Hey, remember all those bets you lost back in 2021? Well, to quote the great Rafiki from The Lion King: “It doesn’t matter! It’s in the past!” And, yes, while both the past and any losing bet can hurt, you can either run from it or learn from it. So, what are we going to do in 2022, fellow bettors?
The first Wednesday Wagers of the year focuses on a light night in the NHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs host an Edmonton Oilers team in the midst of a 2-8-2 run and coping with a severely depleted roster.
That game is available to watch nationally on Sportsnet channels, while the St. Louis Blues vs. Pittsburgh Penguins can be seen on SN NOW. Islanders-Canucks was also scheduled for Wednesday night but it has been postponed.
If you’d like to make the most of a light night in the NHL, here are a few player prop bets to keep an eye on during the first Wednesday slate of 2022:
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Can Hyman earn point against former team?
Had Edmonton’s notable absences and overall doldrums not overshadowed Wednesday’s pre-game buildup, the top storyline might’ve been Zach Hyman returning to Toronto to play at Scotiabank Arena as a member of the opposition for the first time.
Hyman, who spent the first 345 games of his NHL career with the Maple Leafs, has anytime points odds of -125 and a modest 2.5 shots total with -120 odds cashing if he records three or more shots. Specifically targeting a Hyman goal or Hyman assist would get you an equal +200 return. Hyman should get top-six minutes and line up on his team’s top PP unit if the Maple Leafs play undisciplined, so some opportunities will be there even without McDavid, who has 25 points in 19 career games against Toronto.
However, if you think Hyman will be stymied by his former club, then it may be wise to fade the Oilers forward by betting his under 0.5 points (-103) and under 2.5 shots (-110). Hyman has only eight total shots on goal, one assist and zero goals in the eight games he has played since Dec. 7.
Target the Leafs forwards thriving against the West?
The pre-game narrative for Edmonton-Toronto is essentially “this one could get ugly,” and Sportsnet Stats posted a tweet last night illustrating just how productive Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares have been when facing Western Conference teams this season.
With that in mind – plus the fact Edmonton is in a precarious position and has allowed more than 3.8 goals-against per game in their past 12 outings – it could be wise to target that trio.
Matthews will be in the lineup Wednesday after missing practice Monday and Tuesday for precautionary reasons due to yet another false positive COVID test result. No. 34 was white hot from late November into December until the team’s schedule was interrupted – 13 goals and 18 points over a 10-game stretch. He went pointless and only recorded three shots on goal New Year’s Day against the Senators, so this feels like a great spot for Matthews to knock off any subtle rust that might be present.
His anytime goal odds are rather chalky at -145, although he’s facing Mike Smith in net and his 0.71 goals per game rank third in the league behind only Leon Draisaitl and Max Pacioretty (among players with at least 10 goals on the season). As more odds become available closer to puck-drop, you may be wise to seek out any plus-money props you find on a Matthews multi-point or multi-goal outing – Matthews has 10 goals in 14 career games against the Oilers.
Tavares and Nylander have steep anytime point odds, both hovering around -230 chalk, but that’s not surprising. Both forwards average more than a point per game against Edmonton and the linemates both have 17 points in their past 11 outings. Where it gets interesting is on the multi-point market, where both are laying about +165 odds to record two or more points.
Draisaitl’s +120 anytime goal odds are the only odds shorter than Nylander’s +140 goal odds; Tavares isn’t too far behind at +160.
Will Guentzel extend impressive point streak?
Jake Guentzel will look to extend his point streak to a whopping 15 games when the Penguins, who are looking for a ninth consecutive win, host the Blues.
Guentzel has 13 goals, eight assists for 21 points since mid-November, including eight goals in his past five games alone. His anytime point odds are predictably chalky at -213 – his anytime assist odds are +125, but his anytime goal odds are a more tempting +140 considering he scores more goals than he sets ups. He is also mentioned in the East players vs. West teams tweet above.
If you bet that his point streak ends, though, then you’ll be rewarded with better than +160 odds. Also, the winger has averaged more than 4.1 shots during his point streak and you can get a +106 return if he has four shots Wednesday, which presents solid value.
All listed betting odds via Bodog as of Wednesday afternoon except Matthews’ odds which were from the DraftKings sportsbook
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