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 (4/20/26).
Monday’s four-game playoff slate should be fantastic, and offers some strong player prop betting options, which we will detail below. These player prop best bet guides finished up +9.49 units in the regular season, and hopefully we can build on that mark Monday as take our first crack at playoff hockey of the year.
Yegor Chinakhov Over 2.5 Shots on Goal: +175 (Play to +165)
Chinakhov over 2.5 SOG
Chinakhov finished with zero shots on goal in Saturday’s series opener, a statistic that would be pretty surprising for anyone who watched the game closely, as several of his attempts did appear to reach goal, but must have been deemed to be going just wide. Chinakhov looked more or less as we have typically seen during his excellent tenure with the Penguins, generating four shot attempts in a game where the Philadelphia Flyers checked exceptionally well.
This hefty price seems to be a large overreaction to a single game. Chinakhov recorded over 2.5 shots on goal in 19 of his final 30 regular-season games and averaged 5.96 shot attempts per game in that span.
The Penguins’ top line of Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Chinakhov did not have a strong showing in Game 1. While if Chinakhov does remain on the top line that would not be a huge concern, it seems reasonable to expect head coach Dan Muse will pivot back to the trio of Chinakhov, Evgeni Malkin, and Tommy Novak, which would be ideal given the improved matchups and way that line performed in the final third of the year.
The Flyers had an exceptional defensive performance in Game 1, which was not that surprising given their excellent defensive play down the stretch. While I respect the Flyers’ improved defensive play and ability to suppress chances off the rush, I do think the Penguins will make some adjustments and manage to create more scoring chances in Game 2.
Mikko Rantanen Over 2.5 Shots on Goal: -105 (Play to -115)
Rantanen over 2.5 SOG
The Minnesota Wild played a masterful road game in the series opener on Saturday, and it’s no surprise Jesper Wallstedt finished with a .964 save percentage given the lack of quality chances the Dallas Stars were able to generate.
While it will likely remain tough for the Stars to generate many scoring chances in Game 2, a price of -105 for Rantanen to record three shots on goal seems quite appealing given the way he has generally elevated his play in the postseason, and the fact that he still generated eight attempts on goal in a convincing loss on Saturday.
Rantanen scored nine goals and racked up 18 points across 22 postseason games in 2025. He’s a gamer that has honed a reputation for showing out when it matters, and a price of -105 for three shots seems to be largely based on his reduced shot volume at the tail end of the regular season, when the matchups were more or less meaningless for the Stars.
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