Avery Perri

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.

Yankees vs. Dodgers Game 2 World Series prop picks: Fade Judge, back Yamamoto and Ohtani

Yankees vs. Dodgers prop picks

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are back in action after an electric start to the World Series.

The pregame narrative: Freddie Freeman hit a no-doubt, walk-off grand slam to secure Game 1 for Los Angeles. Tonight, I expect Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani to contribute for the Dodgers while fading a struggling Aaron Judge.

Check out the best Yankees vs. Dodgers prop picks for Game 2 in Los Angeles.

Yankees vs. Dodgers prop picks

Go to full World Series Game 2 betting markets

Best bet: Yamamoto over 14.5 outs (-125)

This is a huge spot for Yamamoto but I trust the rookie sensation to deliver.

The righty was in a higher-leverage situation two starts ago in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the NLDS. He allowed just two hits and no runs over 5.0 IP to the San Diego Padres before Dave Roberts turned to his elite bullpen.

I’m not suggesting the Dodgers will give Yamamoto a long leash simply to preserve their bullpen. L.A. used five relievers in yesterday’s extra-inning win and would be fine emptying the tank with an off day on Sunday.

Still, Yamamoto should be able to top this number.

Prior to landing on the IL in June — and excluding the game he left versus the Kansas City Royals early with an injury — he had gone over this mark in 12 of 13 starts.

One of those was against the Yankees when he allowed just four baserunners over seven scoreless frames. Yamamoto has been on a bit of a pitch count since but threw a postseason-high 73 pitches against the New York Mets in his lone NLCS start.

Outside of a two-run blast from Giancarlo Stanton, New York’s bats were stymied by Jack Flaherty yesterday. With Judge lost at the plate, I’m not too scared of the Bronx Bombers erupting.

Key stat: Three of the last four starters against New York have cleared this line.

Quick picks

Ohtani over 1.5 bases (+110): I was thinking about backing Ohtani to score at -127 but believe this holds much better value.

The Dodgers’ leadoff man has cleared this wager in five straight playoff games and was dangerously close to taking Gerrit Cole deep on the first pitch he saw last night.

He’s batting a respectable .277 in the playoffs and is 1-for-3 against Yankees starter Carlos Rodon with a home run.

Rodon gives up a lot of hard contact, ranking in the 32nd percentile for hard-hit rate and fourth percentile for barrel rate on Baseball Savant. I think Ohtani takes him for a ride.

Judge under 1.5 bases (-143): Judge has a few games to turn things around but if he can’t, and New York loses, the narratives surrounding him will be ugly — and deservingly so.

The soon-to-be AL MVP is batting .167 this postseason with three extra-base hits and 16 strikeouts in 10 games. That’s awful. It’s even worse when you consider he’s been a postseason letdown nearly his entire career.

Check out Judge’s career postseason/regular-season splits:

  • Postseason: .288/.406/.604 slash line
  • Regular season: .203/.309/.444 slash line

He went 1-for-5 with a single and three strikeouts last night and is now 3-7 against this line in the playoffs. We can lose this wager with one swing of the bat but I can’t trust Judge right now.

Picks made at 9:40 a.m. ET 10/25/2024.

Yankees vs. Dodgers Game 2 World Series prop picks: Fade Judge, back Yamamoto and Ohtani

Yankees vs. Dodgers prop picks

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are back in action after an electric start to the World Series.

The pregame narrative: Freddie Freeman hit a no-doubt, walk-off grand slam to secure Game 1 for Los Angeles. Tonight, I expect Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani to contribute for the Dodgers while fading a struggling Aaron Judge.

Check out the best Yankees vs. Dodgers prop picks for Game 2 in Los Angeles.

Yankees vs. Dodgers prop picks

MLB markets: Click Here | MLB stats: Click Here

Best bet: Yamamoto over 14.5 outs (-121)

Embed: #98395

This is a huge spot for Yamamoto but I trust the rookie sensation to deliver.

The righty was in a higher-leverage situation two starts ago in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the NLDS. He allowed just two hits and no runs over 5.0 IP to the San Diego Padres before Dave Roberts turned to his elite bullpen.

I’m not suggesting the Dodgers will give Yamamoto a long leash simply to preserve their bullpen. L.A. used five relievers in yesterday’s extra-inning win and would be fine emptying the tank with an off day on Sunday.

Still, Yamamoto should be able to top this number.

Prior to landing on the IL in June — and excluding the game he left versus the Kansas City Royals early with an injury — he had gone over this mark in 12 of 13 starts.

One of those was against the Yankees when he allowed just four baserunners over seven scoreless frames. Yamamoto has been on a bit of a pitch count since but threw a postseason-high 73 pitches against the New York Mets in his lone NLCS start.

Outside of a two-run blast from Giancarlo Stanton, New York’s bats were stymied by Jack Flaherty yesterday. With Judge lost at the plate, I’m not too scared of the Bronx Bombers erupting.

Key stat: Three of the last four starters against New York have cleared this line.

Quick picks

Ohtani over 1.5 bases (+105): I was thinking about backing Ohtani to score at -127 but believe this holds much better value.

Embed: #98404

The Dodgers’ leadoff man has cleared this wager in five straight playoff games and was dangerously close to taking Gerrit Cole deep on the first pitch he saw last night.

He’s batting a respectable .277 in the playoffs and is 1-for-3 against Yankees starter Carlos Rodon with a home run.

Rodon gives up a lot of hard contact, ranking in the 32nd percentile for hard-hit rate and fourth percentile for barrel rate on Baseball Savant. I think Ohtani takes him for a ride.

Judge under 1.5 bases (-124): Judge has a few games to turn things around but if he can’t, and New York loses, the narratives surrounding him will be ugly — and deservingly so.

Embed: #98399

The soon-to-be AL MVP is batting .167 this postseason with three extra-base hits and 16 strikeouts in 10 games. That’s awful. It’s even worse when you consider he’s been a postseason letdown nearly his entire career.

Check out Judge’s career postseason/regular-season splits:

  • Postseason: .288/.406/.604 slash line
  • Regular season: .203/.309/.444 slash line

He went 1-for-5 with a single and three strikeouts last night and is now 3-7 against this line in the playoffs. We can lose this wager with one swing of the bat but I can’t trust Judge right now.

Picks made at 9:40 a.m. ET 10/25/2024.

UFC 308 picks and predictions: Topuria vs. Holloway should be a classic

UFC 308 picks

UFC 308 is live from Abu Dhabi on Saturday, meaning the main card fireworks begin at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The pregame narrative: Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway battle for the featherweight title and I think fans will get their money’s worth in a lengthy scrap. Before that, parlay two heavy favourites — Magomed Ankalaev and Khamzat Chimaev — to win.

Check out my UFC 308 picks for Oct. 26.

UFC 308 picks overview

Click link to add selection to betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.

UFC 308 picksOddsBet now ⬇️
Topuria/Holloway fight to start Round 5-112Add to betslip
Parlay: Ankalaev and Chimaev to win-134Pick 1 + Pick 2

UFC picks made at 4:08 p.m. ET on 10/25/24.

Go to full UFC betting markets.

UFC 308 picks

Best Bet: Topuria/Holloway fight to start Round 5 (-112)

Topuria’s meteoric rise to the featherweight throne was capped when he caught Alexander Volkanovski with a devastating right hand in the second round at UFC 298.

The Georgian improved his record to 15-0 and has quickly turned from the hunter to the hunted.

Holloway has held this belt before and is coming off three straight victories, with his last loss being to Volkanovski at UFC 276 for the title.

Topuria is a beast but his opponent is a future Hall of Famer and will not go down easily.

Holloway has never been knocked out over 40 professional fights (33-7 record) with only one loss coming via submission. Topuria has five KOs to his name but Holloway has an iron chin and I can’t see a world where the champ puts him out on his feet.

With that said, Topuria is also a defensive technician, boasting a 65% significant strike defence, according to UFC.com.

Holloway throws a blistering 7.17 sig. strikes per minute and will want to turn this into a brawl. But Topuria is capable of turning those strikes away and dictating the pace.

Topuria shouldn’t be eager to end this quickly and Holloway will have to be wary about opening himself to the Georgian’s dangerous ground game. I can see this one going to the judge’s table for a decision.

Key Stat: Nine of Holloway’s last 10 fights have entered the fifth round.

Other picks

Parlay: Ankalaev and Chimaev to win (-134): This is a chalky pick but it’s a good one.

A win for Ankalaev would secure a spot in the light heavyweight title fight against Alex Pereira down the line — and that’s what’s expected.

Ankalaev is a -400 favourite to beat Aleksandar Rakic, who is coming off back-to-back knockout losses against Jiri Prochazka and Jan Blachowicz.

Neither fighter has been very active over the last two years but Ankalaev has 10 wins, one draw and a no contest in his last 12 fights. He boasts devastating power and is an elite wrestler who should make light work of Rakic.

On to Chimaev, who faces a tougher opponent in Robert Whittaker. These two were originally supposed to fight in June but Chimaev was forced to withdraw with an illness.

Whittaker destroyed Ikram Aliskerov, Chimaev’s replacement, and is now 3-2 in his last five fights.

The Australian certainly has knockout power but I’m not going to bet against Chimaev until he gives me reason to do so. The Chechen is 13-0 with 11 finishes.

He’s got wins over guys like Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland and is one of the best wrestlers the middleweight division has ever seen.

Cowboys vs. 49ers Week 8 SNF best bets and odds: Back Dallas ATS, Dowdle on the ground

Cowboys vs. 49ers best bets

The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers reignite their rivalry on Sunday Night Football.

The pregame narrative: Both teams enter this contest off a loss with a laundry list of injuries. But the Cowboys had a bye week to rest up and prepare, and I like them to cover as underdogs. Also, back Rico Dowdle to clear his rushing total.

Check out my Cowboys vs. 49ers best bets for the Week 8 Sunday Night Football matchup.

Cowboys vs. 49ers best bets

Go to full NFL betting markets

Best bet: Cowboys +4 (-110)

Earlier this week, I took Dallas as my top upset pick for Week 8. Needless to say, I’m happy to bank a few points with the Cowboys in this spot.

My reasoning is simple: San Francisco’s offence is decimated.

Christian McCaffrey remains sidelined and Brandon Aiyuk is out for the year. Deebo Samuel practiced on Thursday but is recovering from pneumonia while George Kittle is battling through an ankle injury (limited participant on Thursday).

Those are four All-Pros that Brock Purdy will potentially be missing. Even if Samuel and Kittle can suit up, they won’t be at 100%, and I expect Dallas to put up points coming out of the bye.

Dak Prescott and Co. looked awful when we last saw them, but the Detroit Lions are a step up in class from San Francisco defensively. Last year that wasn’t the case, but it’s true in just about every metric in 2024 (EPA per play, rush defence, scoring defence).

Dallas is missing some big names on defence, namely Micah Parsons, but I still can’t see San Francisco running wild without its best players.

And for as much as people clown on Mike McCarthy, he’s been solid out of the bye week with a 12-5 record.

Key stat: Dallas is 3-1 after the bye under McCarthy, covering a +4 spread in every game.

Quick pick

Dowdle over 44.5 rushing yards (-120): Dallas has the worst rushing attack in the NFL, averaging just 77.2 yards per game. Fixing that disaster should be McCarthy’s main focus, and I think it begins and ends with getting Dowdle more touches.

Ezekiel Elliott used to be one of the NFL’s preeminent backs, but he doesn’t have it anymore.

Zeke is averaging 3.0 YPC on 38 attempts while Dowdle is churning out a much healthier — though still not elite — 4.2 YPC on 59 attempts. Dowdle has only cleared this line twice but it came in both games where he received double-digit touches.

San Francisco doesn’t have the weapons to run away with this and force Dallas into a “pass-first” offence. And even if it did have a lead, throwing the ball a ton wouldn’t be advised.

The Niners rank 10th in defensive EPA per dropback but are 26th in defensive EPA per rush, per RBSDM.com.

Picks made at 4:10 p.m. ET 10/25/2024.

Cowboys vs. 49ers Week 8 SNF best bets and odds: Back Dallas ATS, Dowdle on the ground

Cowboys vs. 49ers best bets

The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers reignite their rivalry on Sunday Night Football.

The pregame narrative: Both teams enter this contest off a loss with a laundry list of injuries. But the Cowboys had a bye week to rest up and prepare, and I like them to cover as underdogs. Also, back Rico Dowdle to clear his rushing total.

Check out my Cowboys vs. 49ers best bets for the Week 8 Sunday Night Football matchup.

Cowboys vs. 49ers best bets

Embed: #98357

Go to full NFL betting markets

Best bet: Cowboys +4 (-112)

Embed: #98332

Earlier this week, I took Dallas as my top upset pick for Week 8. Needless to say, I’m happy to bank a few points with the Cowboys in this spot.

My reasoning is simple: San Francisco’s offence is decimated.

Christian McCaffrey remains sidelined and Brandon Aiyuk is out for the year. Deebo Samuel practiced on Thursday but is recovering from pneumonia while George Kittle is battling through an ankle injury (limited participant on Thursday).

Those are four All-Pros that Brock Purdy will potentially be missing. Even if Samuel and Kittle can suit up, they won’t be at 100%, and I expect Dallas to put up points coming out of the bye.

Dak Prescott and Co. looked awful when we last saw them, but the Detroit Lions are a step up in class from San Francisco defensively. Last year that wasn’t the case, but it’s true in just about every metric in 2024 (EPA per play, rush defence, scoring defence).

Dallas is missing some big names on defence, namely Micah Parsons, but I still can’t see San Francisco running wild without its best players.

And for as much as people clown on Mike McCarthy, he’s been solid out of the bye week with a 12-5 record.

Key stat: Dallas is 3-1 after the bye under McCarthy, covering a +4 spread in every game.

Quick pick

Dowdle over 42.5 rushing yards (-117): Dallas has the worst rushing attack in the NFL, averaging just 77.2 yards per game. Fixing that disaster should be McCarthy’s main focus, and I think it begins and ends with getting Dowdle more touches.

Embed: #98333

Ezekiel Elliott used to be one of the NFL’s preeminent backs, but he doesn’t have it anymore.

Zeke is averaging 3.0 YPC on 38 attempts while Dowdle is churning out a much healthier — though still not elite — 4.2 YPC on 59 attempts. Dowdle has only cleared this line twice but it came in both games where he received double-digit touches.

San Francisco doesn’t have the weapons to run away with this and force Dallas into a “pass-first” offence. And even if it did have a lead, throwing the ball a ton wouldn’t be advised.

The Niners rank 10th in defensive EPA per dropback but are 26th in defensive EPA per rush, per RBSDM.com.

Picks made at 1:20 p.m. ET 10/25/2024.

Penguins vs. Oilers picks Oct. 25: Zach Hyman should contribute to a high-scoring game

Penguins vs. Oilers picks

The two greatest Canadian players of this millennium meet when the Edmonton Oilers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

The pregame narrative: Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby have the same goal: A Stanley Cup. But neither the Oilers nor Penguins are off to great starts thanks to suspect goaltending. Take the over and back Zach Hyman to contribute on the power play.

Check out my Penguins vs. Oilers picks for Oct. 25.

Penguins vs. Oilers picks

Go to full NHL betting markets.

Best Bet: Over 6.5 goals (-118)

The Penguins (3-4-1) and Oilers (2-4-1) have just five wins between them while ranking 31st and 27th in goals allowed per game.

Edmonton has actually played great defensively, allowing the second-fewest 5v5 chances per 60 (51.63), according to Natural Stat Trick, but Stuart Skinner is in gas-can mode.

The fifth-year netminder has a 3.74 GAA and .866 SV% through five starts, allowing at least three goals in every game.

McDavid and Co. can typically outscore that type of goaltending, but it hasn’t been the case so far. Tonight, though, the Oilers should light up the scoreboard.

Pittsburgh has turned away from Tristan Jarry after a horrible start to the year. Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start tonight and he hasn’t been great either, posting a 3.86 GAA and .869 SV% across two starts.

The 28-year-old has had his fair share of NHL action, but going up against a desperate Oilers team in Edmonton seems like a recipe for disaster.

Key stat: Edmonton scored the second-most goals per game at home (4.12) last season.

Quick pick

Hyman 1+ power play point (+300): Some folks on the internet have been calling Hyman “Agent 007” referencing his zero goals and zero assists in seven games … but how long can that really last?

Hyman scored a career-high 54 goals last year to pair with 23 points in 80 games (0.96 points/game). He’s riding shotgun with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins while playing on Edmonton’s first power play.

With how poor Pittsburgh’s defence has been, this seems like an opportune spot to get off the schneid.

Betting on Hyman to score a point carries -200 juice, which I have no interest in. But how about backing him on the power play at +300? Now we’re talking.

The Oilers had the best home power play last year (32.8%) and are due for some positive regression.

Picks made at 1:25 p.m. on 10/25/2024.

Penguins vs. Oilers picks Oct. 25: Crosby and Hyman should contribute to a high-scoring game

Penguins vs. Oilers picks

The two greatest Canadian players of this millennium meet when the Edmonton Oilers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

The pregame narrative: Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby have the same goal: A Stanley Cup. But neither the Oilers nor Penguins are off to great starts thanks to suspect goaltending. Take the over and back Crosby to notch a point with Zach Hyman in a plus-money parlay.

Check out my Penguins vs. Oilers picks for Oct. 25.

Penguins vs. Oilers picks

Go to full NHL betting markets.

Best Bet: Over 6.5 goals (-132)

Embed: #98301

The Penguins (3-4-1) and Oilers (2-4-1) have just five wins between them while ranking 31st and 27th in goals allowed per game.

Edmonton has actually played great defensively, allowing the second-fewest 5v5 chances per 60 (51.63), according to Natural Stat Trick, but Stuart Skinner is in gas-can mode.

The fifth-year netminder has a 3.74 GAA and .866 SV% through five starts, allowing at least three goals in every game.

McDavid and Co. can typically outscore that type of goaltending, but it hasn’t been the case so far. Tonight, though, the Oilers should light up the scoreboard.

Pittsburgh has turned away from Tristan Jarry after a horrible start to the year. Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start tonight and he hasn’t been great either, posting a 3.86 GAA and .869 SV% across two starts.

The 28-year-old has had his fair share of NHL action, but going up against a desperate Oilers team in Edmonton seems like a recipe for disaster.

Key stat: Edmonton scored the second-most goals per game at home (4.12) last season.

Quick pick

Parlay: Crosby, Hyman 1+ points each (+135): Some folks on the internet have been calling Hyman “Agent 007” referencing his zero goals and zero assists in seven games … but how long can that really last?

Embed: #98306

Hyman scored a career-high 54 goals last year to pair with 23 points in 80 games (0.96 points/game). He’s riding shotgun with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins while playing on Edmonton’s first power play.

With how poor Pittsburgh’s defence has been, this seems like an opportune spot to get off the schneid.

As for Crosby, the future Hall of Famer hasn’t missed a beat in his 20th season.

Embed: #98307

He’s only found the net once but has seven points in eight games and is leading all Pittsburgh skaters with 42 scoring chances.

Crosby played at a 1.16 PPG pace over the last three seasons and shouldn’t have trouble against Skinner.

Picks made at 10:45 a.m. on 10/25/2024.

76ers vs. Raptors same-game parlay predictions Oct. 25: Back Barnes, Oubre in +320 ticket

76ers vs. Raptors predictions

The Toronto Raptors host a Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers squad on Friday night.

The pregame narrative: Toronto had a rough season opener but should cover an alternate spread with Embiid and Paul George sidelined. Back Scottie Barnes on the glass and Kelly Oubre Jr. from deep to round out this +320 ticket.

Check out my 76ers vs. Raptors same-game parlay predictions for Oct. 25.

76ers vs. Raptors predictions

Go to full NBA betting markets

Parlay: Raptors +8.5 + Barnes over 7.5 rebounds + Oubre over 1.5 threes (+320)

Raptors +9.5 (-223): Philadelphia has championship aspirations, but it won’t win anything if Embiid and George don’t play. Those two will return to the lineup at some point (Embiid is aiming for Oct. 30), but until then, I’ll happily fade.

The Sixers got blown out, 124-109, by the Bucks in Milwaukee in their season opener, shooting a collective 41.8% from the field and 25.8% from deep.

They’re now 16-28 without Embiid since the start of last season with a -3.7 net rating, according to Stat Muse.

The Raptors are a bad team but this should be a game they keep close. Barnes shot 3-of-14 from the field on Wednesday against a tough Cleveland Cavaliers defence and was pulled from the game early in a blowout.

All we need is for him to avoid another disastrous performance so that this can be within reach.

SGP legs

Barnes over 7.5 rebounds (+100): Barnes collected six rebounds in 26 minutes two days ago and would’ve been right around this number had he gotten a regular workload.

The Cavs don’t give up much on defence or on the glass, but the Sixers are a different story — especially without their MVP candidate in the lineup.

Philadelphia ranked 14th in road defensive rating last year and 25th in road rebounding rate.

Barnes is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-best 8.2 boards per game, going over this mark in two of three games against the Sixers with seven rebounds in the outlier.

Oubre over 1.5 threes (-209): One of the many things Toronto did horribly in its opener was a failure to defend the 3-point line. Cleveland shot 14-of-30 (46.7%) from beyond the arc, with four players bagging multiple threes.

Oubre is the No. 2 option right now and I expect him to act like it. The guard’s 18 shots against the Bucks were second to Tyrese Maxey, and while he only went 1-for-6 from deep, the volume is encouraging.

Toronto gave up the fifth-most 3-pointers per game to shooting guards last year, according to Fantasy Pros.

Picks made at 8:55 a.m. on 10/25/24.

76ers vs. Raptors same-game parlay predictions Oct. 25: Back Barnes, Oubre in +300 ticket

76ers vs. Raptors predictions

The Toronto Raptors host a Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers squad on Friday night.

The pregame narrative: Toronto had a rough season opener but should cover an alternate spread with Embiid and Paul George sidelined. Back Scottie Barnes on the glass and Kelly Oubre Jr. from deep to round out this +300 ticket.

Check out my 76ers vs. Raptors same-game parlay predictions for Oct. 25.

76ers vs. Raptors predictions

Go to full NBA betting markets

Parlay: Raptors +8.5 + Barnes over 7.5 rebounds + Oubre over 1.5 threes (+300)

Raptors +9.5 (-250): Philadelphia has championship aspirations, but it won’t win anything if Embiid and George don’t play. Those two will return to the lineup at some point (Embiid is aiming for Oct. 30), but until then, I’ll happily fade.

Embed: #98286

The Sixers got blown out, 124-109, by the Bucks in Milwaukee in their season opener, shooting a collective 41.8% from the field and 25.8% from deep.

They’re now 16-28 without Embiid since the start of last season with a -3.7 net rating, according to Stat Muse.

The Raptors are a bad team but this should be a game they keep close. Barnes shot 3-of-14 from the field on Wednesday against a tough Cleveland Cavaliers defence and was pulled from the game early in a blowout.

All we need is for him to avoid another disastrous performance so that this can be within reach.

SGP legs

Barnes over 7.5 rebounds (+102): Barnes collected six rebounds in 26 minutes two days ago and would’ve been right around this number had he gotten a regular workload.

Embed: #98282

The Cavs don’t give up much on defence or on the glass, but the Sixers are a different story — especially without their MVP candidate in the lineup.

Philadelphia ranked 14th in road defensive rating last year and 25th in road rebounding rate.

Barnes is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-best 8.2 boards per game, going over this mark in two of three games against the Sixers with seven rebounds in the outlier.

Oubre over 1.5 threes (-205): One of the many things Toronto did horribly in its opener was a failure to defend the 3-point line. Cleveland shot 14-of-30 (46.7%) from beyond the arc, with four players bagging multiple threes.

Embed: #98283

Oubre is the No. 2 option right now and I expect him to act like it. The guard’s 18 shots against the Bucks were second to Tyrese Maxey, and while he only went 1-for-6 from deep, the volume is encouraging.

Toronto gave up the fifth-most 3-pointers per game to shooting guards last year, according to Fantasy Pros.

Picks made at 8:55 a.m. on 10/25/24.

Best NHL prop picks Oct. 24: Back Jack Hughes, Quinton Byfield on Thursday

NHL prop picks

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

Go to full NHL betting markets.

Best Bet: Byfield to record a point (-118)

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 (-120): 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.