NHL Player Props & Best Bets Today: Wednesday's Best NHL Prop Picks for Jan. 21

My NHL player props and best bets today feature three of the league's elite offensive players and a defenseman who leads his team in assists. 

I'm spotlighting Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon in tonight's games, offering a different prop for each superstar. These picks are part of the NHL best bets series. 

🏒 NHL player props today: Jan. 21 

See all of our experts' NHL picks based on the latest NHL odds.

💰 Best NHL player prop bet today: Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, Over 3.5 shots (+110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Check out all of our NHL analysis and expert predictions this season.

Matthews has scored in three consecutive games, and while his goal-scoring prop appeals, I'm more drawn to his production as a shooter against the Detroit Red Wings. 

The Maple Leafs' captain fired at least four shots on goal in eight of the previous nine meetings with the Detroit Red Wings, including three straight. He averaged 5.3 per game in that span. He has only hit the Over on this total once in the last five games, which should provide the impetus to shoot on sight. 

🔥 More NHL player prop picks

Sidney Crosby, Penguins, Over 0.5 assists (-111) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

No longer a kid, Sid enters tonight's game against the Calgary Flames on a three-game assist streak, with four. He notched an assist in four of the previous five tilts against Calgary, adding to the allure of this prop. 

Sid usually performs well at the Scotiabank Saddledome, which will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody. 

Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, Anytime goal (-120) ⭐⭐⭐

MacKinnon scored two goals in the last game and is on pace to finish with 66. He's also a big fan of duck hunting, with a goal in three of the previous four games against Anaheim. 

MacKinnon's the clear Hart Trophy odds favorite at the two-thirds mark of the regular season. The fact that MacKinnon is receiving minus-money odds to score a goal puts into context how prolific he's been. Those short odds are why I've reduced it to a 3-star play.  

John Carlson, Capitals, Over 0.5 assits (+115) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

John Carlson has eight assists in the previous eight games, notching at least one six times. He is facing a Vancouver Canucks team that has allowed at least four goals in seven of the last eight games. 

You won't be dumbfounded to learn that Vancouver has the league's worst defensive record. Carlson, meanwhile, leads the Capitals in assists, out-pacing their usual assists wizard, Dylan Strome. 

🚀 Best NHL parlay picks today