Welcome back to Puck Picks! Each Thursday, I break down some of my favorite NHL bets, explain the reasoning behind them, and track performance transparently. The goal isn’t just to share picks, but to help you recognize why certain spots have value so you can identify them throughout the season. I’ll be tracking every pick transparently in this column, logging units won and lost as the year progresses.
With that said, last week looked like a good one, but we got crushed by one Luke Hughes PPP, losing us a big 4.7-unit swing on the no PPP parlay. We went 5-5 for a loss of 0.7 units. That brings the season record to 39–33 for +1.5 units. Now let’s dive into tonight’s Puck Picks. Let’s have a green night!
Nathan MacKinnon 4+ Shots on Goal (–135, 1.4u)
The Islanders have been allowing a disproportionate share of opposition shots to flow through centers this season, and MacKinnon is primed to exploit that weakness. He has cashed this 4+ line in five straight games, averaging 8 shot attempts per game over that span.
Colorado faced the Islanders just two weeks ago and MacKinnon finished with only 3 SOG, but the underlying numbers told a very different story. His line dominated possession (strong CF%), and many of those shot attempts did not get through from the point. With his volume unchanged and the role untouched, positive regression should land tonight. Expect the shot machine to continue humming.
Gabriel Landeskog Point (–120, 1u)
Landeskog has caught fire since joining the top power play, recording points in five of his last six games, including two PPPs and eight total points during that stretch.
He’s skating on a stable second line, but the real appeal is his exposure to MacKinnon, Necas, and Makar on the first unit. At an implied probability of just 54%, this line undervalues his true scoring environment. The usage is elite—this price isn’t.
Joseph Woll Over 28.5 saves (-120, 1.5u)
Carolina is in a league of their own right now in terms of driving play. They sit first in the NHL in shot attempts (CF) on the season, and they lead the league again in the last 5- and 10-game samples.
Toronto, meanwhile, is in a tailspin defensively, ranking dead last in shot attempts against across the last 10 games. This sets up a perfect storm: the NHL’s most dominant volume-shooting club against its leakiest team. Carolina should have no issue controlling possession and piling on attempts. Joseph Woll has been great since returning from injury, with a .919 save percentage and a 2.53 GAA. If he were to let in 3 goals against, Carolina would just need to reach 32 shots on goal, which they’ve done in 60% of their games, while averaging 32.7 Shots per game.
Troy Stecher 2+ Blocks (–105, 1u) & 3+ Blocks (+290, 0.3u)
Stecher has stepped into a top-four role for the Maple Leafs due to the injury crunch, logging 24+ minutes in his last outing against Florida—and delivering 4 blocks.
Tonight he faces Carolina, the league’s highest-volume shot-attempt team. More attempts = more block opportunities. With his expanded ice time and heavy own-zone usage, Stecher is positioned to absorb plenty of rubber.
Nashville Predators / Florida Panthers Over 5.5 Goals (–110)
These two teams met recently in a wild 8–3 affair, and plenty of the conditions that produced that result remain in play. Florida’s defensive structure has slipped in recent weeks, giving up far more quality looks than their early-season form. Nashville, boosted by Roman Josi‘s return, has reignited offensively.
This isn’t shaping up as a grinding, low-event matchup. The pace and scoring environment both favor the over.
J.T. Miller Point (–120, 1.2u)
Miller has been one of the biggest early-season disappointments with just 14 points in 26 games, but the underlying indicators tell a very different story. His deployment remains untouched—solid second-line usage with Vincent Trocheck and a locked-in role on the top power play unit. Ottawa remains strong defensively in terms of limiting expected goals, but their goaltending has been leaky.
The real issue has been unsustainably low IPP rates: 54% at even strength and 44% on the power play. These numbers are dramatically below his norm, as Miller typically posts IPP rates in the 70%+ range. Put simply, he hasn’t been involved in the goals that occur while he’s on the ice like he normally would. Whether that is puck luck or a lack of effort on Miller’s part, it should regress back to his career norms as the season goes on. The scoring environment is fine—the points just aren’t landing on his stick yet.
Over the past two seasons, Miller has recorded at least one point in 72% of his games, making this current –120 price far too modest. Positive regression is overdue, and the matchup and usage tonight give us a strong opportunity to capitalize before the market adjusts back to odds close to -200.
Edmonton PPP Stack – 1.4 units
Connor McDavid (+128, 0.4u) / Leon Draisaitl (+150, 0.3u) / Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (+195, 0.25u) / Evan Bouchard (+210, 0.25u) / Zach Hyman (+310, 0.2u)**
Edmonton’s power play is finally showing signs of life again, climbing back toward the elite unit we’ve known for years. They rank 3rd in the NHL in PP conversion (28.8%), but just 9th in PPG per game because they haven’t had enough chances. That changes at home—Edmonton draws 3.2 power plays per game in their own building compared to 2.0 on the road.
Enter Seattle, who come in with one of the league’s worst penalty kills at 68.8%. It’s a prime matchup for Edmonton’s concentrated, talent-heavy top unit. They run virtually zero time for a second PP group, meaning the five-man stack captures nearly all PPP equity.
I considered taking the safer 1+ team PPG at –130, but the ceiling on this spot is too high to ignore. If Edmonton scores twice on the PP—which is a real possibility tonight—more than three of these props could hit, and the return crushes the alternative. For additional upside, I’m taking a small 0.2u bonus bet on McDavid 2+ PPP at +625, which is very live in this matchup.
Adam Fantilli 3+ Shots (-112, 1.1u)
Fantilli’s role has grown significantly, now averaging close to 20 minutes per night over the past month. With the extra ice time has come a surge in volume—he ranks 7th in the entire NHL in shot attempts over his last five games and has hit 3+ shots in five of his last six.
The return of Kirill Marchenko only boosts his outlook. Marchenko is a strong play driver and puck distributor who should help Fantilli generate even more clean looks. Columbus and Detroit have been magnets for high-shot environments recently, including their last meeting which combined for 67 total shots. Fantilli remains locked on the top line and the top power play, and with his individual shooting rate skyrocketing, 3+ shots is a very achievable outcome tonight.
No PPP Parlay: K’Andre Miller + Valeri Nichushkin + Quinton Byfield (–172, 3u)
The No PPP parlay missed last week, tanning out profits, but it remains one of the highest-edge angles of the season, supported by role clarity, practice reports, and true deployment rather than name value.
K’Andre Miller was not practicing on any power play unit yesterday and in their last game he was removed from PP2, with Alexander Nikishin taking his spot. With Miller off the man advantage altogether, this leg becomes extremely high-value, even at -1050.
Valeri Nichushkin returned to the lineup on the third line and PP2, not PP1, as the Avalanche ease him back. Landeskog has fully claimed the top-unit job—and that isn’t changing.
Quinton Byfield is still being priced like a PP1 forward at -410, despite no longer being one. The Kings have finally given Brandt Clarke a chance on the top unit at Byfield’s expense.
All three players are overvalued by the market due to name recognition and recent power play deployment, not actual expected power-play deployment for tonight. At –172, this remains one of the most actionable mispriced combinations available.
Good luck if you’re tailing! As always, results will be updated in next Thursday’s column for full transparency. Please gamble responsibly and never wager more than you’re willing to lose.
Follow me on X (@fantasycheddar) for more daily betting picks and fantasy hockey analysis throughout the season.
Ryan Brudner
TopCheddarFantasy