Best NHL Player Prop Bets Today: Nathan MacKinnon To Score Early (June 18)

The Stanley Cup Final rolls on Saturday night with Game 2.

When it comes to NHL betting, NHL betting lines are most popular but do not forget about prop bets.

Here are a few to consider for Saturday’s Game 2.

Nathan MacKinnon is second overall in goals with 11, potting 0.73 per game. He leads all players with 5.80 shots per game. MacKinnon also leads all Colorado forwards in ice-time at 21:11. Despite only playing 15 games, the Avalanche lead all teams with 20 first-period goals.

Nathan MacKinnon getting ready for his first appearance in the #StanleyCup Final 😤 pic.twitter.com/RqjVb2DLEo

— ESPN (@espn) June 16, 2022

Tampa Bay and Colorado have both allowed 11 first-period goals. The Lightning have a slightly higher percentage of scoring first, 11 of 18 games (61%). Still, the Avs have led first in eight of 15 games (53%).

At +950, MacKinnon has an excellent chance to be the first goal-scorer in Game 2.

This prop did not hit in Game 1, and Nikita Kucherov only had one shot on the net. However, there are still plus-money odds on Tampa’s leading shot taker. Kucherov paces the Lightning in shots and shots per game with 61 and 3.39. He’s been a scoring machine through these playoffs, scoring seven goals and 24 points in 18 games.

The Avalanche don’t allow many shots, as evidenced by Game 1, limiting opponents to 27.9 per game. Still, the Lightning will be more desperate in Game 2, and Colorado’s weakness is between the pipes. Kucherov failed to hit the net more than once in their previous game, so expect him to be more aggressive on Saturday.

Over six games against the New York Rangers, Kucherov averaged 4.6 shots. In four games against the Florida Panthers, he averaged 3.5, and in seven against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3.29.

At +135, the plus-money still has a lot of value for Kucherov to go over 3.5 shots in Game 2.