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 (4/1/26).
These player prop guides enter Wednesday’s slate up +10.17 units across 159 selections this season, having extended a poor stretch of results with an 0-2 night on Tuesday. We will look to get right Wednesday with a pair of props including a look at underrated Avalanche defender Sam Malinski, who will do his best to fill-in for Cale Makar.
Check out today’s best NHL player prop bets below and tail my picks at any of the top NHL betting sites in Canada.
Sam Malinski Over 0.5 Points -110
Malinski to record a point
Malinski has enjoyed a full-fledged breakout this season, and his elevated level of play in a heightened role is a key reason that the Colorado Avalanche have offered such a significant year-over-year improvement. He’s an excellent puck mover with strong mobility, and those skills have allowed him to make meaningful offensive impact with 34 points in 73 games and a +9.2 expected goals above replacement rating (per Evolving Hockey).
With Makar set to be sidelined for Wednesday’s matchup, Malinski is set to skate in a much more favourable role for production. He has overtaken Makar’s role on the Avs’ top power-play unit, and Colorado’s power play has been drastically more effective of late after adjusting Nathan MacKinnon’s role, as well as the addition of Nazem Kadri.
Head coach Jared Bednar consistently utilizes five-skater sets at even strength play, pairing his top defensive tandem of Makar and Devon Toews with MacKinnon’s line to form an extremely dominant unit. He will likely still opt to employ that strategy Wednesday, only it will be Malinski skating alongside Devon Toews on the top pairing.
The Avalanche are gigantic -500 favourites in Wednesday’s matchup, as they will face off against the abysmal Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks’ defensive play has remained quite poor of late, while Kevin Lankinen and Nikita Tolopilo have been horrific in goal.
Considering Malinski’s expected usage, his underrated offensive skillset, and the chances that Colorado scores at least four goals, a price of -110 for Malinski to record a point looks to provide strong value as one of our best NHL player props for today.
Leo Carlsson/Troy Terry 1+ Point Each: -105
Carlsson/Terry points parlay
The Anaheim Ducks continue to play one of the most wide-open styles of hockey of any team in the league this season, particularly out of the ones set to make the postseason. Head coach Joel Quenneville has rightfully leaned into a style of play that suits his talented young core well, which was something we expected when outlining Carlsson to record at least sixty points this season at +270.
After a down period in the middle of the season followed by a meaningful injury, Carlsson has once again been in excellent form since the Olympic break, and having Terry on his wing for the most part has been a key reason why. Terry has been in and out of the lineup recently, but over his last seven games he’s recorded eight points, while in the same span Carlsson has 13 points in 13 games.
Carlsson and Terry both skate on the Ducks’ top power-play unit, which has succeeded on 26.7% of opportunities over the last seven games, as the addition of John Carlson has been paying dividends.
The Ducks appear likely to stick with the top line of Carlsson, Terry, and Chris Kreider in Wednesday’s matchup, which is good news for the sake of this wager. Through 333.3 minutes of play together they have scored 3.24 goals per 60 and hold a 55% expected goal share.
The San Jose Sharks’ defensive deficiencies and shaky goaltending are two key reasons why they will likely fall short of earning a playoff berth. They have allowed 3.90 goals against per game over the last 10 matchups, and 3.56 goals against per game this season.
Wednesday’s matchup should feature a playoff feel and we’re not expecting a poor showing from the Sharks, but Anaheim’s top line should still be able to generate some solid chances versus a Sharks side that does not have many compelling head-to-head matchups to help keep the Ducks’ top trio in check.
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