelined.
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