Jack Hughes and Quinton Byfield are my targets for today’s NHL prop picks.
The pregame narrative: Byfield has a tasty matchup against the league’s worst team, while Hughes should have plenty of opportunities to get pucks on goal against the Detroit Red Wings.
Find my NHL prop picks for Oct. 24 below.
NHL prop picks
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Best Bet: Byfield to record a point (-134)
After a historically bad season, Macklin Celebrini was the only thing San Jose Sharks fans had to look forward to this year.
But unfortunately for them, the No. 1 overall pick is out for at least two more weeks and the team is still awful. San Jose is 0-5-2 while allowing 4.14 goals per game. Simply put, this is a squad full of AHL talent playing in an NHL arena.
The Sharks just lost 3-1 to the Anaheim Ducks and gave up four-plus goals in three straight games before that (four to the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks, eight to the Winnipeg Jets).
Los Angeles hasn’t looked good either but should pummel its intrastate rival.
Byfield slots in on the team’s top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, making him a prime target to score a point. He also plays on the team’s second power-play unit.
The 6-foot-5 winger only has a point in three of seven games so far but is coming off a solid season where he scored 20 goals and notched 55 points in 80 games.
Key stat: San Jose is allowing the third-most 5v5 chances per 60 minutes (67.72), according to Natural Stat Trick.
Quick pick
Hughes over 3.5 shots (-136): This is another play with a decent amount of juice, but I believe it’s worth the squeeze.
Hughes started the season slow but is coming off a one-goal, two-assist performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning. I expect him to keep things rolling against the Red Wings.
The star centre has only gone over this mark in one of nine games so far but had exactly three shots in three other contests. Hughes averaged the fourth-most shots per game last season (4.42), per StatMuse, and is due for some positive regression.
Detroit is allowing the third-most shots per game (33.5).
NHL picks made at 12:46 p.m. ET 10/24/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.