NHL player prop bets (Jan. 27): Good value on this Sidney Crosby prop vs. lowly Sharks

Join Daily Faceoff’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player props available on Monday night.

Alex DeBrincat Under 0.5 Points: +110 Sports Interaction

Fading Alex DeBrincat and the Detroit Red Wings’ scorching hot power-play unit right now might not sound overly appealing, but the chances of DeBrincat recording a point versus a stingy Los Angeles Kings side do look to be overvalued with the under priced at +110.

The Kings have allowed just 2.46 goals against per game this season, and are even tougher to score on when Darcy Kuemper is in between the pipes. Kuemper has allowed just 2.09 goals against per game this season, and his .922 save percentage is the second-best mark in the league among qualified goaltenders.

Part of Kuemper’s elite save percentage comes down to how few high-quality shots he has faced on average. The Kings have allowed just 2.62 xGA/60 this season, which is the best mark in the NHL.

DeBrincat has typically worked on the second line alongside Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, but both Kane and Tarasenko are expected to be sidelined for this matchup.

The Red Wings’ current top line of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Marco Kasper has been excellent recently, so it seems unlikely they will split that unit up to offer DeBrincat more help on the second line, though confirmation towards that won’t come until after the morning skate.

Assuming DeBrincat ends up playing alongside some combination of Andrew Copp (19 points in 49 games played) and either Joe Veleno (nine points in nine games played) or Jonatan Berggren (13 points in 47 games played) at even strength, he will not have much help in terms of offensive upside.

DeBrincat is a key piece of the team’s elite top power-play unit, which is the main concern with this bet. The Kings penalty kill has succeeded 82.2% of the time this season, though, and the Kings are in the league’s lower third in minor penalties taken per game.

DeBrincat has recorded a point in five of the last 10 games, and has gone pointless in four of his last five games.

Assuming Kuemper starts in goal and that Debrincat remains on the second line Monday, +110 looks to be a good price to back him being held off the scoresheet in a tough matchup.

If David Rittich is to start in goal and Kasper is elevated to the top power-play unit in Tarasenko’s place, backing Kasper to record a point at +155 could be a good backup option.

Sidney Crosby Over 0.5 Power-Play Points: +185 Sports Interaction

The San Jose Sharks have allowed 4.60 goals against per game over their last 10 matchups, and have provided a great opportunity for a number of opposing superstars to pad their stats. They have allowed 4.45 xGA/60 in that span, which is the worst mark in the league by a wide margin.

The Sharks’ penalty kill, in particular, has been a complete disaster in recent matchups, as over the last 10 games they have killed off just 57.9% of opponent power plays successfully.

Led by Crosby, the Penguins’ power play has been one area the team is currently finding plenty of success. Over the last 10 games, Pittsburgh’s power play has converted 33.3% of opportunities, and gets a great opportunity to stay hot in this matchup.

At +185, I believe we are getting a great price to back Crosby building on his total of 17 power-play points in this matchup.