Betting Breakdown: Player props and popular teams to watch Saturday night in the NHL
Published
The NHL trade deadline has passed and it was a memorable one.
With star players like Mikko Rantanen and Brad Marchand moving to contenders, we’ve seen big shifts in Stanley Cup odds on FanDuel.
Florida opened the day at +800 to repeat as champions, trailing the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights. The acquisition of Marchand slashed their odds to +500, making them the favourite.
They aim to become the third team since 2010 to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, following Pittsburgh in 2016-17 and Tampa Bay in 2020-21.
Here is a look at a few other notable movers.
Stanley Cup odds
| Team | Odds on Mar. 7 | Odds on Mar. 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | +800 | +500 |
| Washington Capitals | +1400 | +1000 |
| Dallas Stars | +900 | +700 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +1300 | +1000 |
Meanwhile, after becoming favourites in January with the trade for Rantanen, the Hurricanes entered the day at +650 to win the Stanley Cup and closed at +900.
The lengthening odds are no surprise after they flipped Rantanen to Dallas in the afternoon.
The biggest faller after deadline day was the Boston Bruins.
Boston entered at +3500 to win the Stanley Cup and now sit at +75000 after trading their captain.
Stanley Cup odds
| Team | Odds on Mar. 7 | Odds on Mar. 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | +650 | +900 |
| Boston Bruins | +3500 | +75000 |
Shifting focus to this evening, only seven games drop the puck after 6 p.m. EST, limiting our options. Let’s examine some player props and update our public vs. coin game.
PLAYER PROPS TO MONITOR
So far, I’ve highlighted 51 props in this section, posting a 33-21-1 record, including a 14-3-1 mark over the last five columns.
PLAYER PROPS TO MONITOR
| Name | Prop | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Ekblad | O 0.5 Points | -125 |
| MacKenzie Weegar | O 0.5 Points | -113 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | O 2.5 Shots on Goal | -118 |
| Bo Horvat | O 0.5 Points | -184 |
Aaron Ekblad has at least one point in four of his last five games against bottom-10 defences for assists allowed. Buffalo enters Saturday ranked 29th in the NHL, allowing six assists per game.
MacKenzie Weegar has at least one point in five straight games against bottom-10 defences for assists allowed. Montreal enters Saturday night ranked 23rd in the league, allowing 5.5 assists per game.
Jonathan Marchessault has at least three shots on goal in nine of his last 10 games against bottom-10 defences for shots allowed. Chicago ranks 30th in the NHL, allowing 31.9 shots per game.
Bo Horvat has at least one point in seven of his last eight games against bottom-10 defences for goals allowed. San Jose enters Saturday ranked 32nd in the league for goals and assists per game.
PUBLIC VS. COIN
Here comes the coin.
Last week, I noted that time was running out for Lady Luck to close the gap, but she did just that.
A 2-1 week for the coin, paired with a 1-2 week for the public, trimmed Johnny Public’s five-game lead to four.
With six Saturdays remaining, the public holds a 22-23 record, while the coin trails at 18-29.
This week, the three most popular teams for Saturday night are the Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, and Nashville Predators.
Here are the coin’s picks: Panthers, Blues, Blackhawks.