We didn't have a player props post yesterday. However, those of you who follow me on Twitter were able to enjoy a 3-1 night on shot totals. That pushes our record to 42-30 on the year for +11.49 units.
We'll look to keep the good times rolling tonight.
Jesper Bratt over 2.5 shots (+115)
Jesper Bratt is cooking on home soil. He has recorded at least three shots on goal in four straight games and has averaged 3.8 shots on target over his last five at the Prudential Center.
His line has more or less been the Devils' top unit of late and it's benefited from cushier usage in their own building. That should continue Tuesday.
Not only is Bratt trending upward on his own, he finds himself in a very favourable matchup against San Jose. The Sharks are bleeding shots, ranking 28th in shot attempts against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play over their last 10 games.
I like Bratt's chances of staying hot in this one.
Ryan Hartman over 2.5 shots (-130)
The Arizona Coyotes are a terrible hockey team. They don't generate much and are prone to giving up shots in bulk, as we saw last night against Winnipeg.
Now, the Coyotes are on the latter half of a road back-to-back against the Wild, one of the most dominant five-on-five sides in the NHL.
A lot of that dominance stems from Minnesota's top line, which is centered by Ryan Hartman. The Wild have controlled nearly 57% of the shots - and 60% of the expected goals - with Hartman on the ice.
Hartman's line should be able to generate a lot of shots against this Coyotes team, with plenty of them coming off his stick. He's amassed 53 shot attempts over the last 10 games and recorded at least three shots on goal in eight of them.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Cassidy has mild symptoms, and assistant coach Joe Sacco will assume primary duties behind the bench, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Tuesday, according to the Boston Globe's Matt Porter.
Boston is already without suspended star Brad Marchand, who was handed a three-game ban Monday for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Sunday.
It hasn't been an ideal 24-hour period for the Bruins. Forward Jake DeBrusk's agent confirmed Monday his client is requesting a trade. He will remain with the team while the club and his representative try to arrange a deal.
MacKinnon has missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury. Bednar said on Nov. 10 that MacKinnon would miss "give or take three weeks."
The 26-year-old has produced a goal and nine assists over eight games this season.
Colorado went 7-1-0 during his most recent absence. MacKinnon also missed the first two contests of the campaign, over which the club went 1-1-0.
The bolstered Avalanche will face a Maple Leafs squad that's currently the hottest team in the NHL. Toronto has won four straight games and nine of the last 10.
In our second edition of theScore's 2021-22 Calder Trophy Power Rankings, we feature two new freshmen making their marks early on this season.
5. Dan Vladar, Flames
Rich Gagnon / Getty Images Sport / Getty
GP
Record
SV%
GSAA
5
4-0-1
.946
4.8
Previous rank: N/A
Show us someone who had Vladar on their Calder Trophy radar heading into the season, and we'll show you a liar. Despite a hot start to his first season with Calgary, Vladar is a long shot as a backup to take home any individual hardware. Still, his recent body of work deserves some credit.
Filling in behind starter Jacob Markstrom, Vladar has been brilliant for a Flames team making plenty of noise in the Western Conference. Along with a sterling save percentage, Vladar has notched two shutouts in the early going. He's making a case for the most underrated signing of the offseason, as well as a long-shot push for top rookie.
4. Dawson Mercer, Devils
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
XGF%
19
14
16:13
52%
Previous rank: 4
Mercer's fourth-place ranking is far from a knock on his play, as the Devils freshman remains a steady contributor in his first season. However, he hasn't quite done enough to usurp the top Calder contenders on our list. Mercer sits in a tie for second in rookie scoring while also ranking second among all New Jersey skaters.
He's earned enough trust from his coach to play top-six minutes - which is no small feat for a first-year center - and he's made the most of his opportunities to make a lasting impression. Mercer was one of three first-round picks the Devils made in 2020, and it appears they struck gold with at least one of them.
3. Moritz Seider, Red Wings
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
XGF%
22
14
22:17
52.14%
Previous rank: 2
Seider's offensive production has slowed down a touch since our last rankings, but he's still contributing in every facet of the game on the Red Wings' top defensive pair. The German stalwart leads all rookies in average ice time by a significant margin and ranks second among Detroit's rearguards in even-strength minutes.
Additionally, Seider is still tied for second in rookie scoring despite the relative dry patch, and the majority of his production is coming at even strength. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Seider's debut campaign to date is his play in the defensive zone. He's provided a ton value in shot and scoring chance suppression, leading Detroit's regular defensemen in goals against per-60, Corsi against per-60, and expected goals against per-60.
2. Trevor Zegras, Ducks
Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Sport / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
XGF%
20
14
16:33
53.41%
Previous rank: N/A
After a modest start to a debut season with sky-high expectations, Zegras has begun to heat up. The supremely skilled star-in-the-making vaulted up the rookie scoring race to second thanks to a near point-per-game clip in November.
Zegras is on the positive side of many key metrics, and if he continues to put up points for a surprisingly competitive Ducks squad, he'll be a strong Rookie of the Year candidate all season.
1. Lucas Raymond, Red Wings
Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
XGF%
22
21
17:03
55.13%
Previous rank: 1
Through two months, the Calder is Raymond's to lose. He leads all rookies in goals, points, and shots while routinely showcasing electrifying game-breaking talent for a Red Wings team that wouldn't be anywhere near a wild-card position without him in the lineup.
Raymond is a weapon at even strength and on the power play thanks to a lethal release that can beat any goaltender clean. Combine his shot with elite hockey IQ and deft playmaking, and it's clear Raymond is bound to become a special player.
Honorable mentions: Michael Bunting (TOR), Seth Jarvis (CAR), Bowen Byram (COL), Stuart Skinner (EDM)
It appears Evgeni Malkin will require more time recovering from offseason knee surgery than initially anticipated.
Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke pumped the breaks on any possible return in the near future for Malkin, despite the fact that the star center participated in the team's morning skate Monday.
"He's an elite player. He's a great kid and it was really nice to see him out there, even though, like I say, let's not get carried away here. This guy still (has) some time to go."
Malkin underwent knee surgery in June. He was given a timeline of "at least two more months" on Sept. 23.
But despite missing Malkin and Sidney Crosby being out for 12 games, the Penguins entered Monday with a 10-7-4 record.
Malkin's recovery has significant international ramifications as well. If he's unable to return in time for the Olympics in February, the Russian Olympic Committee will be razor thin down the middle of the ice, considering Evgeny Kuznetsov is still serving a four-year ban by the IIHF. That would leave Ivan Barbashev as the nation's top remaining center option from the NHL.
The 35-year-old Malkin was productive when healthy in 2020-21, recording 28 points in 33 games.
DeBrusk will remain with the Bruins as the club tries to facilitate the request, Rishaug added.
The news comes after head coach Bruce Cassidy made the 25-year-old a healthy scratch for the Bruins' game against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.
"I think what happens with Jake, and what we've seen over the last few years, is that when the production is there, you're getting more second effort," Cassidy said Sunday of his decision. "They kind of go hand-in-hand. And when it's not there, we lose a little bit of that.
"And that's been the ask of him for a number of years now. No drop-off on this side of the ledger just because the production isn't there. Any 20-goal scorer still only scores once every four games, right? ... You still need the other things."
Cassidy added: "I'd like to see him impact the game with his foot speed every night in some way shape or form; whether it's forecheck, attacking the net, penalty kill, whatever the case may be."
DeBrusk has often been a staple in the Bruins' top six, but he's fallen out of favor in recent campaigns due to his inconsistent play. He recorded 14 points in 41 games last season before registering six points in 17 contests this campaign.
The Bruins selected DeBrusk 14th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He scored a career-high 43 points during his rookie season in 2017-18 and notched a career-high 27 goals in 2018-19. He's set to become a restricted free agent after this season.
Marchand took Ekman-Larsson down early in a 3-2 Bruins victory on Sunday night.
The skilled Bruins agitator wasn't penalized for the incident, and Ekman-Larsson stayed in the game.
Marchand is no stranger to the Department of Player Safety. This is now the seventh time he's been suspended in his 13-year career and the second for slew-footing. He's also been fined five times, two of which were for slew-footing.
The 33-year-old also has a history of animosity with the Canucks. He was suspended five games for clipping Vancouver blue-liner Sami Salo in 2012, and he infamously sent Canucks star Daniel Sedin flying during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2011.
Koivu, the team's longtime captain and all-time points leader, will be the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired.
The 38-year-old ended his career in February as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing with them for his final campaign. Before that, he played 15 seasons with the Wild, wearing the "C" on a full-time basis for 11 of them after serving as a co-captain in 2008-09.
Koivu is also Minnesota's all-time leader in games played (1,028) and assists (504) in addition to having produced a club-best 709 points. He represented Finland 14 times, captaining the country's World Cup of Hockey squad in 2016.
