Capitals vs. Blues: the best player prop picks for Jan. 7

Two of the top teams in the league will face off Friday night in Missouri, as the Washington Capitals (20-6-8, first in the Metropolitan Division) pay a visit to the St. Louis Blues (19-10-5, second in the Central).

Capitals captain and future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin currently has the second most goals in the league this season, with 24, and will continue to chase history, as he’s only 13 away from passing Jaromir Jagr (766 goals) in third place for most goals in NHL history.

The Blues should be up for the challenge, though, as they hope to improve their already impressive 12-3-2 home record.

Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET, and we have three of the best player prop bets below.

Alex Ovechkin: Over/Under 4.5 shots on goal

“The Great Eight” could be the most dangerous goalscorer of all time, when you take into consideration how much the game has progressed since many of the scoring records were set 30-plus years ago.

Undoubtedly, the key to being a goalscoring machine is shooting the puck as frequently as possible, even when the ideal shot isn’t available. Not to worry, Ovechkin shoots it; he shoots it a lot.

Over his 17-year career, Ovi has amassed 5,886 SOG for an average of 4.78 per game, which is an insane number in today’s era.

More recently, in his last five games, he’s averaging 5.6 SOG, which has led to three goals scored. Cheering on the nine-time Rocket Richard winner to shoot the puck is definitely one of the more exciting bets anyone can wager.

Pick: Over 4.5 shots on goal (-125)

Jordan Kyrou: to score at least one point

With eight points (4G, 4A) in his last three games, St. Louis winger Jordan Kyrou is having himself a great start to 2022. On New Year’s Day, he collected two goals and two assists to set an NHL Winter Classic record for points in a game, which helped him earn the NHL’s first Star of the Week honors.

The 23-year-old, already in his fourth season with the Blues, is currently pacing more than a point a game, with 33 points in 30 games played. With plenty of talent to set up his teammates or score the goal himself, Kyrou should continue to add his name to the scoresheet again Friday night.

Pick: Kyrou to score at least one point (-139)

John Carlson: Over/Under 2.5 shots on goal

On the defensive side of the puck, reliable and offensively gifted John Carlson has also had a great start to his season, averaging just under a point per game, with eight goals and 24 assists to his name.

The Stanley Cup champion also gets a ton of ice time and has been firing pucks on net as of late, averaging just over 24 minutes played and 3.8 SOG per game in his last five.

With the Capitals ranking fifth in the league for goals scored per game, we expect Carlson to continue to lead the offensive charge from the blue line for the Caps.

Pick: Over 2.5 shots on goal (-134)