NHL Tuesday player props: 3 forwards to target at home
We enjoyed a very successful regular season with shot totals, and that continued on the first night of the playoffs. We won two of three, with the lone loser (Anze Kopitar) falling one puck shy.
Let's dig into three of my favorite targets for night Night 2.
Jonathan Huberdeau over 2.5 shots (-104)
Huberdeau just put together one of the best prop seasons I have ever seen. After a slow start, he responded by registering at least three shots in 29 of his final 34 home games. That's an 85% hit rate. Yes, 85%.
Despite consistently going over the number at home regardless of the opponent and hitting in all three games against the Capitals, Huberdeau continues to be priced at a coin flip.
What's even more encouraging is that Huberdeau's attempt volume increased quite a bit down the stretch. The Panthers star averaged 6.1 attempts over his last 10 home dates, which is well above the 4.8 he averaged for the season (while consistently hitting, anyway). Ride the hot hand.
Sam Bennett over 2.5 shots (-130)
Bennett quietly had a very similar season to Huberdeau; the difference is his shot totals usually came in at 3.5. Like Huberdeau, he is in play each and every night when the total is 2.5. Bennett registered at least three shots in 29 of his 36 games in Florida, which is an 81% hit rate - not quite at Huberdeau's level but very close.
The Capitals are a solid defensive team but don't have the horses to match the Panthers' never-ending supply of gifted offensive players, and they won't be able to get the matchups they want in Florida. The Huberdeau-Bennett line generally gets plenty of offensive-zone starts against weaker competition when playing in Florida, and I expect no different to start this series.
Elias Lindholm over 2.5 shots (-125)
The Stars struggled to defend against centers down the stretch. Only the Coyotes conceded more total shots to the position over the last month of the season, and Dallas didn't grade out much better on a per-game basis.
That makes this an enticing matchup for Lindholm, who registered 14 shots over three regular-season matchups while hitting his shot total (2.5) each time.
Lindholm also stands to benefit from the Flames having the last change. Darryl Sutter will have a much easier time getting his top line away from Dallas' best defensive players, which will only help the cause.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.