Saturday’s NHL schedule is loaded with 14 games and there are plenty of betting opportunities, specifically NHL player prop betting, and, as usual, I’m targeting top performers that have been flying under the radar as of late.
Best NHL Player Prop Bets for Saturday, January 21st
Brandon Saad Over 0.5 Points +105
St. Louis needed players to step up in absence of Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko and Torey Krug, and veteran forward Brandon Saad has done just that. The 30-year-old has been filling on the top line with Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas and has put up as more points per 60 minutes than both players since the NHL returned from its holiday break.
Chicago is a bottom-five team in goals, expected goals and shots against, and that puts the Blues, who have been the ninth-best offensive team in the month of January, in a good position to score goals. Saad isn’t a regular on the power play, but he’s put up 11 points in his last 16 games and his chances of registering a point are much better than his +105 odds suggest.
Kirill Marchenko Anytime Goal Scorer +310
Kirill Marchenko was moved up to the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner at practice on Friday and that puts him in a good spot to score a goal on Saturday. Marchenko hasn’t registered a point in five games, and he doesn’t have a single assist on the season, but he does have nine goals in 22 games and leads the team in goals per 60 minutes.
The 22-year-old has arguably the Blue Jackets’ top generator in terms of scoring chances and shots as of late, and he is pencilled in on the top power play unit with Jenner, Gaudreau, Patrik Laine and Adam Boqvist. Columbus has been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season, especially as of late, but San Jose has given up at least four goals in 10 of their last 14 games and Marchenko’s new role puts him in a great spot to score an anytime goal.
Wins: 7
Losses: 2
Units Won: +5.05 units
ROI: 44.5 percent
All bets tracked via third-party app Betstamp.
