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NHL Player Props & Best Bets Today: Can Nylander Stay Hot for Toronto?

Ryan Gilbert

Last Updated: December 23, 2023 4:22 PM EST • 3 min 43 sec read.

NHL best bets
NHL best bets

The NHL has a massive 14-game slate set for Saturday, and we're offering our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Saturday based on the top NHL odds at the best sports betting apps.

As an early Christmas present to NHL fans, the league presents a 14-game slate on Saturday. Among the many standout games is a Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

Meanwhile, a Metropolitan Division matchup between the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes highlights the evening affairs, with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Calgary Flames to close out the slate 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

Rasmus Dahlin Over 2.5 shots on goal vs. Rangers (+114 via DraftKings)  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin let us down last time out with just two shots on goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Dahlin fired seven shot attempts on Thursday night but only two hit the net.

Here on Saturday night, Dahlin’s line is once again set at 2.5 with the Over paying off +114. That’s interesting given how the defenseman has been shooting over the past month.

Dahlin went Over 2.5 shots on goal in 10 straight games prior to that two-shot game against Toronto. He’s now gone Over 2.5 shots on goal in 13 of his last 17 contests.

The New York Rangers are on the second half of a back-to-back so Dahlin should be able to use his skating and skill to his advantage. Getting plus odds on Dahlin to go Over 2.5 shots on goal feels like a steal.

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William Nylander to record an assist vs. Blue Jackets (-140 via DraftKings)  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

While Toronto Maple Leafs superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner get most of the shine, William Nylander is on fire in his contract year.

The Swedish winger is leading the way for the Leafs with 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) in 30 games.

Nylander has been an assist machine this season, especially of late. He’s on a 10-game point streak (seven-game assist streak) and has an assist in nine of those 10 contests. Going back to the start of the season, Nylander has recorded an assist in 23 of 30 games this year.

The Maple Leafs are favored to win against the Columbus Blue Jackets with the Over 6.5 heavily juiced. Toronto should score a handful in Columbus and it's a safe bet that Nylander will be involved.

These -150 odds imply a 60% chance of Nylander recording an assist. He's done that in 23 of 30 games (76.66%) this season.

Saturday’s NHL game picks

Devils ML vs. Red Wings (-166 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a horrible schedule spot for the Detroit Red Wings coming into New Jersey on a back-to-back to face the Devils. The Red Wings surrendered a 5-1 lead against the Flyers last night before pulling out a 7-6 win in the shootout.

They now have to travel to New Jersey where the hungry Devils await.

New Jersey has lost three games in a row but just had Friday off to rest and prepare for Detroit. The Red Wings' win on Friday ended a four-game losing streak, but they've still lost seven of their past nine games.

The Devils are the much better team and Detroit is likely going to have to start Michael Hutchinson in net. Hutchinson had an .895 SV% in the AHL this season after posting an .877 SV% in 16 games with Columbus last year.

Flames vs. Kings Under 6 (-115 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Although the Flames-Kings rivalry has died down without Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary, it should still be an intense game in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Jacob Markstrom is back for the Flames, and he’s allowed only one goal in his two starts since returning from injury. It should be Cam Talbot (13-6-2, 2.02 GAA, .926 SV%) between the pipes for the Kings. The veteran has turned into a Vezina Trophy candidate in Los Angeles.

On top of that, both Calgary and Los Angeles rank in the top six in terms of expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 in the last 10 games.

This should be a low-scoring affair in Los Angeles.

NHL best bets made 12/23/2023 at 12:45 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.