Best NHL player prop bets (Dec. 5): Oddsmakers expecting plenty of offense from Oilers
Join Daily Faceoff’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player props available on Thursday night.
Patrik Laine Over 2.5 Shots on Goal: -110 Sports Interaction
Laine made a somewhat uneven season debut Tuesday, and it was clear at times that it may take a few games for his skating to get fully up to speed. Still, he did show off his greatest asset in tallying his first goal with the Canadiens, leading to a tremendous response inside the Bell Centre.
Laine put up just two shots on goal in that matchup, and averaged just 2.27 shots per game last year in Columbus.
Laine was one of many Blue Jackets forwards that struggled mightily under Pascal Vincent in 2023-24, and he averaged just 15:13 of time on ice. Many talented Blue Jackets forwards have bounced back this season under a new coach, and it seems likely that perhaps a fresh start in Montreal will prove beneficial to Laine.
In 2022-23, Laine averaged 3.34 shots per game with Columbus, and I believe that’s closer to the kind of volume we should expect.
He skated 17:27 in his Habs’ debut, and appears likely to remain on the top power-play unit and second line in this matchup.
Due to Laine’s paltry shot totals last year, he’s still priced at -110 to record three or more shots in this matchup. I’m happy to buy low here and bank on the idea that a player with Laine’s roles and that kind of release likely won’t be offered at this price for long.
Connor McDavid Over 1.5 Points: -128 Sports Interaction
It seems crazy to say given the prices for any other player in the NHL, but -128 for McDavid to record two points in this matchup projects as a good bet.
The Oilers failed to break through with any offense Tuesday, as the Knights played a strong defensive game on home ice, and received an excellent performance from Adin Hill. It seems likely that McDavid and the Oilers will bounce back offensively Thursday, though, as they take on a goaltender that has allowed 4.04 goals per game this season in Daniil Tarasov.
McDavid has gone over 1.5 points in seven of his last 11 games, and has clearly elevated his game after a slower start to the season.
While the Blue Jackets allow a lot of goals against (third-worst GAA of 3.50), they have the offensive upside to hang around in contests and have played some shootouts versus high quality competition of late. It seems likely that the Oilers will need big nights from their top stars like McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to pull away due to their lack of depth scoring.
So while the Oilers are gigantic favorites with the highest projected team total on the slate, I still think they will need McDavid to have a big performance in order to earn a result.
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