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NHL Player Props & Best Bets Today: McDavid Regaining Hart Trophy Form

Ryan Gilbert

Last Updated: December 16, 2023 3:04 PM EST • 3 min 31 sec read.

NHL best bets
NHL best bets

The NHL has a big 13-game slate set for Saturday. Read on for our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Saturday based on the top NHL odds from our best sports betting apps.

The NHL has a big slate on Saturday with 13 games on the docket. There is only one afternoon game with a dozen starting at 7 p.m. ET or later.

The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers face off at TD Garden in a battle between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. There’s also another Eastern Conference clash between the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers as two teams surprisingly in the playoff picture.

The night closes out with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Florida Panthers as one of three games at 10 p.m. ET.

Here are our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Saturday (odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Saturday’s NHL schedule and odds

(Odds via DraftKings)

Saturday’s NHL best bets

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Saturday’s NHL prop picks

Connor McDavid Over 1.5 points (+100 via DraftKings)  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Connor McDavid is back, and the Hart Trophy odds favorite for a reason. The Edmonton Oilers superstar is on a tear under new head coach Kris Knoblauch. 

McDavid has 30 points in his last 14 games, and has had multiple points in 10 of those contests. He's currently riding a five-game multi-point streak to bring his season total of multi-point games to 13-of-25.

That’s nothing new for the reigning Hart Trophy winner. Last season, McDavid had at least two points in 45 games (55%), including 24-of-41 at home (59%).

The Panthers have allowed four goals in each of their last two games to the Kraken and Canucks. McDavid should get his shot tonight against the Cats.

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Yegor Sharangovich Over 0.5 points (+105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

Calgary Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich has been thriving on the top line. 

The 25-year-old forward has points in five straight games, and six of his last seven. He's had two-point nights in each of the last two games as well.

It hasn't just been luck, either. Sharangovich has generated 23 scoring chances (12 high-danger) over the past six games.

The Lightning allowed a league-high 4.18 goals per game on the road this season and 3.55 overall. Sharangovich has a good chance to find the scoresheet again tonight as the Flames return home.

Saturday’s NHL game picks

Flyers ML vs. Red Wings (-125 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Philadelphia Flyers might be for real. They came back against the Capitals on Thursday night to win in a shootout to extend their point streak to seven games. They’re 6-1-2 in their last nine and 11-3-2 in their last 16 contests.

The Red Wings, on the other hand, are struggling a bit as they deal with the injury to Dylan Larkin and David Perron’s suspension. They’ve lost four of their past five with their only win coming against the sliding Blues.

Philadelphia is in a playoff spot, and it should stay that way for the near future. The Flyers have the fourth-best xGF% at 5-on-5 play (53.97%) thanks to solid play at both ends of the ice. Detroit has the fifth-worst (46.78%) and is missing its top player.

Back the Flyers to keep rolling at home at one of our best sports betting apps.

Predators ML vs. Capitals (-130 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Nashville Predators are another team that’s been sneaky good both this season and as of late. They’ve won five of their past six games and are 11-3-0 in their past 14 contests.

A lot of that has to do with Juuse Saros, who will be getting the nod on Saturday night at home. He’s won five straight starts (eight goals against, .953 SV%) and nine of his last 10 (21 goals against, .932 SV%). 

The Preds are also driving well with the 10th-best xGF% at 5-on-5 (51.96%) while the Capitals are in the bottom 10 (47.30%).

The Capitals are struggling to score and the Predators are on a roll. They’ll keep it going tonight.

NHL best bets made 12/16/2023 at 1:15 a.m. ET

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Written By:
Ryan Gilbert
Ryan Gilbert is a contributing writer at SportsbookReview.com, covering hockey and baseball. He is the lead NHL writer and editor at the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, where he also co-hosts the Hockey Gambling Podcast. Ryan covers the Philadelphia Flyers for Broad Street Hockey and co-founded Sons of Penn. His past stops include NBC Sports Regional Networks and NHL.com.