A five-game NHL slate has some intriguing player prop options for bettors.
The pregame narrative: The Boston Bruins and New York Islanders are struggling on the penalty kill. I’m looking for power-play members Elias Lindholm and Anthony Duclair to strike in that contest. Elsewhere, I’m taking the under on Evgeni Malkin’s shot prop.
Check out my NHL prop picks for Jan. 5.
NHL prop picks
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Best Bet: Lindholm to score 1+ points (-115)
Saturday was a tough night for Boston’s first line.
The Bruins’ top trio of Lindholm, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak combined for a minus-10 rating in a 6-4 loss to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
I expect that skilled group of forwards to bounce back in a major way on Sunday.
It helps that Boston gets an exploitable matchup, too.
The Bruins face an Islanders team that is uncharacteristically struggling in their own zone. New York is ceding the 12th-most goals per game (3.15) and has the worst penalty kill in the NHL (63.5%).
The latter is very helpful for Lindholm as he skates on Boston’s top power-play unit.
New York’s defensive and goaltending struggles have been magnified recently. It’s allowed three-plus goals in nine of its last 10 outings.
Bet on Boston’s top trio to rebound with a strong performance on Sunday.
Key stat: Lindholm has a point in six of his last 10 games.
Quick picks
Duclair to score 1+ points (+102): Boston is another team that’s playing uncharacteristically poor hockey in its own zone.
The Bruins’ main issue has been goaltending. Their .885 team save percentage ranks a lowly 25th this season.
An inability to kill penalties has plagued the squad, also, as it places 25th on the PK (76.2%).
Duclair has been limited to 11 games this season due to a lower-body injury, but he’s potted a helpful six points when healthy.
He skates on New York’s second line alongside Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri and on the team’s first power-play unit.
That’s where he figures to be especially dangerous due to Boston’s PK woes.
Malkin under 1.5 shots (-106): Two shots aren’t much for a player who’s averaging 18:37 in ice time per game, but it’s proving to be a difficult mark for Malkin to reach.
The veteran Pittsburgh Penguins star only has 71 shots in 40 games this season and isn’t beating this line with any sort of consistency ahead of this contest.
Malkin has cashed this wager in 10 of his last 12 games.
He’ll have difficulty finding space to shoot against a very stingy Carolina Hurricanes squad. The Canes are allowing the second-fewest shots per game (25.2).
Picks made at 9:41 a.m. 01/05/2025.
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Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.