Best NHL Prop Bets Today: McDavid Poised for an Underwhelming Performance

Monday night brings us the most entertaining moment that can happen in sports when the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks battle it out in game seven of their series. Tensions are through the roof, players give it their all in a last ditch effort to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive, and celebrations are to be made with one team moving on. While scoring has been rapid, expect a higher level of defensive play as star players pump the brakes on their willingness to take risks when on the offensive end.

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Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks - Game 7 Prop Bets (9:00 PM, EST)

Connor McDavid Under 3.5 Shots on Goal (-140) at BetMGM

Normally in a game seven, expectations are set even higher for the team’s star player to perform. That is not always the case as puck dominant players tend to minimize their risks when on the offensive end which leads to a decrease in shot attempts. Connor McDavid may be an exception in most cases as the league’s clear cut best player, but I am willing to bet that even he will play towards this under prop.

Especially since more conservative play leads to less penalties. It’s no secret that the Oilers power play is once again the best in the league, and that stems from McDavid getting to gash through opposing defenses with more room to work with at his disposal to generate either a shot attempt or kick it out to an open shooter at the opposite side of the crease.

The Canucks have made it their priority to shade more coverage towards McDavid in an attempt to slow down his advancements before he picks up speed, getting the puck out of his hands and daring someone else to beat them. This has resulted in just two shots on goal in each of his last two games. Expect this trend to continue, especially with the potential benefit of less power play opportunities.

Bet on Connor McDavid at BetMGM

JT Miller Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+100) at Caesars

While I expect Connor McDavid’s shot attempts to be minimized in a more defensive focused game, I actually believe the opposite will be the case for the Canucks JT Miller. The Canucks desperately needed to generate more offense in order to contend with the Oilers after a slugfest against the Nashville Predators and they have instantly benefitted from JT Miller being more aggressive on that end of the ice.

The Canucks unfortunately experienced poor regression in their last game, losing 5-1 on paper but 2.7 to 2.73 in Expected Goals per MoneyPuck. Their offense continued to generate opportunities even with the scoreboard stating otherwise, giving me some assurance that JT Miller will continue to pepper the goalie in an attempt to either score or generate a scoring opportunity off of a rebound.

The Canucks can ill afford to not be aggressive, especially if the Oilers keep Stuart Skinner in net. As noted earlier, Skinner flirted with disaster as the Canucks actually generated an Expected Goals of 2.7 but only managed to get one back in the net. This shows little positive regression since getting his starting role back, being just as prone to getting burned as we saw earlier in the series. Even in a game seven, expect the Canucks to potentially remain aggressive with their shot attempts with Skinner in net.

Bet on JT Miller at Caesars