BIG BLOG: NHL Eastern Conference Pre-Season Power Rankings And Player Props
Steve Russell. Getty Images.The NHL season is finally here and we've broken down all the divisions on the last 4 episodes of Spittin' Chiclets with experts for most of the teams, so make sure to check those all out before the puck drops on Friday at 1 pm EST. in Prague, Czech Republic.
Here are the Cliff Notes from those episodes including my official picks for playoffs and one season-long prop bet I like for each team.
1. New Jersey Devils - 1st in Metro Division, Yes Playoffs
Player Prop: Jack Hughes Over 98.5 points -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - This is the final year of Whit and Pasha's of the now famous will Jack score 100 points bet and we're riding with Pasha on this one.
2. New York Rangers - 2nd in Metro Division, Yes Playoffs
Player Prop: Matt Rempe Over 2.5 goals -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - Probably my favorite prop of the year, love him or hate him he brings excitement every time he is on the ice. He creates a lot of space for himself with his reckless play and I could see him getting some net-front time on the 2nd PP this year and he gets at least 3 goals this season.
3. Boston - 1st in Atlantic Division, Yes Playoffs
Player Prop: Charlie Coyle Over 18.5 goals -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - 20 goals for a guy that scored 25 last year and then came on Chiclets this Summer is a no-brainer.
4. Toronto - 2nd in the Atlantic Division, Yes Playoffs
Player Prop: Mitch Marner Under 94.5 pts -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - I believe Berube will have the Leafs playing a much more complete game which will mean fewer individual points, but will result in more team points. Plus Biz is the biggest Mush on the internet.
5. Florida - 3rd in Division, Yes Playoffs
Player Prop: Sam Reinhart Over 39.5 goals at DraftKings Sportsbook - Broke the bank this summer after scoring 57 goals and the Cup clincher and yes there will be a regression most likely, but he's still a 40-goal guy this year.
6. Carolina Hurricanes - 3rd in Division, Yes Playoffs
Player Prop: Seth Jarvis Over 62.5 points -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - Another recent Chiclets guest gets the bump and will be in the 70-point area playing on that top PP unit all year.
7. Tampa Bay - 4th in Division, Yes Playoffs - Wild Card
Player Prop: Nikita Kucherov Over 114.5 pts -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - He had 144 points last year and he's not going to drop below 120 this year.
8. Buffalo - 5th in Division, Yes Playoffs - Wild Card
Player Prop: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Over 25.5 wins -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - Lindy Ruff is back and I have the Sabres breaking that long playoff drought. Seth Appert, Lindy's assistant is a known goalie whisper and I believe he helps Ukko-Pekka take control of the crease and get us 26 wins.
9. New York Islanders - 4th in Division, Wild Card
Player Prop: Ilya Sorokin Under 28.5 wins -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - Sorokin coming back from off-season surgery has him off to a slow start and the Isles love using their goalie tandem, so we have gotta take the Under here.
10. Detroit - 6th in Division, No Playoffs
Player Prop: Lucas Raymond Over 26.5 goals -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - 31 goals last year, rewarded with a huge contract and will continue to be a top goal scorer in this league.
11. Washington Capitals - 5th in Division, No Playoffs
Player Prop: Alex Ovechkin Over 29.5 goals -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - Nobody will ever know how old Ovie really is and he's shown signs of slowing down, but the Caps want him to break this record so badly so he gets at least 30 this year. If you a true Ovie jock sniffer you may want to take a look at the prop on DraftKings that he will score his 895th goal this season at +1000. He currently has 853 so needs 42 goals.
12. Pittsburgh Penguins - 6th in Division, No Playoffs
Player Prop: Sidney Crosby Over 90.5 points -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - Sid once again tries dragging the Pens to the playoffs single-handedly, they will come up short but another 100-point season for him is possible. We will always root for 87 to have a huge year especially when he took a team-friendly 8.7 a year.
13. Ottawa - 7th in Division, No Playoffs
Player Prop: Brady Tkachuk Over 36.5 goals -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - 37 and 35 the last two seasons, this guy does it all for the Sens, his goal-scoring around the blue paint will have them sniffing the playoffs for a bit this season, but they are still not good enough.
14. Philadelphia Flyers - 7th in Division, No Playoffs
Player Prop: Matvei Mitchkov Over 23.5 goals -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - This kid is a phenom and has shown already in the preseason he knows how to score. I said on the pod over 1.5 "Michigan Goals" I'm not positive on that one with Torts as a coach but, 25 goals seems easy. Flyers fans might want to look at rookie points leader +350.
15. Montreal - 8th in Division, No playoffs
Player Prop: Lane Hutson Over 38.5 pts -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - This kid looks dynamic and I believe he will get a ton of ice-time on the PP, especially down the stretch when they are out of the playoffs, so 40 points seems attainable. Boston University fans will probably take him at 10-1 to win the Calder Trophy.
16. Columbus Blue Jackets - 8th in the Division, No Playoffs
Player Prop: Elvis Merzlikins Over 16.5 wins -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook - Jackets won't be great, but they will win some games and I expect Elvis to play 65-70% of the games, so 17 wins shouldn't be a problem. He's always in trade talks so he could also end up on a better team playing less, but winning more often.
Follow all our bets on Game Notes and the Official $EBR Twitter mattmurley19
Let's have a great season!!
