Super Bowl 57 may be getting all the hype for tonight, but we have NHL action leading up to the game. Like yesterday, we have early afternoon puck drops. All 4 games take place prior to the Super Bowl, which is obviously no mistake. If you'd rather not sweat out a 3-hour long game before watching another one, we have you covered with our favorite player props. We're targeting a skater in the first game of the day, so let's get into it.'
Along with our player props, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today's action.
Alex Ovechkin over 0.5 goals (+100)
The Washington Capitals just opened up the 2nd half of their season by defeating the best team in the NHL. Not only did they take down the Bruins, but they also did so in Boston by allowing just 1 goal. They now get to head back to the nation's capital to keep that momentum going. Another surprising aspect to their win yesterday afternoon was that they did so without Ovechkin getting in the box score. Ironically, it was his longtime assist-man Nicklas Backstrom that got the scoring started.
Regardless, we don't expect him to be held in check again now that he and the Caps are taking on the San Jose Sharks. They'll be on home ice taking on a team that has allowed the 4th-most goals per game this season and the 2nd-most this calendar year. Admittedly, Ove didn't score against the Sharks last month, but had 2 goals in the game prior. There's not much that hasn't been said about the future Hall-of-Famer as he looks set to break Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals in NHL history in the next couple of seasons. Don't expect Ove to be shy about taking his chance knowing he's facing such a poor goaltending team either. His 224 shots are the 4th-most in the league this season, and we expect one of those to find the back of the net.