NHL Player Props Top Betting Picks For January 13

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—John Carlson Over 0.5 Points: -110

Due to his excellent puck movement, offensive instincts and strong shooting ability, Carlson has remained a highly effective offensive skater at age 36 despite the fact that his skating ability is far from what it used to be. He’s racked up six points over the last five games for the Washington Capitals, while averaging a team-high 23:31 per game.

Carlson has recorded at least one point in 57.1% of games played this season, which already makes a strong case that in any matchup a price of -110 is quite solid.

However, a matchup with a total of 6.5 versus Samuel Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens on the second leg of a back-to-back is a better-than-average spot. The Canadiens have allowed 3.20 goals against per game this season, while Montembeault in specific holds a save percentage of .869 and a 3.39 GAA.

On top of that, Jakob Chychrun is listed as a game-time decision due to illness, which could cause Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery to lean more heavily on Carlson’s pairing than usual.

I’m happy to lock in Carlson to record a point at -110 and live with it whether or not Chychrun plays, as regardless of Chychrun’s availability, it’s a bet that looks to hold value. If we get confirmation that Chychrun will miss this game, I’ll then be attempting to add Carlson to record three shots on goal at +210, if possible, as Carlson does become a more likely shooting candidate on the Caps’ top power play-unit when Chychrun is sidelined.

Best bet—Oliver Bjorkstrand Over 1.5 Shots on Goal: +100

There aren’t many skaters on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster who have underperformed expectations this season; as having won 10 consecutive games, the Bolts are now 28-13-3 despite having regularly competed with numerous key bodies out of the lineup.

In some regards, Oliver Bjorkstrand has been one of the team’s more disappointing skaters, as he holds a team-worst -7 rating, tallied just six goals, and owns an expected goals above replacement rating of +0.3.

While I’m not going to oversell what Bjorkstrand has been this season, a price of +100 for two shots in Tuesday’s matchup appears to hold some value, particularly considering the possibility that Bjorkstrand is elevated off of the fourth line with Brayden Point likely to be unavailable.

Bjorkstrand’s shot is a key reason that one of the league’s sharper front offices viewed him as a smart pickup at the deadline last season and why he still is garnering a role on the team’s strong top power-play unit. Considering the plus-money price tag for Bjorkstrand to record just two shots in this matchup, and the fact that he has averaged 4.00 attempts per game over the last five matchups, there’s value on backing him tonight. He’s averaged only 13:39 per game in that span but may receive an uptick in usage with Point sidelined, as I’d imagine Pontus Holmberg will shift back to playing centre, opening up a natural role as the third-line right winger.

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