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NHL best bets for Thursday Dec. 7: Luke is no fluke
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (43). Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

NHL best bets for Thursday Dec. 7: Luke is no fluke

We found our footing last night in the prop market, and now we expand our looks with a massive NHL slate. Hope you like plus-money plays, because that's all we've got here.

Trevor Moore over 2.5 SOG & point (+158 ESPN)

It's an exciting time for NHL prop bettors. More and more books are giving us SGP capabilities that are commonplace for every other sport.

One such book is the newly formed ESPN Bet, and it's there we go for this combination on Los Angeles' Trevor Moore.

The Kings should have no issue finding offense against the Montreal Canadiens, a team allowing 32.9 shots and 4.0 goals per game at home over the past month.

Moore has been a force, especially on the road. He has a point in 10 straight road games and eight points in his last six overall. He has 3+ shots in five of his last six and nine of his last 10 on the road. He scored two goals earlier this season against Montreal, it should be another solid game for the Kings forward.

Boone Jenner & Brock Nelson 3+ shots (+161 FanDuel)

I need to target the Islanders in some form, and considering they're allowing the most shots to centers, I'm opting to load up Boone Jenner.

Jenner's volume is not fantastic, but it is steadier on the road, tallying 4+ shot attempts in five straight and nine of his last 10. When Jenner finds 4+ attempts over the past few seasons, he's over 2.5 SOG at a 72% clip, averaging 3.6 SOG/game across 109 games.

I'll be pairing him with my true belle of the ball tonight in Brock Nelson. The Islanders should find shots against a very weak Columbus defense, and Nelson looks by far the best to me.

At home, Nelson is over 2.5 SOG in 10 of 12 this season, averaging 3.4 SOG/game and 6.6 attempts/game in his last five games. The kicker here is Nelson's history against Columbus, and boy oh boy does he love the Blue Jackets.

He's averaging a ridiculous 6.8 SOG/game in his last five games against Columbus, going for 6+ shots in four of those five. We're going to need to spread the net a bit further on Nelson here with two more plays below.

.5u: Nelson 4+ shots (+136 FD)

.25u: Nelson 5+ shots (+300 FD)

Luke Hughes point (+110 ESPN)

I know that Luke Hughes killed us the other night with only one SOG, but that one shot was a goal. It was Hughes's fifth point in as many games, and his elevated role for this New Jersey offense isn't going anywhere.

I'm a bit surprised we're able to get on this price tonight, so I'm definitely hopping on. There's a decisive power-play edge for the Devils here against Seattle's penalty kill, and Hughes is on New Jersey's PP1. Even if it doesn't come on the power play, the Kraken are still allowing 3.7 goals per game at home over the last month. I expect 3-4 goals from New Jersey, and their top defensemen should be getting in on the fun.

Hughes has a point in eight of the last 11 games in which he logs 20+ minutes of ice time.


Nobody digs in the corners for picks on pucks like YB's Griffin Carroll. Follow him at griffybets.substack.com for NHL data, trends and targets.



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