Best NHL player prop bets (March 10): McDavid looking for fourth straight multi-point game vs. lowly Sabres

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

Connor McDavid Over 1.5 points: -105 Sports Interaction

After a slow stretch of play immediately following the 4 Nations Face-Off, the game’s best player seems to have trended back into top form. McDavid recorded just four points and a -7 rating during the Edmonton Oilers’ five-game road trip immediately following the break, but as we have seen year after year, he’s never going to struggle to produce for very long.

McDavid has put up six points over the last three games, including a dominant performance in the Oilers’ statement win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Now, McDavid will set his sights on a Buffalo Sabres side which has allowed 3.50 goals against per game this season, and the worst goals against average in the league since February 1st. While Buffalo’s defensive play has not been great, the Sabres are also getting some of the league’s worst goaltending from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and James Reimer, who hold a combined .854 save percentage over the last 11 games.

While Jake Walman may prove to be a very savvy deadline acquisition, Edmonton has been fighting through some shaky goaltending and suspect defensive play for a relatively large sample, while the team’s bottom-six is also still a question mark.

Those weaknesses continue to lead to a number of game scripts where McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are forced to play heavy minutes and try to carry the team to success, and backing that duo in the prop market continues to seem to be the right approach to betting Oilers games right now.

Valeri Nichushkin Anytime goalscorer: +160 Sports Interaction

Due to Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin’s absences from the lineup, coupled with well below average play from Casey Mittelstadt, the Colorado Avalanche’s second line has been a clear weakness for the vast majority of this season.

GM Joe Sakic decided that he had seen all he needed to see ahead of the deadline, as he paid a hefty price to acquire the best center on the rental market in Brock Nelson. Suddenly, the Avs’ second line looks to be a clear strength once again, with Nelson centering Nichushkin and Drouin.

In Nelson’s debut on Saturday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nichushkin netted his first career hat-trick, and generated a game-high 1.22 expected goals.

Nichushkin is also skating on the Avs’ top power play unit, which has been downright incredible since the addition of Martin Necas. Since Necas’s arrival, Colorado’s power play has succeeded on a league-leading 38.5% of opportunities.

The Chicago Blackhawks have allowed 3.68 goals against per game under head coach Anders Sorensen, and are rightfully gigantic underdogs in Monday’s matchup.

Nichushkin has recorded 15 goals in 26 games this season, scoring on 21.4% of shots taken. He is due for some regression in terms of shooting percentage, however his role in the lineup is now far more favorable than it has been for most of the season, and he gets a dream matchup at home versus the Blackhawks.

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