NHL Best Player Prop Bets For December 16

Join Canada Sports Betting’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player prop bets available from Tuesday’s 10-game slate.

Best bet-Zach Werenski Over 3.5 Shots on Goal: +132

Werenski has recorded only four shots on goal over the last two games, but those matchups came versus the Vegas Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators, who have allowed the second and fourth fewest shots against per 60 this season. Tuesday’s matchup versus the Anaheim Ducks is a perfect spot to back the workhorse blue-liner, offering a greater output of shots on target, as the Ducks will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back and have allowed 30.72 shots against per 60 over the last 15 games.

The Ducks have also allowed the eighth-most shots against to defenders this season and should provide Werenski plenty of space to operate inside the offensive zone.

Over the last 15 games, Werenski has recorded over 3.5 shots on goal nine times, which is a fairly large sample of play that suggests +132 is a good price in any matchup. He’s averaged 26:38 of ice time in that span and 6.6 shot attempts per game.

Given that the Ducks are certainly a better-than-average matchup, a price of +132 for Werenski to record four shots on target Tuesday appears to hold strong value.

Best bet-Mika Zibanejad Over 2.5 Shots on Goal: +125

The New York Rangers will be looking to respond to an ugly 4-1 loss to the Ducks Monday evening, a result that moved their record on home ice to 4-9-3 this season. Despite it being a back-to-back spot, it seems likely that the Rangers will bring a highly spirited effort into this soft matchup, and their top line of Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafreniere, and Mika Zibanejad should spend plenty of time in the offensive zone.

Zibanejad should have a little more jump than the rest of the Rangers skaters in this matchup, given that he was made a healthy scratch in Monday’s practice after missing a team meeting.

The Canucks have allowed the 11th-highest shots against per 60 average this season and present as a fairly strong target. Though the addition of another competent centre in Marco Rossi should prove useful, and Zeev Buium will likely quarterback the top power play effectively, they are certainly a more favourable target now than they were prior to trading away one of the game’s best play-drivers in Quinn Hughes.

My expectation is that we see a strong response from the Rangers’ top skaters in this matchup following last night’s disappointing result, and this looks like a good spot to target Zibanejad in this market at a good price of +125.

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