Today’s NHL Prop Picks and Best Bets: Mrazek Shuts the Door on Huberdeau

Prop bet #1: Seth to score 

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Arizona Coyotes in what is expected to be a lopsided affair. While Arizona is slowly becoming a better team, this is still one of the worst lineups in hockey, especially in the back end.

At 5-on-5, the Yotes rank 21st in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). That has led to goaltender Connor Ingram having to stand on his head in pretty much every outing, although he has generally done a terrific job.

With that said, his .916 SV% is unsustainable given the amount of high-danger scoring chances this group surrenders. We are starting to see this expected regression take place as he is coming off a terrible performance in which Ingram surrendered six goals on 37 shots for a .838 SV% against Tampa Bay.

If anyone on the Canes can capitalize, it's Seth Jarvis, who is third on the team in goals. He is due for one, given he has not scored in each of his past six outings — his longest drought of the campaign.

Jarvis excels on the power play and leads the team with eight goals on the man advantage, and Arizona just so happens to rank 30th in the league in penalty minutes taken per game and 19th in penalty kill percentage.

Seth Jarvis prop: Anytime goalscorer (+210 at Bet99)

Prop bet #2: Teuvo Time

My thinking here is simple: I am fairly confident that either Jarvis or Teuvo Teravainen will score against this poor Arizona blue line, which guarantees a profit. And, if both score, all the better.

Teravainen ranks right behind Jarvis in power-play goals with seven, and the Finnish forward is riding back-to-back games with a goal. This success should continue against the Yotes, a team he has scored against three times in his career.

Furthermore, each of his past three goals have come on the power play, which could be a lethal unit in this game considering Arizona’s woes in both taking penalties and subsequently killing them off.

Teuvo Teravainen prop: Anytime goalscorer (+250 at Bet99)

Prop bet #3: Huberdeau's woes continue

Saturday’s nightcap features a Western Conference tilt between the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks. While Chicago is terrible, one of the very few bright spots for this group this season has been the play of goaltender Petr Mrazek.

Through 33 appearances in the crease, Mrazek boasts a .908 SV% and 2.98 GAA. Entering this matchup in particularly good form, the netminder boasts a stellar .931 SV% and 2.01 GAA over his past seven starts.

The craziest aspect about those numbers is that he has somehow looked even better than they suggest, which is saying a lot. Therefore, my attempt to fade Jonathan Huberdeau is not necessarily an indictment on his abilities, but rather a backing of Mrazek’s tremendous work this season.

With that said, Huberdeau is no longer anywhere near the player he was back in Florida. Through 47 games this year, Huberdeau has posted a pedestrian six goals and 20 assists, which ranks just eighth on the team.

He’s shown an unwillingness to shoot the puck, averaging just 1.25 shots on goal per game over his past 10. That bodes well for fading his points prop, especially against a sturdy goaltender like Mrazek.

Jonathan Huberdeau prop: Under 0.5 points (+105 at Bet99)