Per usual, Saturdays in the NHL means loads of action. Not only that, there has been a flurry of trade action in the last few days alone. It can be a lot to keep up with, but we're still keeping track of everything to make the best player prop picks possible. Our favorite spots are with 2 skaters on Florida teams and one of them is featured in the first game of the day. With that in mind, let's get into it.'
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today's action.
Matthew Tkachuk over 1.5 points (+125)
While this isn't the play in the first game of the day, we still wanted to feature Tkachuk first, and we'll explain why. He's having an MVP-caliber season with 79 points, the 6th-most in the NHL. Connor McDavid may be the clear favorite to win the Hart and Art Ross Trophies, but no other skater has made as big of an impact for their new team this season than Tkachuk. He came over from the Calgary Flames this past offseason. Now he and his Florida Panthers teammates will be hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins this evening.'
With 2 Eastern Conference teams battling for a playoff spot, we expect an electric matchup. The Pens just squeaked by the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime, but still allowed 4 goals in the matchup. Since the start of 2023, Pittsburgh has allowed the 7th-most goals per game. One of the reasons for that was the 6 goals Florida scored on them at the end of January. As you may have guessed, Tkachuk had 2 points in that game. That included a power play goal and an assist. The left winger can get it done in multiple ways, which makes him even more valuable. Consider taking teammate Carter Verhaeghe to record a goal, but we'll back the consistency of Tkachuk for our official play.'