Category: NHL

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings have plenty of offensive star power featured in my top props for Saturday.

The pregame narrative: Matthew Knies and Andrei Kuzmenko are reliable secondary contributors for their respective squads, and both are nice values to score a point on Saturday. Auston Matthews‘ shot prop is a strong fade, though, as he enters a difficult matchup.

Check out my Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Kings for March 29.

Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Kings

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Best Bet: Matthews under 3.5 shots (-130)

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There’s good reason to bet against Matthews hitting this mark.

Firstly, this has been a down season for Matthews’ shot volume. The superstar is averaging 11.6 shots per 60, his lowest mark since the 2017-18 campaign.

That translates to 3.9 shots per game which does put him above this mark, but his recent play suggests a below-average performance is on deck.

Matthews has gone under this total in three of his last four games with the lone exception being a four-shot output against the San Jose Sharks. That game did go to a shootout and Matthews did log his second-highest minutes total of the season in that contest (25:07).

Most shooters struggle to find shooting room against the Kings. Los Angeles is ceding the second-fewest shots per game in the league (25.4).

Key stat: The Kings have the third-lowest Corsi against total in the NHL (3,921), according to Natural Stat Trick.

Quick pick

Knies to score a point (-108): It’s hard to deviate from a prop pick that’s been so successful.

Knies is enjoying a career year on all fronts. The Maple Leafs winger has set career highs in goals (25) and assists (24) in what’s been his breakout campaign.

His play has earned him prime real estate inside Toronto’s lineup. Knies skates with Matthews and Mitch Marner on the first line and is a valuable member of the squad’s power play.

Knies is rolling ahead of this contest as he enters with back-to-back multi-point outings. He has a point in three of his last four games and 15 of his last 24.

The Kings are a defensively stingy team, but they did just cede four tallies to the Colorado Avalanche in their most recent contest.

Toronto’s offence is seventh in goals-per-game and I’m betting Knies helps factor into the scoring for the Maple Leafs.

Kuzmenko to score a point (-104): It’s usually difficult for players to adjust to a new team after a mid-season move.

Try making that adjustment twice in one season. Kuzmenko was dealt from the Calgary Flames to the Philadelphia Flyers to the Kings all in the span of one season.

The winger has largely struggled to produce in all three destinations, but it does look like he’s beginning to heat up in Los Angeles. Kuzmenko has a point in three of his last four games (four total).

L.A. is certainly giving the forward ample opportunity to prove himself. He plays on the first line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe while also earning minutes on the top power play.

Those offensively friendly opportunities make Kuzmenko a solid pick in this market.

Maple Leafs vs. Kings prop picks made at 12:32 p.m. ET 03/29/2025.

The Toronto Maple Leafs host the downtrodden Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

The pregame narrative: Philadelphia has lost 10 of its last 11 games and is a prime candidate for Toronto to pounce on as the Leafs look to secure the Atlantic Division. I’m backing Auston Matthews to score and am fading Matvei Michkov.

Check out my Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Flyers for March 25.

Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Flyers

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Best Bet: Matthews to score (-127)

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Anything short of a win would be unacceptable for the Maple Leafs coming off a blown two-goal lead against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Philadelphia (28-35-9, 28th place in NHL) got shelled on Sunday, 7-3, by the Chicago Blackhawks of all teams and has its eyes on the golf course with 10 games to play.

Matthews has begun to look like his old self, and I expect him to lead from the front. Check out the captain’s numbers over the last five games:

• 4 goals
• 7 points
• 21 shots (team-high)
• 39 chances (team-high)
• 19.05% shooting percentage

Matthews’ SH% in that span is notably greater than his season-long average (12.2%).

Samuel Ersson seems the likely candidate to start in goal for the Flyers with backup Ivan Fedotov giving up a seven-spot on Sunday — and it’s not like he’s been reliable.

Ersson ranks 40th in goals against average (3.00) and 50th in save percentage (.886).

Key stat: Matthews has six goals in his last six games against the Flyers, cashing this bet four times.

Quick pick

Michkov to not record a point (-124): Philadelphia’s goaltending has been awful, but its offence has also grown anemic at the worst time. That’s a pretty solid recipe for losing 10 of 11 games.

The Flyers are averaging 1.72 goals during this stretch, and Michkov has gone pointless in six of his last eight.

The Russian winger did put up two assists against the Blackhawks on Sunday, but Chicago is one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL.

Toronto has elite goaltending with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz operating in tandem, and its defensive lynchpin, Chris Tanev, is back in the lineup.

I expect a frenzied defensive effort from the Maple Leafs tonight after Saturday’s embarrassment.

Maple Leafs vs. Flyers prop picks made at 9:38 a.m. ET 03/25/2025.

Monday’s NHL slate features four games and I’ve got goalscorer picks from two of them.

The pregame narrative: Every team involved in these picks is fighting for their playoff lives. I like Logan Cooley to find the net when the Utah Hockey Club host the Detroit Red Wings and Bo Horvat to score for the New York Islanders against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Check out my NHL anytime goal picks for March 24.

NHL anytime goal picks

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Best Bet: Cooley to score a goal (+175)

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It might be too early to call this a “must-win” game for either team, but it’s pretty darn close.

The Red Wings are five points back of the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot while the Hockey Club are six points back of the Western Conference’s eighth seed.

Utah is coming off consecutive blowout wins, while Detroit has dropped eight of its last 10. It’s no secret which team is hotter, and Cooley is in a good spot to produce.

The centre is having a solid sophomore season, with 21 goals and 53 points in 63 games. He’s found the net in three of his last four games, with six total points (4 G, 2 A) in that span.

If you’re looking for a safer play, I love the value on Cooley to notch a point at -139.

Cooley is playing with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on Utah’s top line, and that unit owns a solid 66.67% goal share, per Natural Stat Trick.

Key stat: Detroit is allowing 3.5 goals per game across its last 10. That would be the fifth-highest rate in the NHL on a season-long basis.

Quick pick

Horvat to score a goal (+170): Horvat and the New York Islanders are also in the thick of a playoff race, sitting just two points behind the Montreal Canadiens, who occupy the final wild-card spot.

The veteran centre is doing his part to push his club across the line with goals in three of his last five games.

The Blue Jackets once occupied a playoff spot but have completely unravelled, losing eight of their last nine games. In that span, they’re allowing an ugly 3.78 goals per game.

It’s unclear who will start in goal for Columbus at the time of writing, but I don’t think it really matters.

Elvis Merzlikins seems the likely candidate and he’s been awful this season, ranking outside of the top 35 in goals against average (3.04) and save percentage (.896).

NHL anytime goal picks made at 9:52 a.m. ET on 03/24/2025.