Join Canada Sports Betting’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player prop bets available from Wednesday’s three-game slate.
Tuesday’s hefty 10-game card was a success, as we hit both props, pushing our yearly record to +13.31 units across 104 selections. Wednesday’s lighter card still has two options that appear to hold strong value, and I’ll outline my two favourite player props from the card below.
Artemi Panarin Over 3.5 Shots on Goal +150 (bet365, play to +140)
The New York Islanders have dominated the Battle of New York thus far this season, winning the previous two matchups by an aggregate score of 7-0. The Rangers are realistically the only Eastern Conference team eliminated from playoff contention, but it seems logical to expect them to show some pride and a higher level of urgency in the upcoming home-and-home with their greatest rival than we have seen of late.
While the Rangers have not found success in the season series, they have generated 60 shots in the first two matchups, which isn’t entirely surprising given the game scripts and the fact that the Islanders usually lean heavily on their elite goaltending to win.
Throughout the last 25 games, the Islanders hold a 45.73% expected goal share and have allowed 28.21 shots against per 60. In the previous two matchups versus the Islanders, Panarin has generated nine shots on goal from a total of 24 shot attempts.
Panarin’s shot volume has been down of late; however, over the last five games, he has averaged 8.0 attempts, which is encouraging and suggests he could be due for a loftier output in what is realistically the biggest game left on the Rangers’ schedule.
At +150, we seem to be getting a long enough number to back Panarin recording four shots on goal based on the fact that he appears due for greater shot volume in the near future and the likelihood that he’ll be used heavily in this high-profile matchup versus an Islanders side that spends a lot of time playing in the defensive zone.
Artemi Panarin Over 3.5 Shots on Goal
Adam Fantilli Over 2.5 Shots on Goal -110 (bet365, play to -115)
Our best bet on Fantilli to record over 2.5 shots on goal in Monday’s matchup did not run because the Columbus Blue Jackets’ game against the Los Angeles Kings was postponed due to a winter storm that created unsafe travel conditions. I’m still eager to make the same bet, and we are getting a slightly better matchup due to the Philadelphia Flyers’ above-average shot suppression.
The Blue Jackets have elevated their level of play in the six games since former head coach Dean Evason was relieved of his duties. Under Rick Bowness, the Blue Jackets are 5-1-0 and have generated 29.71 shots on goal per 60 in that span.
Numerous Blue Jackets skaters have shown a little more jump since Bowness took over, and numerous members have politely made comments that suggested the team was not interested in his tactical approach. Fantilli seems to be one of the more notable names offering a higher level of play under Bowness, as over the last six games, Fantilli has put up five points and registered 3.33 shots per game.
Bowness has leaned upon Fantilli quite heavily during his brief tenure as head coach, as Fantilli leads all Blue Jackets forwards in averaging 19:56 of time on ice and has attempted five shots per game.
The Blue Jackets’ top line of Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, and Mason Marchment has played to a 57.1% expected goal share across 101.8 minutes of play and outscored opponents eight to four where it counts. It seems likely that Bowness will continue to rely heavily upon what has been a highly effective top line moving forward, and with Dan Vladar facing off against Elvis Merzlikins, we should have a good chance of seeing a strong game script for this prop.
The Blue Jackets’ top power play unit has also been effective recently, scoring on 28.6% of opportunities since Bowness took over as head coach. Given the effectiveness of the units that Fantilli is skating on, he should continue to have plenty of scoring opportunities.