Best NHL Prop Bets Today: Expect Plenty of Offense Between Pittsburgh and Carolina

While the New York Rangers offense continues to steadily regress, the Carolina Hurricanes now lead the league in Expected Goals For in All Situations by averaging 4.38 Expected Goals per game. Heading into Thursday, the Hurricanes high powered offense have the opportunity to continue to play at a high level as the Pittsburgh Penguins defense struggles to smother opposing shot attempts in front of their net.

Later in the night, we turn our attention towards the nightcap as the Minnesota Wild try to chip away at the Winnipeg Jets lead in the Central division standings by securing a win over the lowly San Jose Sharks. Even with Calder Memorial Trophy contender Macklin Celebrini returning from injury, the Sharks anemic offense will struggle to consistently generate high quality Shots on Goal against a Wild defense that ranks fourth overall in Expected Goals Against in All Situations.

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Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes - Prop Bets (7:00 PM, EST)

Alternate Over 7.5 (+200) at BetMGM Sportsbook

After tailing the New York Rangers in Expected Goals the first few weeks of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes now lead the league in Expected Goals For in All Situations and in 5-on-5 Play. Every bit of their offensive production has been needed in order for them to take first place in the Metropolitan division standings as their defense has fallen down to the bottom half of the board in Expected Goals Against in All Situations.

With Pittsburgh struggling to wall off opposing Shots on Goal as their bottom three mark in Expected Goals Against suggests, the Hurricanes offense should have no issue with continuing to create high quality scoring opportunities. Speaking of Pittsburgh, their offense has quietly played at a very high level as their front line ranks sixth overall in Expected Goals For. With Carolina’s defense in the midst of a slump, expect Pittsburgh to match the Hurricanes scoring pace in what should be a high scoring affair.

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Andrei Svechnikov Anytime Goalscorer (+185) at Caesars Sportsbook

In a contest that should feature plenty of scoring opportunities, back Andrei Svechnikov to score a goal for the Carolina Hurricanes as he continues to be their most consistent source of offensive production. Heading into Thursday, Svechnikov is averaging nearly four Shots on Goal per game while also generating 0.55 Expected Goals. The Penguins Joel Blomqvist is also expected to get the starting nod, serving as a sizable drop off in production when compared to their starting goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.

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Minnesota Wild vs. San Jose Sharks - Prop Bets (10:30 PM, EST)

San Jose Sharks Team Total Under 2.5 (-145) at BetMGM Sportsbook

While the contest between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes is expected to be a high scoring affair, the nightcap between the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild may be on the opposite end of the spectrum. As of writing, both front lines currently rank in the bottom ten in Expected Goals For in All Situations and in 5-on-5 Play. Fortunately for Minnesota, their defense has continued to pace a majority of the league in Expected Goals Against in All Situations by averaging just 2.68 Expected Goals per game.

Even with Calder Memorial Trophy contender Macklin Celebrini making his second start since returning from injury, his production alone is hardly enough to turn the Sharks offense into a competitive unit. Especially with the Wild’s starting goalie Filip Gustavsson continuing to play at a Vezina Trophy award contending level, entering the contest averaging just 2.33 Goals Against per game while generating a Save Percentage of .917.

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Fabian Zetterlund Under 2.5 Shots on Goal (-164) at Caesars Sportsbook

Correlating this prop with the previously mentioned one, the Sharks anemic offense should continue to struggle with generating Shots on Goal as the Wild excel at smothering opposing shot attempts. San Jose’s forward Fabian Zetterlund has been especially underwhelming in his efforts of pressuring opposing goalies, entering the contest averaging just 2.07 Shots on Goal per game. With his surrounding cast struggling to stretch out the Wild’s coverage, expect another low volume of Shots on Goal from Zetterlund.

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