NHL Monday player props: Matthews to feast at home

We only have four games on the docket Monday night, and yet many of the league's brightest stars are in action.

Let's take a closer look at a few worth backing.

Auston Matthews over 4.5 shots

Matthews is firing on all cylinders at home. He's averaging 5.8 shots on goal - and 9.2 shot attempts - when playing in Toronto. He's performed drastically worse on the road, generating an average of 3.7 shots on 6.2 attempts.

He has three hat tricks through just five games at home, which is remarkable.

I expect him to build on his success against the Lightning. They've given up a lot of shot volume in the early going of this season, ranking 27th in five-on-five shots on goal against per 60 minutes.

Volume shooters like Matthews are in prime positions to exploit the Lightning, and we've already seen that. Matthews attempted 11 shots when he faced the Bolts earlier in the year, and that was on the road.

With more advantageous matchups on home ice, Matthews should be able to pile up the shots.

Odds: +110 (playable to -125)

Roope Hintz over 2.5 shots

Hintz is off to a very strong shooting start. He's recorded at least three shots on goal in six of nine appearances thus far. Despite missing a game, nobody on the Stars has tallied more shots on goal than Hintz.

Although the Bruins are a good team, they're susceptible to giving up shots versus centers. Center duos of Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp, Matthews and John Tavares, and Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish have combined for nine shots against Boston. Anton Lundell recently registered five on his own. You get the point.

Centers are generating steady volume against the Bruins. Considering what we've seen out of Hintz, there's no reason to expect any different from him tonight.

Hintz will play a lot of minutes in what should be a very competitive game between two of the best teams in the league. Expect him to pick up a few shots along the way.

Odds: -110 (playable to -120)

Connor McDavid over 3.5 shots

Things couldn't be going much worse for the Oilers. They have two wins through 10 games and sit only ahead of a historically bad Sharks team in the standings.

Although McDavid isn't exactly to blame for their poor start, it's fair to say he hasn't been at his usual level of dominance.

He's recorded two goals and 10 points thus far while generating shots and chances at a lesser rate than we've grown accustomed to seeing. Again, McDavid isn't responsible for the Oilers' issues. But everyone knows he can mask a lot of them by taking things up a notch.

I expect that's what we'll see against the Canucks. McDavid's had their number of late, amassing 10 points and 26 shots on goal in the past five games against them. Those are the kind of outputs the Oilers need from McDavid to get back on track.

He's played only two games over the past eight days, giving his injury some time to heal. That should help.

So should his linemates. McDavid is playing on a loaded top line alongside Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, both of whom help boost McDavid's efficiency in terms of upping shot outputs. Win or lose, I expect McDavid to be firing in this one.

Odds: -110 (playable to -130)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.

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