We have a smaller NHL slate, with a big emphasis on the Winter Classic tonight. But we have two late-night, West Coast battles that present some intriguing, actionable bets.
Tonight, I'll look at a few player props for the matchups between the Minnesota Wild vs Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken vs Vancouver Canucks.
Let's get into my NHL predictions and picks for Friday, January 2.
NHL Late Night Bets and Props
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 10:30 p.m. | |
  | 10:30 p.m. | |
| 10:30 p.m. | |
| 10:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Wild vs. Ducks
Quinn Hughes, ever since coming to Minnesota, has been everything as advertised.
Along with unsurprisingly being named to Team USA for next month's Winter Olympics, he's registered a goal and six assists, but beyond the numbers, Hughes has been making plays happen.
This season, he's been averaging 5.69 shots on goal per 60 minutes, and an even more staggering 14.5 shot attempts per 60.
Not only that, he's ranking eighth in all of the NHL with a Corsi of 59%.
Since becoming a member of the Wild, though, his shots on goal numbers have been down a tad, as he was peppering a lot more shots while he was in Vancouver. But I have been beyond encouraged with what I've seen from him since donning the red and green.
Only on three occasions, Hughes has hit the over for 2.5 shots on goal, which makes me believe that a breakout is coming. For someone who gets the puck on net as much as him, I can't envision a world where this trend continues.
Pick: Quinn Hughes Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+102)
| | | |
Kraken vs. Canucks
Adam Larsson often flies under the radar for how strong he is in his own zone.
The former fourth overall pick in 2011 may not be the star defenseman that pundits believed he would be when he was drafted, but he has built a career of strong defensive play in nearly 1,000 career games played.
Well, Larsson may be on a disaster of a team in the Seattle Kraken, but Larsson continues to showcase his worth.
The Kraken often get trapped in their own zone, but Larsson has done a fantastic job at getting in the way of shots on goal.
In the past 10 games, he has averaged 2.5 shot blocks per game, reaching over three blocks five separate times.
Now, the Canucks only average 26.6 shots per game, which is on the lower side, but the difference is that Seattle's total defense is terrible, with a 3.37 xGA/60 over the past month.
Larsson is truly the lone bright spot of this D-corps, so I won't be surprised if he ends up icing his body a little more than not by the time the clock strikes zero.
Pick: Adam Larsson 3+ Blocked Shots (+150)
| | | |
Wild vs. Ducks
In all honesty, I'm very surprised that this number is at plus-money.
Kirill Kaprizov is among the NHL's stars, and has managed to register an assist in four of the last five games. Not only that, he serves on the point on the Wild's power play, along with Hughes.
On that power play is Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, with Boldy continuing to solidify himself as one of the NHL's brightest goal scorers. Eriksson Ek is also a fantastic net-front presence, averaging 6.94 high danger expected goals.
I'm also looking at Kaprizov's game log and there's a very noticeable trend. Any time Kaprizov is left pointless, he typically finds his way back on the scoresheet. Only two separate times he's been held pointless in consecutive games.
The Ducks have been pretty strong on the defensive end, but their penalty kill has been brutal, which makes me think there's a real opportunity for Kaprizov to get an assist on the power play.
Pick: Kirill Kaprizov 1+ Assists (+100)
| | | |
Kraken vs. Canucks
Under the surface, Eeli Tolvanen doesn't look like a sexy pick. His advanced numbers don't really stand out, but boy, has his December been fantastic.
Tolvanen played in 13 games last month and notched 12 points, with multiple points on four separate occasions.
Currently, Tolvanen serves on Seattle's first power play unit, a unit that is scoring at a 20.5% pace. It works out perfectly because the Canucks have a terrible penalty kill, and Tolvanen can let it fly like a heat-seeking missile.
In the past two games, he has actually been held pointless, which makes me think that number-20 will make his presence known.
This is a low-risk, low-reward opportunity here. But considering the run that Tolvanen has been on as of late, I don't hate putting in some cash on him.
Pick: Eeli Tolvanen 1+ Point (-130)
| | | |
