The NHL has a massive slate of games on Saturday, with 28 teams in action throughout the day.
Although there are a few early games, we’ll be focusing on the night slate for our best NHL picks.
Read on for my NHL player props on Saturday, February 8.
NHL prop picks and best bets for February 8
Bennett Over 2.5 shots (-122 at FanDuel)
Johnson Over 0.5 points (-130 at DraftKings)
Boldy Under 0.5 points (+162 at FanDuel)
Today’s NHL prop picks and best bets
Sam Bennett 3+ shots (-122 at FanDuel)
This line opened around -140, and I was surprised to see it come all the way down to -122 — at least at FanDuel. This bet is still -140 at DraftKings and as high as -155 at multiple books, so make sure you shop around for this one.
Sam Bennett has been a man on a mission over his last dozen games. He has 3+ shots on goal in 12 straight games with a total of 59 SOG in that span. Not only has he gone Over 2.5 in all of those games, but he’s had 4+ in eight of those contests and 6+ in five of them.
After a few dominant wins at home, the Ottawa Senators have struggled in their last two games on the road. They were outscored 9-4 and outshot 67-56 in two straight down in Tampa Bay.
Look for Bennett to keep shooting the puck and consider a ladder play at Over 3.5 (+205), Over 4.5 (+430), and maybe even Over 5.5 (+800).
Kent Johnson Over 0.5 points (-130 at DraftKings)
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the most surprising teams this season with multiple players unexpectedly stepping up. Young forward Kent Johnson is one of those players.
The 22-year-old forward already has 35 points (16 goals) in 41 games this year to best last season’s total of 16 points in 42 games. He’s taking full advantage of his opportunity and running with it.
Johnson was held off the scoresheet last time out but that ended an impressive eight-game point streak for the youngster. In fact, he still has 14 points in his last 16 games with at least one point in 12 of those contests.
The New York Rangers played last night and had to travel to Columbus after a tough loss to the Penguins. The Blue Jackets are great at home and should be able to put up a few against New York with Johnson getting in on the action.
Matt Boldy Under 0.5 points (+162 at FanDuel)
The Minnesota Wild have been very up and down recently without Kirill Kaprizov. Their offense “broke out” against Carolina on Thursday night with two goals after getting shut out in back-to-back games.
Wild forward Matt Boldy does have 45 points in 55 games this season but this +162 price is enticing. He’s in the midst of a five-game point drought and has recorded a point in just two of his last nine games overall.
Boldy, like his team, benefits greatly from Kaprizov when the Russian star is healthy. Kaprizov has had a hand in 12 of Boldy’s 45 points and the top power-play unit just isn’t the same without him.
Finally, the New York Islanders are expected to start Ilya Sorokin for the second straight night ahead of a two-week break. He allowed four goals in Winnipeg last night but is still 9-2-0 with a .934 SV% and 19 goals against in his last 11 games. Mind you, he allowed four goals three times in that span and bounced back with a shutout and one-goal performance the first two times around.
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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