Best NHL Prop Bets Today: Expect the Stars Defense to Round Back Into Form

With Mikko Rantanen giving their offense a high level of individual production, the Dallas Stars offense should face minimal resistance in their efforts of setting a scoring pace too fast for Anaheim to keep up with. Before that takes place, the Washington Capitals front line are in a favorable position to consistently generate high quality scoring opportunities against Detroit as the Red Wings defense ranks well below league average in Expected Goals Against in All Situations.

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Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars - Prop Bets (8:00 PM, EST)

Dallas Stars Puck Line -1.5 (-130) at BetMGM Sportsbook

Knowing they needed to add more firepower to help compete with the top of the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars were aggressive at the trade deadline and made a trade for the Carolina Hurricanes Mikko Rantanen. Since joining Dallas, Rantanen has been able to give their offense an instant boost in production as the newly acquired forward is averaging 0.46 Expected Goals and 2.80 Shots on Goal per game.

Against Anaheim, Rantanen and the Dallas Stars offense will have the opportunity to consistently pressure the Ducks net as they face off against a defense who ranks dead last in Expected Goals Against in All Situations. Especially with eight of their players averaging over 0.25 Expected Goals per game, giving the Stars the ability to spread out their attack throughout their four rotations and keep the Ducks back line consistently shifting across the ice to help open up gaps in coverage.

On the other side of the ice, expect the Stars back line to break out of their slump and string together a dominant performance by walling off a Ducks offense who ranks 22nd overall in Expected Goals For in All Situations. Even while battling against regression, Jake Oettinger has still been able to play at a competitive level as the Stars goalie ranks top-20 in average Goals Against per game. With clear advantages at all three levels of the ice, back the Stars to build up a sizable lead and cover the puck line.

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Mikko Rantanen Anytime Goalscorer (+120) at FanDuel Sportsbook

While Rantanen is a productive player in his own right, a major reason why he has been able to instantly sustain his high level of play since joining Dallas is because he plays alongside Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. Their ability to pressure the net on the opposite side forces back lines to be stretched out thin, opening up wider shooting lanes for Rantanen to exploit. With the Ducks struggling to stay in front of the puck, expect Rantanen to take advantage of their gaps in coverage and net his 30th goal of the season.

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Detroit Red Wings vs. Washington Capitals - Prop Bets (7:00 PM, EST)

Washington Capitals Team Total Over 3.5 (-112) at BetRivers Sportsbook

Time is quickly running out for Detroit as the Red Wings are currently two points behind the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference wildcard standings for the last spot in the playoffs. Their lack of defensive production has hurt their ability to climb up the standings as Detroit’s back line ranks 25th in Expected Goals Against in All Situations. With minimal support from their defense, the Red Wings are forced to combat against a high amount of variance in their contests which hurts their chances of winning.

Expect their struggles on defense to continue to persist against Washington as they face off against a Capitals offense who ranks sixth overall in Expected Goals For in All Situations with an average of 3.36 Expected Goals per game. Even in their latest win against Vegas, the Red Wings were lucky to keep them off the scoreboard as the Golden Knights generated a high amount of pressure in the slot. With regression looming large, escalator bet the Capitals team total by sprinkling smaller wagers on their alternate overs.

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Tom Wilson Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (-200) at BetMGM Sportsbook

While all eyes have been on Alexander Ovechkin in his pursuit of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goal scoring record, Tom Wilson has quietly been very productive this season as the Capitals forward is averaging 0.39 Expected Goals and 2.20 Shots on Goal per game. Against the Red Wings underwhelming coverage, Wilson should see an uptick in his number of shot attempts which increases his chances generating more Shots on Goal to help clear the over on this prop.

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