Best NHL Prop Bets Today: Fade San Jose on the Second Half of a Back-to-Back

After losing to Calgary on Sunday night, the San Jose Sharks are projected to suffer their sixth straight loss to Winnipeg as their front line will struggle to pressure the Jets net. Later in the night, we turn our attention towards the Vegas Golden Knights as their defense will have the opportunity to round back into form in a favorable matchup against the anemic Los Angeles Kings offense.

San Jose Sharks vs. Winnipeg Jets - Prop Bets (7:30 PM, EST)

San Jose Sharks Team Total Under 2

It has been an abysmal year for the San Jose Sharks front line as they have continued to struggle with generating high quality Shots on Goal. Heading into the final stretch of the season, the Sharks rank 29th overall in Expected Goals For in All Situations with an average of 2.71 Expected Goals per game. Calder Memorial Trophy contender Macklin Celebrini has been one of their few consistent sources of offensive production as the star rookie is averaging 0.32 Expected Goals and 3.33 Shots on Goal per game.

Creating pressure will continue to be a hassle for the Sharks offense as Winnipeg’s back line excels at smothering opposing shot attempts as their top-5 rank in Expected Goals Against in All Situations indicates. Especially with the Sharks offense suffering from a lack of versatility as only four players average more than 0.25 Expected Goals per game. With no ability to stretch out their coverage, the Jets can continue to anchor in front of their net and consistently lessen the quality of San Jose’s Shots on Goal.

To make matters worse for San Jose, reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck is projected to get the start after participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Hellebuyck has been in a tier of his own this season as the star goalie is currently averaging just 2.07 Goals Against per game and a .925 Save Percentage while comfortably leading the league in Goalie Wins. Should it be announced ahead of time that his back up goalie Eric Comrie is getting the start instead, then reduce the size of your wager.

Winnipeg Jets Puck Line -1.5

With San Jose’s offense projected to underwhelm, the Jets will be in a great position to set a scoring pace too fast for the Sharks to keep up with. Especially when factoring in how poor the Sharks back line have been this season as their defense ranks 31st in Expected Goals Against in All Situations. Their inability to stay in front of the puck will help create high quality shooting lanes for Winnipeg to exploit, increasing the likelihood of the Jets securing the win in regulation and covering the puck line in the process.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings - Prop Bets (10:30 PM, EST)

Los Angeles Kings Team Total Under 3

With the Los Angeles Kings struggling to break .500 since the calendar turned to 2025, they are in serious jeopardy of losing their top three spot in the Pacific division standings to the Vancouver Canucks. Should Vancouver leap over Los Angeles for third, then the Kings would have to compete against the rest of the Western Conference for one of the two wildcard spots. That drastically hurts their chances of making the playoffs, especially with Colorado already possessing more points than them for the first wildcard berth.

A major reason for the Kings struggles have stemmed from their lack of offensive production as they rank 19th in Expected Goals For in All Situations. Other than Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala, the Kings fail to field another forward who is capable of generating high quality scoring opportunities on a nightly basis. Expect their offense to continue to underwhelm, especially with Adin Hill anchoring the Vegas Golden Knights net as he ranks top-20 in Goals Against per game while generating a .903 Save Percentage.

Jack Eichel Under 3.5 Shots on Goal

While the Kings front line have underwhelmed, their back line has thrived as their defense continues to lead the league in Expected Goals Against in All Situations. Their suffocating coverage will drastically reduce the quality of Jack Eichel’s shooting lanes, lessening his chances of turning his shot attempts into Shots on Goal. Eichel already struggles to clear the over on this mark as the Golden Knight averages just 3.13 Shots on Goal per game.