It's finally Saturday, which means a loaded NHL slate. It also means early afternoon hockey. We've got a jam-packed 12-game slate, with multiple early games and action all through the night. That means tons of skaters to look at and see how they matchup with the opposition. Thankfully, we've done the digging for you and found the best spots to target. After just 1 play last night with the small slate, we're back with a bonus prop tonight, so let's dive in.'
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today's action.
Brad Marchand over 0.5 assists (-135)
When we have afternoon hockey, it's only right to have our first play from one of the early games. We're targeting the best team in hockey with the Boston Bruins sitting at an incredible 28-4-3. Not only that, they'll be at home, where they're a ridiculous 18-0-2. One of the reasons for their success has been their goal-scoring, led by the trio of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. The latter 2 are the primary shot-takers, and we're backing Marchand to send a helper to one of them to find the back of the net.'
The Buffalo Sabres are the opposition, and are one of the few teams that can keep up with the Bruins offensively. That should put more pressure on Marchand and company to score. They were able to do so in their defeat of the Sabres earlier in the season, where Marchand had 2 assists. Not only that, he feasted on Buffalo last season, recording 2 assists in 3 of 4 meetings, and 1 in the other for a total of 7 assists across 4 games. The Sabres offensive is explosive as well, but it's had to be as they allow the 10th-most goals per game. After the Bruins have had to face a stingy New Jersey Devils defense in 2 of their last 3 games, this should be a welcomed change for Marchand and the boys.''