3 NHL Player Prop Bets to Target on Tuesday 1/2/24

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Utilizing numberFire's projections as a guide, here are some NHL player props bets that look appealing via the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note that betting lines and numberFire's projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. Also, the weather may be an issue in some locations.

Joel Eriksson Ek

To Score a Goal (+140)

The Minnesota Wild are dealing with a few injuries and need some extra offensive production from other players.

With the Wild's best player, Kirill Kaprizov, out for a few weeks, they'll look to Joel Eriksson Ek for some goals on the top line.

Kaprizov posted 40 goals in each of the last two seasons and removing him from the lineup is a big blow to their offense. However, Eriksson Ek has been strong this season and actually leads the Wild with 15 goals in 35 games.

He's on the top forward line and the first power-play unit, which has pushed him into plenty of offensive chances this season. Eriksson Ek comes in with 19.9 Expected Goals Scored, which is the fourth-most in the entire NHL, but has only 15 goals to show for it.

He's underproducing a bit and a matchup against the Calgary Flames puts him in a good spot to score. Since the start of December, the Flames are allowing the ninth-most (2.87) Goals and the ninth-most (62.34) Total Shot Attempts, both per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations.

Between the injury and the matchup, Eriksson Ek is in a spot to find some offense tonight.

Filip Forsberg

To Record 5+ Shots on Goal (+162)

The Nashville Predators have a huge 3.93 implied goal total against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks tonight.

Given how bad the Blackhawks' defense has been, it's no surprise to see a team with a massive goal total and that means plenty of value in the prop market.

We'll turn to Filip Forsberg, who's averaging 3.9 shots on goal per game and has 137 total shots on goal, which is the sixth-most in the NHL. He's hit this 5+ shot prop in 16 of his 37 games this season, or 43% of the time.

When it comes to the Blackhawks' defense, they're allowing the second-most (68.52) Total Shot Attempts and the most (33.77) Shots on Goal since the start of December.

Given Forsberg's ability to hit this shot prop, and the overwhelmingly favorable matchup, it's worth a look tonight at big plus money.

Dylan Larkin

Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-110)

With two of the worst defenses going head-to-head, we could see plenty of open ice tonight.

The Detroit Red Wings are visiting the San Jose Sharks and let's just say defense isn't on the menu. Since the start of December, the Red Wings (3.80) and the Sharks (3.69) are the two worst teams in the league in terms of Goals Allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations.

They are also both in the bottom five of the league for the most shot attempts allowed and the bottom 10 of the league in High Danger Scoring Chances Allowed. It's a complete mess on defense for both teams but that means plenty of offensive chances.

We'll turn to Dylan Larkin, who is the center on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, which has allowed him to average 3.4 shots on goal per game this season. Since returning to the lineup on December 18th, Larkin has at least three shots on goal in six of his seven games, and four or more shots in three games.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.