Friday night’s NHL slate is a great 4-game pallet cleanser from jam packed action on Thursday, and a great appetizer to an even more jam packed 13-game slate on Saturday. The Penguins, Capitals, and Wild are all middling at best, so these November games have more meaning for them than they would have hoped entering the season. The Lightning have been good but not great, and the Kraken and Stars are looking to sustain early success. These are valuable points early this season and these teams will bring the energy on Friday night.
If you’re looking to have some action, check out our favorite player props for Friday night. Along with our player props, be sure to also check out our NHL picks for each of today’s games.
Auston Matthews over 1.5 points (+140)
After a slower start to the season with 3 points in the first 5 games, Matthews is back up to a point per game. He has 4 goals and 3 assists in his last 5 games. Maple Leafs opponents in that span included the Bruins, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights. Among NHL ranks, Vegas, Boston, and Carolina rank 1, 2, and 9 respectively in goals allowed. That means Matthews is heating up and coming through against good teams. He isn't just padding stats by beating up on bad teams.
Matthews, to no surprise, is Toronto's top line center and runs the off wing on the top power play. Every time he steps on the ice, he is joined by some combination of Mitch Marner, Alexander Kerfoot, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Morgan Reilly among other teammates. With those guys, there is always plenty of room for offense, and Matthews is usually at the heart it. Matthews has logged at least 19 minutes of ice time and at least 5 shots on goal in 3 of his last 4 games. Matthews' ice time, line mates, and overall recent form make for a good matchup against this Penguins team that is ranked bottom 10 in the NHL in goal prevention.