The NHL is back in full swing following the Christmas break and teams are still trying to acclimate to the rust, especially the Rangers.
There are six teams in action tonight, and am I dropping my three favorite NHL player props from each game.
These are my best NHL picks for Monday, December 30.
NHL prop picks and best bets for December 30
Zibanejad u0.5 points (-135 at DraftKings)- 🏒 Connor + Scheifele + Vilardi + Forsberg + Stamkos + Marchessault o0.5 points each (+1,000 at DraftKings)
Beniers + Kakko o0.5 points each (+375 at bet365)
Picks made on 12-30 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Today’s NHL prop picks and best bets
Prop bet #1: Mika Zibanejad Under 0.5 points
Like many on this New York Rangers roster, Mika Zibanejad is losing trust within the coaching staff. He is off the first power play and has bounced around on the second and third lines. He is around -140 to not record a point for the eighth straight game.
He last recorded a point back on December 11 and has just four points this month. I was thinking of adding his Under 2.5 SOG to make this +145, but he is coming off a five-shot game and might be shooting more in the funk with 36 shots over his 12 December games.
If the juice is too much, add the Florida Panthers moneyline to push it to +125. The Cats' offense has been horrific, being shutout in two straight games, but the Rangers have won just three times this month (12 games) and have the second-worst point percentage in December.
The Rangers are a team to continue to fade until something happens. They sit dead-last in the division and players like Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are in the doghouse for their lack of performance this season.
The Panthers have not allowed any team to get more than 30 shots on net over the last 10 games. This is not a great matchup for the Rangers to jumpstart their offense.
Prop bet #2: Gabe Vilardi + Kyle Connor + Mark Scheifele + Filip Forsberg + Steven Stamkos + Jonathan Marchessault Over 0.5 points each
It's time to drop a double triple stack.
The Winnipeg Jets have one of the best top lines in hockey with Gabe Vilardi, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor. Just this month, the trio has 25 total goals and a combined 63 points. The trio have all pointed in seven of the team's last 12 games. That stack alone is paying only +145 for a point tonight vs. the Nashville Predators, who gave up seven goals in their first game after the break to the Blues.
The Predators might be the most top-heavy offense in hockey. It might not be the most potent offense, but Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, and Jonathan Marchessault will all get big minutes, playing 5-on-5 together plus the power play.
It's not often you get a game that has both top lines correlate on PP1 and first line. Getting all six players to record a point is paying +1,000. It may seem like a lot, but it can happen with just two goals with how much these skaters play together.
I'm betting 0.5 units on this double triple stack.
Prop bet #3: Kaapo Kakko + Matty Beniers Over 0.5 points each
The Seattle Kraken became the third NHL team to overcome a three-goal deficit with five minutes remaining on Saturday, which would have been its sixth straight loss. Despite the historic comeback, the books have them as a +130 underdog vs. the Utah Hockey Club tonight, which is hard to justify. That's giving more value on the home team stacks as their odds will be bigger thanks to the moneyline odds.
There are finally odds for former Ranger Kaapo Kakko to get a point (+130) but I'm getting greedy and adding his linemate at 5-on-5 and on the power play in Matty Beniers. The pair are both plus-money to get a point but combined are paying a whopping +375, which might be as big as you'll get these days for a two-player stack.
Kaapo is motivated after being dealt from New York. He scored two games ago and saw his time on ice jump from 14:41 to 18:18 following the break. There are more scoring opportunities for the winger and the Kraken are being undervalued in this spot Monday night.
NHL odds today
Here are the full NHL odds for all of today’s matchups.
Not intended for use in MA.
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