Every NHL team is in action for today’s “Frozen Frenzy,” which leaves no shortage of prop betting opportunities.
The pregame narrative: The Calgary Flames are rolling and Nazem Kadri has value to produce as the team’s top-line centre. Elsewhere, I’m fading a lost Elias Petterson and expect Connor Hellebuyck to shut down the St. Louis Blues.
Find my NHL prop picks for Oct. 22 below.
NHL prop picks
Go to full NHL betting markets.
Best Bet: Nazem Kadri over 3.5 shots (+100)
The Flames are one of the few remaining teams with a point in every game (4-0-1), and they should keep things rolling tonight.
Calgary welcomes Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Saddledome, and it’s hard to feel good about the visitors. Pittsburgh is 3-4-0 and playing atrocious defence early on, allowing the third-most goals (4.43) and second-most shots (34.4) per game.
The Pens are playing the second game of a four-game Canadian road trip and got shelled, 6-3, by the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
Winnipeg had 37 shots and I expect Kadri to lead the charge for Calgary tonight.
Kadri will have plenty of chances playing on the top line and power play. His 18 shots are the second-most on the Flames and while he’s only cleared this line twice, he’s had three shots in two additional contests.
Key stat: Kadri is leading all Flames with 40 shot attempts, per Natural Stat Trick.
Quick pick
Pettersson to not score a point (+135): Heading into tonight, Pettersson hasn’t scored an even-strength goal in 30 straight games, including the playoffs.
He’s registered just two assists in five games this season and is averaging 1.6 shots per game. This isn’t just a slump, it’s a massive drought. Canucks fans have to be slightly weary about locking him up to an eight-year contract at $11.6 million per year.
The Chicago Blackhawks are far from defensively sound but Pettersson just isn’t showing me anything in the early going after a brutal playoff run.
The Swede has been pointless in 11 of his last 20 regular season games.
Pavel Buchnevich to not record a point (+130): The only question regarding Hellebuyck is whether he’ll perform come playoff time. Granted, that’s a huge question … but in the regular season, we know the answer.
Last year’s Vezina winner is off to a red-hot start, posting a 4-0-0 record with a 1.25 GAA (second in NHL) and .952 SV% (fifth). He shut out the Edmonton Oilers in the season opener and has only given up five goals since.
I want to back Hellebuyck and the best way in my mind (from a prop betting standpoint) is to fade Pavel Buchnevich.
St. Louis’ second-line centre is pointless in his last three games and in four of six on the season.
He’s coming off a year in which he scored 63 points in 80 games (0.79 per game), which was his lowest per-game mark since joining the Blues in 2021.
NHL picks made at 11:38 a.m. ET 10/22/2024.
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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.