I had a 1-2 straight up record yesterday, but even a small losing day is better than what the Sabres, Rangers, and Islanders are going through.
For tonight's five-game slate, I’m betting on the first line of the Flyers, then hitting the top line in Minnesota for a stack before capping things off in Utah with the hottest players in a surging offense.
These are my three favorite NHL picks for Wednesday, December 18.
NHL prop picks and best bets for December 18
Konecny + Couturier o0.5 points each (+210 at bet365)
Zuccarello + Rossi o0.5 points each (+175 at bet365)
Cooley + Guenther o0.5 points each (+170 at bet365)
Picks made on 12-18 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Today’s NHL prop picks and best bets
Prop bet #1: Travis Konecny + Sean Couturier Over 0.5 points each
The Philadelphia Flyers just beat the Red Wings a week ago and get another chance to as Alex Lyon might return after a nine-game injury absence for Detroit. There are a lot of uncertainties with the Wings in net, but this was already a team with the second-worst penalty kill in hockey, and the Flyers can score 4+ goals tonight.
Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny are still correlated as a first-line stack with PP1. They're +210 to each record a point tonight, and I have this closer to a +160/+165 price. Konency leads the team in points per game at 1.16, while Couturier is being priced in the role he has had in the past and is still better than 0.5 points per game over his last 11 contests.
This is a Top 10 offensive matchup for the Flyers, and if you can’t stack the line for +210, Couturier for a point is +120 alone. He's playing between 18 to 20 minutes and has some of the best offensive opportunities on the team, centering the top line and PP1.
Prop bet #2: Marco Rossi + Mats Zuccarello Over 0.5 points each
The Minnesota Wild opened at +115 on the ML and have lengthened to +130 in most spots. I sadly have some shares of the Wild at a bad number, but I still think this is a great spot for the home side even if Alex Barkov plays — he skated at practice this morning, but Sam Bennett did not.
There is not much trust in Marc-Andre Fleury as the No. 1 in Minnesota, and Florida is coming off a 6-5 win in Edmonton. I like many things about Minnesota today, especially the two guys playing next to the betting favorite for the league’s MVP.
Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello are +175 to each record a point. They’re playing 5-on-5 and PP1 with Kirill Kaprizov, who is on one hell of a heater this season with 16 multi-point games over 30 outings. The Panthers haven’t announced a starter yet, but neither Spencer Knight nor Sergei Bobrovsky scares me right now, and this game could see plenty of scoring.
Even Zuccarello for an assist at plus money is a good look, as he will be playing in his third game since returning to the lineup, so he should be back to 100%. He has three points in his two games and is coming off a massive 23+ minutes of ice time in Sunday’s loss to the Knights.
Prop bet #3: Logan Cooley + Dylan Guenther Over 0.5 points each
Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley have been great secondary scorers in Utah behind the Clayton Keller line. The young second-line forwards have each recorded a point in four of the last five games and have combined for 15 total points over that time. The Hockey Club is riding a season-high five-game point streak, and the duo to each record a point tonight is +170 vs. the Canucks.
Vancouver has been a great road team, but its 10-2-1 record is not sustainable. Thatcher Demko is back in net, but since returning, he has had two bad starts and one good one, so I’m not sold he's fully back to his elite self.
Utah is still a -120 favorite tonight at home against Vancouver. Cooley and Guenther have led the Club in scoring over the last 30 days, with a combined 29 points in 13 games. A point each at +170 is my favorite play tonight for a Utah club on its best offensive run of the season.
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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