In this article, Canada Sports Betting’s Nick Martin breaks down the two best NHL player prop picks that provide value at online sportsbooks today (4/8/26).
These player prop guides enter Wednesday’s slate up +6.27 units across 165 selections this season, after a 0-2 night on Tuesday. A 3.8% ROI is far from bad, and I’m happy to be a transparent figure in this space, but I’d really love to get things back on track entering what should be a very exciting postseason.
We’ve got two exciting plays to outline Wednesday, including a +500 long shot on a highly-touted centre making his NHL debut.
Ilya Protas to score: +500
Ilya Protas to score
The Washington Capitals have been very patient in waiting to bring Ilya Protas up to the NHL, with the organization’s belief likely being that playing a hefty role at the AHL level was more beneficial for his development than playing a minor role at the NHL level would be.
Protas has put up six goals and 17 points over his last 10 games at the AHL level and 28 goals in 66 games this season, which finally forced the team’s hand into offering him a chance with the big club.
Similarly highly touted prospects such as Porter Martone and Cole Hutson have both made strong transitions at the NHL level recently, and it seems Protas will also have a realistic chance to make an immediate impact.
The Capitals are certainly awarding him a strong opportunity to do so, as Protas set to skate alongside the team’s top scorer, Tom Wilson, as well as brother Aliaksei on the second line.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have allowed 4.38 xGA/60 in 20 games since the Olympic break and 3.90 goals per game where it counts.
Given his expected usage versus a poor defensive side, a price of +500 looks to be a worthy long shot to back Protas scoring in his first NHL matchup.
Will Smith/Macklin Celebrini 1+ Point Each: -115
Smith/Celebrini points parlay
Celebrini has carved out a somewhat legitimate Hart Trophy case for himself at just 19 years old, and if the league were to reset its roster, he would arguably be the most valuable asset.
With that said, I do believe that if Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, or Nikita Kucherov were on the Sharks roster instead of Celebrini this season, they would still have been slightly better off.
The fact that it’s a legitimate debate whether that statement is true or not is an incredible testament to Celebrini’s play though, and he’s really turned it on down the stretch in attempting to drag a poor Sharks side to the postseason and deserves tons of credit for doing so.
One of the arguments from the pro-Celebrini-for-Hart crowd has been noting that the next closest Sharks skater in points is Will Smith, who currently holds a total of 55, although his point-per-game average of 0.87 is not too shabby.
Smith has come on really strong down the stretch with four goals and 10 points over the last 10 games, while Celebrini has recorded 12 points in the same span. Smith, in particular, was excellent in San Jose’s critical win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, and the two figure to form a spectacular duo for many years to come.
Collin Graf also seems to be a meaningful piece moving forward, and has complemented Celebrini and Smith well of late on the team’s top line, as a defensively responsible skater with high-quality shooting abilities.
The Edmonton Oilers have been in much better form defensively of late and will have Connor Ingram in goal Wednesday, as he has outperformed Tristan Jarry by a fairly significant margin. Still, Wednesday’s matchup features a high total of 6.5 with the Sharks priced as slight underdogs. It seems reasonable to expect a respectable offensive output from San Jose in this spot, and I think we will see Celebrini and Smith both continue their strong recent production.
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