A loaded nine-game NHL schedule provides a few prop picks.
The pregame narrative: Multiple teams are playing their second game tonight with the season in full swing. I’m backing David Pastrnak and Logan Cooley to keep building on their strong starts while taking Lucas Raymond to score in his debut.
Find these two NHL props picks for October 10 below.
NHL prop picks
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Best Bet: Pastrnak over 4.5 shots (-106)
The Montreal Canadiens stunned the Toronto Maple Leafs, defeating them 1-0 last night to open the season.
Toronto failed to score but had a boatload of chances. Sam Montembeault stopped all 48 shots against in a masterful performance but that shot total should be concerning for the Habs’ defence.
Tonight, Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins host the Canadiens on a back-to-back and I’m predicting Boston’s top offensive player to get his chances.
The Bruins took 28 shots against the Florida Panthers with Pastrnak delivering five of those.
Montreal’s defence should be tired and is clearly okay with giving up a ton of shots. It allowed the second most per game in the NHL last season (33.4).
Key stat: Pastrnak cleared this shot total in all four games against Montreal last year.
Quick picks
Raymond to score 1+ goal (+145): Raymond broke out last season, recording 31 goals and 41 assists. The 2020 fourth-overall pick is coming into his fourth campaign and I believe he could score 40-plus this season.
And it starts with a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens are playing a back-to-back after getting stifled, 6-0, by the New York Rangers yesterday.
Defence looks like it could be a weak spot for Pittsburgh who allowed 41 shots on goal. It’s not all that surprising as the roster is built around Sidney Crosby and his offensive talent.
Five different Rangers scored with Chris Kreider netting two. Additionally, The Red Wings were the ninth-highest-scoring team last season (3.35/game).
Cooley to score 1+ points (+118): The second-year pro is already one of Utah’s most trusted offensive players.
Cooley led all Hockey Club forwards in ice time (17:35) and grabbed two assists in the opening game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Last season, he had an exceptional rookie season, playing all 82 games and scoring 44 points.
It’s not unreasonable to expect a sizeable jump this season. Cooley is on the first line and could easily achieve the 60-point mark in 2024-2025.
The Islanders allowed the third most shots against per game last season (32.8), so there should be ample opportunity for Utah to score a few goals and I expect Cooley to be involved.
Picks made at 9:06 a.m. ET on 10/10/2024.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.