We have a loaded NHL slate with games throughout the day! There are plenty of options to consider but we should focus on trimming down the list and getting the best NHL picks of the day!

 

NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 12/7

We're coming off a clean sweep from the Thursday NHL Best Bets, so let's look to keep that rolling today! Do I expect to sweep every article with wins? No. But as long as we continue to target the right props, we'll trend upward for the entire season. 

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction: Saturday, December 7th

This is one of my favorite matchups on the slate because we have a good team with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming off a loss versus a sub-par Pittsburgh Penguins team, who are on the second night of a back-to-back. 

The Penguins are certainly picking up more wins recently compared to earlier in the season but their defense is still struggling overall. Over the last two weeks, the Penguins have allowed 63.14 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-worst in the league. 

Let's keep things simple and just look for some shots on the Maple Leafs' side of things and we'll turn to William Nylander. He comes in with a team-high 36 shots on goal over his last 10 games. Granted, some of those games didn't have Auston Matthews, because he's only been back for a few games. 

Nylander has been over this 3.5 mark in five of his last 10 games, but has failed to hit it in each of his last three. Being held to just a pair of shots in each of his last two games is a bit of a surprise. Given how favorable this matchup is for shots, I'll side with Nylander to ‘get right’ and pile up the shots against a weak defense. 

 

St. Louis Blues vs. Edmonton Oilers Prediction: Saturday, December 7th

The slate's last game will be the St. Louis Blues visiting the Edmonton Oilers, with a clear player to target for a prop. No, it's not Connor McDavid, it's not Leon Draisaitl, it's actually Evan Bouchard. 

The 4 Nations Face-Off rosters were announced the other day and Evan Bouchard didn't make Team Canada. Most people agree that he's one of the bigger snubs from that lineup given how he's played over the last two seasons. 

I'm not saying that is the driving force of why I want to target him today but a bit of extra motivation is never a bad thing. As far as the matchup against the Blues, it's an awesome one since they have allowed 62.15 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over the last two weeks, which is the fourth-worst in the league. 

When it comes to Bouchard, he's piled up at least two shots on goal in nine straight games and hit the over on 2.5 shots in four of those nine games. The level of consistency to get at least two shots on goal is awesome and this is the type of matchup that should allow him to hit the over. 

 

Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 12/7