I’m backing three players to produce on Saturday in my NHL prop picks.
The pregame narrative: Tim Stutzle has a strong matchup to tally up shots. Elsewhere, Leon Draisaitl also has value on his shot prop while Jack Hughes looks primed for a big game.
Find these NHL prop picks for Oct. 12 below.
NHL prop picks
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Best Bet: Stutzle over 2.5 shots (-112)
It didn’t take long for Stutzle to find the back of the net as he scored two in the Ottawa Senators’ season opener against the Florida Panthers.
The centre narrowly cleared this line in that game, recording three shots on goal but the Montreal Canadiens provide a much easier matchup.
Montreal has allowed an average of 38.5 shots through its first two games and I think the firepower on the Sens can keep that average up.
Florida was a bottom-three team last season in shots against per game (27.8) and Ottawa still managed to record 30 shots on its opening night.
The Canadiens were the opposite, allowing the third most shots per game (33.4) last year.
Key stat: Stutzle cleared this shot total in three of his last four games against the Habs.
Quick picks
Draisaitl over 2.5 shots (-143): I am a bit hesitant picking an Oilers’ prop after the 6-0 thrashing by the Winnipeg Jets on opening night.
But this is a very modest line for one of the league’s top snipers. Draisaitl had three shots on goal in what was possibly a worst-case scenario for Edmonton in its first game.
The Oilers had 30 shots but only one power play which is where Draisaitl is most effective.
On top of that, I would be shocked if the Oilers weren’t hungry for a big performance after getting embarrassed by the Jets.
Connor McDavid and Draisaitl will be expected to lead the charge offensively.
Hughes to record 2+ points (+170): New Jersey had a weird start to the season, playing two games overseas before returning to face a potent Toronto Maple Leafs offence after almost a week off.
With that knowledge, it is unsurprising that the Devils looked flat in their home opener but Hughes and co. have a great opportunity to bounce back.
Hughes had 17 points in his first six games last season and was leading the way on the Hart Trophy odds board before getting injured. He still finished well over a point per game with 74 points in 62 appearances.
At only 23 years old, it should be expected for the centre to make another leap this season which means he could be one of the league’s top point producers if he can stay healthy.
That would mean a lot of multi-point games so let’s get in while the value is still there.
Picks made at 10:52 a.m. ET on 10/12/2024.
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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.