We have a small two-game slate Monday night as the NHL resumes following a pause for All-Star Weekend.
Although no sides or totals stand out, I still see plenty of value on the board in the player prop market. Let's take a closer look.
Noah Dobson: Over 0.5 assists
Dobson is red-hot. He's picked up an assist in all four games since Patrick Roy took over as the Islanders' bench boss and five straight overall.
What we're seeing from Dobson is the perfect storm. He's playing great hockey, owning better than a 60% expected goals share under Roy while having been on the ice for more xGF than anybody on the roster.
Dobson's also getting a ton of ice time. He logged 26:30 in Roy's debut behind the bench. The 24-year-old followed that up by playing 27:57 against the Golden Knights, 30:17 against the Canadiens, and a hair under 28 minutes versus the Panthers in the game before the break.
Dobson is a highly gifted defenseman who facilitates a ton of offense from the back end. With the Islanders in a heated playoff race and coming off a lengthy break, there's every reason to believe Dobson will continue to log minutes in bulk.
The matchup against the Maple Leafs is also conducive to offensive success. Only nine teams have given up expected goals at a higher rate than Toronto over the past 10 contests. There should be plenty of chances coming the Islanders' way, and Dobson will undoubtedly be involved in a lot of them with how much ice he'll see. Expect him to pick up another assist along the way.
Odds: -135 (playable to -155)
John Tavares: Over 3.5 shots
Tavares put together a rather poor January but started to come on before the All-Star break. He averaged 4.8 shots on 7.2 attempts over his final five games, capping things off by snapping his goal drought against the Jets. A string of better performances, coupled with a nice break to reset, should have Tavares feeling good as the Maple Leafs return to action.
The stars are aligning for Tavares to put together another good night of shot volume against the Islanders. New York plays a high-event brand of hockey that tends to lead to a lot of shots at both ends.
Tavares is also equipped with the pair of linemates he's enjoyed the most shooting success with. Among the five forwards the Leafs captain has spent a decent chunk of time alongside this season, he's posted his best shooting rates with Tyler Bertuzzi and William Nylander. It just so happens Tavares will skate with those two in this game.
Tavares has gone over his shot total in four of his past five contests and four straight against his former team. This is a great spot for another active offensive performance.
Odds: -130 (playable to -145)
Vincent Trocheck: Under 2.5 shots
Trocheck's shot volume has fallen off a cliff lately. He's registered two shots or less in seven consecutive games, which is concerning given that he faced off against bottom-feeders like the Senators, Ducks, and Sharks.
And it wasn't just bad variance in the form of Trocheck missing the net on a higher percentage of shots than usual. He simply wasn't generating many. Trocheck attempted four shots or fewer in six of those seven contests.
For perspective, Trocheck has gone under his total all 22 times he attempted four shots or fewer this season. And that number has been the norm for him of late.
I don't anticipate seeing much of a spike against the Avalanche. Only seven teams have allowed fewer shots per game this campaign, and Colorado's starting to get healthier.
With the way their goaltending has struggled recently, the Rangers have tried to suck the life out of games and put more emphasis on slowing teams down defensively. That's taken away from the club's offensive game, as New York ranks 20th in shot generation over the past 10 contests despite a pretty soft schedule.
Odds: -113 (playable to -130)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
The All-Star break gave us a few days to review the standings, which means it's a fitting time for an updated look at the projected top 16 picks for the draft in June.
You can find our first mock draft here, which was done prior to the world juniors in December.
Selection order is based on points percentage as of Feb. 4, and no lottery was applied.
Celebrini all but cemented his place atop the 2024 draft with his performance at the world juniors.
The 17-year-old was Canada's most impactful player at the tournament. He led the team with four goals and eight points and was consistently the most dangerous forward.
With 19 goals and 37 points in 23 NCAA games, Celebrini's production is in line with what we saw from Adam Fantilli, Jack Eichel, and elite draft-eligible players in the collegiate ranks over the past decade.
The key difference is that Celebrini is still only 17. Both Fantilli and Eichel turned 18 in October of their draft seasons, but Celebrini doesn't celebrate his birthday until June.
Craig Simpson is the only under-18 skater who scored at a higher rate than Celebrini in the NCAA, and he did so back in 1985. Since 2000, Jonathan Toews' 39 points in 42 contests are the most by a U18 NCAA skater.
Celebrini could pass Toews' total within the week. He isn't in the Connor Bedard tier of generational prospects, but he is a darn good player to land at first overall. A one-two punch of Bedard and Celebrini down the middle is the type of roster of which general managers dream.
The Sharks used their last five first-round picks on forwards. With the second overall selection here, San Jose takes a major step in rebuilding its back end by snagging Levshunov.
The top-ranked right-shot blue-liner in the class, Levshunov has stepped into the NCAA this season with Michigan State and been an immediate difference-maker. The Belarusian has tallied eight goals and 27 points, ranks second in team scoring, and boasts a team-best plus-24 rating.
With impressive skating and a pro build of 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, Levshunov projects as an all-situations, top-pairing defenseman. He's become an elite penalty killer with Michigan State in no time and is the youngest player on the team.
The Sharks need a blue-chip defender and have exactly that in Levshunov.
At 6-foot-7 and 211 pounds, Silayev is a behemoth on the back end.
His combination of size and mobility makes him a tantalizing prospect. In a modern NHL that becomes faster and faster by the year, a monster defenseman who can skate with the top players and shut things down off the rush with his massive reach and physicality is a game-changer for any organization.
The Ducks already boast exciting defenders in Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger, but Silayev provides a very different skillset defensively.
After the acquisition of Cutter Gauthier in January to add to an already blossoming group of young forwards, Anaheim feels good about grabbing the most unique prospect in the class without a positional need in mind.
After starting the season outside of Bob McKenzie's top 16 as an honorable mention, Lindstrom has vaulted himself up to fifth on the most recent list.
Lindstrom is listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, his skating is an exciting trait, and he boasts excellent hands and a lethal shot. He plays mean and has the ability to completely take over games. It's no wonder he's become a challenger at the top of the class.
While he's been out of the lineup since mid-December due to a hand injury, Lindstrom has an active 12-game point streak in the WHL. He's racked up 27 goals and 46 points in 32 contests to go along with 66 penalty minutes.
A one-two combo down the middle of Adam Fantilli and Lindstrom would truly transform the Blue Jackets' future.
Eiserman scores goals. He's done that often for the U.S. NTDP, with 103 since 2022. That's just 23 behind Cole Caufield for top spot all-time at the program with plenty of games to go this season.
The concern is the rest of his game, and that's why he's starting to slip down the board. Once viewed as Celebrini's top challenger for first overall, Eiserman is now the No. 4 prospect on McKenzie's board.
Eiserman remains a pure shooter. He hasn't developed as a passer in the way many had hoped entering this season, he struggles defensively, and he's not a primary puck carrier in transition.
He may be a one-trick pony at this time, but elite goal-scoring is the attribute you want if you're taking a one-dimensional player.
Brock Faber has been a revelation for the Wild this season, and they add a future partner for him in Dickinson at sixth overall.
Starring in a prominent role on a dominant London Knights team, Dickinson has added more of an offensive element to his game this year with 47 points in 49 contests. He's a smooth skater with strong defensive play. Everything about his profile screams minute-munching, top-four defenseman.
The Canadiens need elite talent at forward and take a swing on Catton in the hopes of finding a difference-maker up front.
Catton has destroyed the WHL with 35 goals and 78 points through 47 games. He's a silky offensive creator that boasts strong skating. He was excellent at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the fall and will likely feature prominently for Canada at the U18s.
The last time a draft-eligible NCAA defenseman produced at Buium's 1.31 points-per-game rate was 1977. He's been the top defender on a top team in Denver, and he landed a top-four role with the U.S. at the world juniors because of it.
The flashiest player in the draft falls to Calgary at No. 9. In need of high-end forwards as they begin to retool, the Flames take a home-run swing on Demidov.
No prospect in this class is as exciting offensively. Demidov possesses breathtaking skill and remarkable creativity. He's annihilating the Russian junior league with 20 goals and 45 points in just 23 games, but a lack of KHL minutes, an average 5-foot-11 frame, and the ever-looming (rightly or wrongly) Russian factor sees him drop to the bottom end of the top 10.
The Coyotes continue to build the league's biggest defense by adding Yakemchuk at 10th overall. A 6-foot-3, 190-pound blue-liner, Yakemchuk has a booming shot from the point and offensive skill. His stat line of 23 goals and 51 points in 45 games resembles that of a right winger, not a right-shot defenseman.
Helenius' intelligent play saw him become a top-six center in a top men's league at just 17 years old. A lack of dynamic attributes sees him drop out of the top 10, but the Kraken are happy to add Helenius to a collection of young, smart two-way centers in the organization.
General manager Barry Trotz wants high-end swings in the draft, and that's what he gets at No. 12 in Parekh. The 6-foot, 178-pound right-shot defenseman is a legitimate scoring threat from the back end, with 22 goals and 66 points in 44 games this season. Suspect defensive play keeps him outside of the top 10.
Jiricek is a wild card on draft day. He impressed at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the fall but wasn't as strong in the Czech league. He also sustained a season-ending knee injury in his world junior debut. With a 6-foot-3 frame and intriguing two-way ability, Jiricek could be a steal if teams in the top 10 are hesitant to take him after the significant injury.
Fast, skilled, and with lots of room for physical development at a slight 6-foot-1 and 156 pounds, Connelly has excelled everywhere he's played this season. He's a top player in the USHL and was an MVP candidate at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World Junior A Challenge. However, off-ice concerns from a pair of incidents in 2021 and 2022 make Connelly's ultimate landing spot more unclear.
Brandsegg-Nygard has been on fire since returning to the Swedish second-tier pro league after the world juniors. He has points in six straight games and is playing with confidence. A forechecking menace, he would be a perfect fit as a complementary winger with the Devils' elite talent down the road.
Note: Pick acquired by Sharks from Pittsburgh Penguins in the Erik Karlsson trade.
An offseason trade from the Seattle Thunderbirds to the Kelowna Rockets did wonders for Iginla's draft stock. The son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, Tij has 34 goals and 60 points in 45 games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him push closer to the top 10 by June.
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-year contract with a $800,000 cap hit, the team announced Sunday.
Puljujarvi signed a professional tryout with the Penguins in December. He joined Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate on a tryout in January, where he's tallied four goals and nine points in 13 games.
The contract runs through the 2024-25 campaign. Puljujarvi joins the NHL roster upon being signed and will require waivers to be sent down to the AHL.
The 25-year-old returns to game action after undergoing double hip surgery in the summer. He scored five goals and 16 points in 75 contests with the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes last season.
Puljujarvi was drafted fourth overall in 2016 by the Oilers. He had an up-and-down tenure in Edmonton, which saw him return to Finland for two seasons from 2019-21. He enjoyed a career year in 2021-22 with 14 goals and 36 points in 65 games.
The Penguins rank fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 22-17-7 record.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season with an upper-body injury that requires surgery, the team announced Sunday.
Samuelsson has seven points in 41 games this season while playing 20:30 per contest. He ranks third among Sabres defenders in ice time.
The 23-year-old most recently played on Jan. 23 against the Anaheim Ducks. He'd missed Buffalo's last two games against the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
Samuelsson is in the first season of a seven-year contract extension signed in October 2022.
The Sabres are sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 22-23-4 record.
Auston Matthews regaled the home crowd Saturday with two goals and four points to earn the 2024 All-Star Game MVP.
After registering just one assist against Team Hughes, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain helped Team Matthews beat back Team McDavid in the final with a dazzling two-goal, three-point performance. His second tally of the contest stood as the game-winner.
The sniper's victory marks the second year in a row where a player representing the host city won MVP. Matthew Tkachuk earned the title in 2023 when the Florida Panthers hosted the festivities.
"I've been lucky to play a couple of these, but never won, so this one feels good to get here in the hometown," Matthews said, per Sportsnet. "The fans (have been) great all weekend, just a great atmosphere."
"Couldn't have written it up any better than this," he added.
Matthews leads the league with 40 goals in 46 games. He won back-to-back Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies in 2021 and 2022.
Team McDavid defeated Team MacKinnon 4-3 in a shootout to advance to the All-Star Game final on Saturday.
David Pastrnak and Connor McDavid scored in the last minute as Team McDavid overcame a 3-1 deficit late in the second 10-minute period. Pastrnak netted the decisive goal in the shootout.
Team captain Nathan MacKinnon scored the opening goal and added a beauty backhander later in the contest. Oliver Bjorkstrand also tallied a goal for Team MacKinnon.
Boone Jenner found the back of the net for Team McDavid in the first period.