NHL bets: Devils provide tempting prop

NBA is about to head on All-Star break, which has us a bit wary of putting too many eggs in the three games tonight. Many of these players may have their eyes on a brief vacation and respite from the grind. So, we'll leave that league alone tonight and instead turn to the ice, where we've got 12 games to parse through.

The ice is nice, let's make a point to win some props

We tend to think when a night is more jam-packed with action, the more enticing spots quickly rise to the top, and that's what we have here. Two teams in particular seem set to succeed in scoring, and we'd like a slice.

New Jersey Devils: Nico Hischier & Jesper Bratt 1+ point each (+124 DraftKings)

The Los Angeles Kings looked simply atrocious on Tuesday, losing 7-0, and the team is now allowing 4.0 goals per game in the last 45 days as the visitor. The Devils are shooting the puck well, pummeling the goalie with nearly 34 shots per game of late, and they're averaging 3.6 goals per game on home ice across the past month and a half.

Naturally, we turn there for goals, and their top line has been incredibly steady. Nico Hischier has 12 points in his past 10 games, and Jesper Bratt has 10 in his last nine. More often than not, they're collecting these points at the same time, which is why we aim to SGP them like so.

Bratt has five points in his past four against LA, and Hischier has a point in three of the past four meetings.

Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson & Roope Hintz 1+ point each (+108 DraftKings)

Dallas seems contractually obligated to score 3+ goals against Nashville, hitting that mark in seven straight meetings, including all three meetings thus far.

This top-line combo of Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz simply love getting in on the fun against the Predators, a team worth targeting considering they allow 3.5 goals per game at home over the past 45 days.

Robertson has 16 points in his past 10 meetings with Nashville, and Hintz has 10 in the same span of games.

If you'd rather set aside player props and just root on goals, might we recommend one more bet?

Dallas & New Jersey each over 2.5 goals at +113 on BetMGM.

In the news ...

49ers fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks — Sometimes following an epic collapse, coaches have to make some changes, and it appears San Francisco HC Kyle Shanahan is deflecting blame onto defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, firing his DC after just one year at the helm. Wilks's overtime defense was criticized, playing far too soft and running some ill-advised blitzes that Patrick Mahomes was able to carve up on Kansas City's game-winning drive. San Francisco remains the Super Bowl favorites for next year at +550, but we'd recommend looking elsewhere amidst some of the drama unfolding here, from Brandon Aiyuk's uncertain return to the 49ers' guards arguing on social media. Detroit (+1200), Philadelphia (+2000) and Green Bay (+2000) out of the NFC all seem like more intriguing bets than San Fran at just 5 to 1.

Joey Logano, Team Penske and Ford win Daytona 500 pole ahead of race Sunday — After 11 straight years of Chevrolet cars winning the Daytona 500 qualifying round, Joey Logano and Team Penske's Ford Dark Horse took the honors on Wednesday night's qualifiers. Logano will now be in the pole position at the start of the race on Sunday, and he's currently sitting at +1200 to win and +150 to finish in the Top 5. Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are the co-favorites at 10-1, and last year's winner Ricky Stenhouse is 30-1 to repeat as champ.

Genesis Invitational tees off today -— The Genesis Invitational gets going today, and by the time you're reading this, we should have a fair share of the group out on the course. Scottie Scheffler is 6-1 to win this weekend, but we're liking the value on Max Homa winning at 20-1. Homa won here on his home course back in 2021, and he was the runner-up in 2023. That's course history we'll happily back, and just in case, we'll also sprinkle some investment on Homa to finish in the Top 5 at +400. Homa did miss the cut last weekend, so here's to some redemption after starting his 2024 season with a T-11 and T-14 finish.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.