We have an unusually busy Sunday of NHL action ahead of us with seven games scheduled throughout the day.
Expect Brandon Montour to pile up the shots against a vulnerable Rangers team, Jack Hughes to be limited by a strong Avalanche defense, and Utah’s star duo to take advantage of poor goaltending.
Let’s take a closer look with my NHL player props for December 8.
NHL prop picks and best bets for December 8
Brandon Montour Over 2.5 shots on goal (-125 at bet365)
Jack Hughes Under 3.5 shots on goal (+105 at DraftKings)
Clayton Keller + Nick Schmaltz Over 0.5 points each (+140 at bet365)
Picks made on 12-8 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Today’s NHL prop picks and best bets
Prop bet #1: Brandon Montour Over 2.5 shots on goal
Brandon Montour has been one of the most consistent shooters in the league this season. He has taken on a full rover role with the Seattle Kraken and is always looking to get up in the play.
It’s done wonders for Montur’s volume as he’s averaged 3.3 shots on 7.2 attempts. That is night and day to what he averaged last season with the Florida Panthers (2.6 shots on 5.4 attempts).
Montour has cleared 2.5 shots in a whopping 70% of his games, with most of his misses coming against strong teams like the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche.
Montour has a mouth watering matchup Sunday afternoon against the New York Rangers. They play at a very fast pace and have allowed more shots on goal per game than every team in the NHL over the past 10.
He has gone under the number in three straight games while hitting the target on only 23% of his shot attempts (his hit rate is 46% on the season). This is a great spot for his numbers to normalize.
Prop bet #2: Jack Hughes Under 3.5 shots on goal
The Colorado Avalanche have bled goals this season but it has nothing to do with their team defense. They’ve largely done a great job at limiting shots — they just can’t get saves.
In fact, the Avalanche have allowed the fourth fewest shots on goal per game. Only the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers have done a better job at keeping pucks away from their net.
This is not a good matchup for Jack Hughes, whose volume has dipped by more than half a shot per game this year.
The Avalanche don’t give up many shots, they don’t take many penalties, and they rank fourth in 5v5 shot share this season.
They have the puck a lot, which means Hughes won’t be able to possess it on a string — as he did against lesser opponents we saw ceiling games against like the Rangers and Blues.
Prop bet #3: Clayton Keller + Nick Schmaltz Over 0.5 points each
The Philadelphia Flyers were in action Saturday afternoon and started Aleksei Kolosov, meaning Ivan Fedotov should get the nod against the Utah Hockey Club. That’d be a welcomed sight for Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and the team’s top weapons.
Fedotov has gone through severe growing pains as he adjusts to the NHL game. He owns a putrid .877 save percentage on the season and has allowed at least four goals in six of his 10 starts. Making matters worse is Fedotov was pulled after conceding two goals in seven minutes in one of the exceptions.
The Keller, Schmaltz, Barrett Hayton line has absolutely steamrolled teams at 5v5, controlling 64% of the high-danger chances and scoring 3.64 goals per 60 minutes.
It’ll be very tough for the Flyers to limit their opportunities. When they inevitably came, it’s reasonable to expect efficient finishing against a struggling Fedotov.
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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