Penguins vs. Maple Leafs: The best player prop bets for Feb. 17

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16) celebrates a goal. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)

February 17th, 2022

Two teams jockeying for playoff position in the Eastern Conference will square off at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night, as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Penguins have begun their post All-Star break schedule by winning four in a row, while the Maple Leafs have gone 2-2. Toronto will welcome back their fans up to 50% capacity after playing in a mostly-empty home arena (or not at all) for most of 2022, so the home crowd should build some sort of advantage for the Leafs.

Let’s dive into the litany of available player props for this matchup and make our top three selections.

Pittsburgh Penguins (31-11-8) at Toronto Maple Leafs (31-12-3), 7:00 p.m. ET

Mitchell Marner goal scorer

Mitch Marner has played at a very high level over the last month, and bettors should expect that to continue against the Penguins on Thursday night.

Marner has scored at least one goal in nine of his last 11 games. In the two games he did not score in that span, he registered 15 total shots on goal, so it’s not as though the opposing defense was able to shut him down.

Six wins in a row courtesy of this @SamuelAdamsBeer OT winner from Mitch Marner! 👀 pic.twitter.com/m4mtAUYa5o
— NHL (@NHL) February 8, 2022

Marner being listed at -315 to score a point – the second-lowest odds on his team behind Auston Matthews at -385 – seems far from generous, but his odds to score a goal here are the exact opposite. At +195 – fourth on his team behind Matthews (-122), John Tavares (+165), and William Nylander (+175) – Marner is a veritable bargain.

NHL pick: Marner anytime goal (+195)

Sidney Crosby goal scorer

“Sid The Kid” buried his 500th NHL goal on Tuesday night, and he could make it 501 career tallies against Toronto in this spot.

Sidney Crosby has just 14 goals through 38 games this season, but nine of those have been accrued over his last 13 games. That includes his hat-trick performance against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 21.

Sidney Crosby scores goal No. 500. The Penguins bench clears in celebration. pic.twitter.com/YRQPJfNtNo
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) February 16, 2022

At very favorable odds, prop players should add a Crosby goal to their Thursday docket.

NHL pick: Crosby anytime goal (+210)

Kris Letang to score at least one point

The renaissance season continues for Kris Letang, as he matched his season point total (45) from last year in nine fewer games with a goal and an assist against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. He is on pace for his highest-scoring season since 2015-16, when he tallied a career-best 67 points.

Despite this, Letang is still available at a fair price to find the scoresheet against Toronto. Prop bettors shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

NHL pick: Yes (-175)

NHL