Betting Breakdown: Player props and popular teams to watch Saturday night in the NHL

 As the calendar flips to February we enter a crucial part of the season. 

Spring is just around the corner, and despite a large part of the NHL regular season taking place during the fall and winter, it’s the spring where your legacy is really defined. 

For some, the idea of spring seems so far away. The January days were long, the nights felt even longer. But blink and before you know it February will be a thing of the past and March’s trade deadline will be here. 

Yes, it’s only about six weeks from now that the trade deadline will consume our airways. James Duthie and Co. will spend all day rehashing deals and wishing the Colorado Avalanche waited a little longer to trade Mikko Rantanen. 

But while the deadline is just under six weeks away, so is the idea of spring. 

Ah, spring. One of the best times of the year. In the midst of a dark winter spring can feel so distant. Fortunately for all of us, we will find out tomorrow if we can expect spring earlier this year than it feels. 

Your friend and mine Wiarton Willie is set to take centre stage on Sunday when they poke their  head out with the hopes of seeing signs of an early spring. The Canadian groundhog is -195 to not see its shadow on FanDuel, something that has been the case for six straight years. 

Meanwhile they are +150 to predict a “long winter” and see its shadow for the first time since 2018. 

But before Wiarton Willie has a chance to see its shadow we have a NHL slate in front of us this evening so let’s get to to some player props and examine the most popular teams on the moneyline.

PLAYER PROPS TO MONITOR    

So far I have spotlighted 44 props in this portion of the article with a 26-18 record, which includes going 7-0 over the last two weeks.   

Nikita Kucherov has failed to exceed 1.5 points in seven straight games against top 10 defences for goals allowed. The New York Islanders enter Saturday allowing the ninth fewest goals and 15th fewest assists per game. 

Ryan O’Reilly has logged more than 1.5 shots on goal in seven of his last nine games against bottom 10 defences in allowing shots on net. The Pittsburgh Penguins are 29th in the NHL, allowing 30.9 shots per game. 

Jonathan Huberdeau has two or more shots on goal in seven of his last eight games against bottom 10 defences in that category. The Detroit Red Wings are 24th in the league, allowing 29.3 per game. 

MOST PUBLIC SIDES

PUBLIC VS. COIN

When it rains, it pours. 

And for the coin, after weeks of rain, it poured last week. 

The coin and public were on the same side in two games last Saturday with both teams losing. The lone game the coin and public were on opposite sides of saw the public win with the Florida Panthers defeating the San Jose Sharks 7-2. 

The 0-3 week for the coin sees its record drop to 10 games below .500, while the 1-2 Saturday for the public makes it two-straight weeks with a losing record. 

As we enter February, the public sits at 18-18, holding a strong lead over the 13-23 coin. 

Is there enough time for the coin to catch up? I’m starting to have serious doubts. 

Here are this weeks picks. 

Public: Hurricanes, Lightning, Oilers 

Coin: Hurricanes, Islanders, Leafs