The race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues tonight when the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues return to the ice as part of a five-game NHL slate Friday.
Vegas holds the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and a three-point edge over the Blues, who are looking for their third straight win to keep their hopes of reaching the postseason alive.
St. Louis faces a tough challenge against a Carolina Hurricanes team that ranks second in the Metropolitan Division and with 107 points and is one of four teams competing for the President’s Trophy. The Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins (107 points each) trail only the New York Rangers (110 points) and the Dallas Stars (109 points) for the tops spot in the league.
Our AI-powered dfsPro model projects a number of individual performances worth keeping an eye on during today’s games. Let’s dive into some of our favorite NHL player props for April 12!
See also: Heavy’s NHL player props from April 11: 4-for-5 (80% accuracy).
Hottest Props: Take the Over
Brady Skjei: Over 0.5 Points (+124, DraftKings)
Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei averages 0.58 points per game this season, and our model projects a 60% increase in his point potential tonight against the Blues, up to 0.93. Though he did not find the scoresheet in Carolina’s last meeting with the Blues on Jan. 6, Skjei has points in four straight games heading into tonight’s contest (all assists) and has been held scoreless in just three of his last seven games.
Ryan O’Reilly: Over 0.5 Assists (+120, DraftKings)
Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly has found the scoresheet in each of Nashville’s three prior meetings with the Chicago Blackhawks this season, totaling two goals and a pair of assists. He is averaging just 0.42 assists per game this season, but our model projects a 30% uptick in his assist potential tonight against the Blackhawks, putting him just over the betting line at 0.55.
Marco Rossi: Over 0.5 Points (+120, DraftKings)
Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi is averaging just under 0.5 points per game this season, but our model projects a 16% uptick to 0.57 tonight against Vegas. Rossi has found the scoresheet just once in his last seven games, but he has one goal in two meetings with the Golden Knights this season.
Hottest Props: Goalscorers
Leon Draisaitl: Anytime Goalscorer (+100, DraftKings)
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is riding a two-game goal streak, and our model likes him to extend that streak to three games tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. Draisaitl scored a goal in one prior meeting with the Coyotes this season, a 6-3 Oilers win on Feb. 19. Our model gives him the highest odds among players on either team (52%) to find the back of the net in tonight’s contest.
Nazem Kadri: Anytime Goalscorer (+165, DraftKings)
Nazem Kadri leads the Calgary Flames with 68 points this season. He is averaging 0.33 goals per game and has yet to find the back of the net against the Anaheim Ducks this season, but our model projects his goal potential to more than double his average tonight. Kadri has three points (all assists) in two prior meetings with the Ducks this season.
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NHL Player Props: Hottest AI-Powered Picks for April 12