Capitals vs. Kings: The best NHL player prop bets for Nov. 17

The Los Angeles Kings will start a seven-game home stand when they host the Washington Capitals at the Staples Center on Wednesday night.

The Kings won seven straight contests prior to an overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets at the tail-end of a four-game road trip on Saturday, but have had several days to recover. The Capitals had a four-game win streak snapped by the soaring Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, but picked up yet another point for an overtime loss.

Let’s take a look at our top three player prop bets for this matchup.

Washington Capitals (9-2-5) at Los Angeles Kings (8-5-2), 10:30 p.m. ET

Alex Ovechkin Over/Under 4.5 shots on goal

Watching Washington captain Alex Ovechkin climb the all-time goals chart has been fascinating, but the Kings may contain him on Wednesday night.

L.A. gives up two fewer shots on goal per game at home than they do overall. Their blueliners have by far the fresher legs under them, so the Caps could spend the majority of this game in their own end of the ice.

Ovechkin has gone four straight games without breaking 4.5 shots, and that streak should not be interrupted here.

NHL pick: Under (-139)

Adrian Kempe goal scorer

After starting Vitek Vanecek in net on Tuesday, the Capitals will most likely turn to backup goalie Ilya Samsonov on the tail-end of this back-to-back.

Samsonov’s 4-0-1 record belies the fact that he’s far inferior to Vanecek by GAA (2.93, compared Vanecek’s 2.39) and save % (.894 compared to .911) this year. This opens the door for the Kings to have a big night on offense, starting with one of their most dangerous snipers in Adrian Kempe.

Kempe has four goals and an assist through six games this month. He’s peppered opposing netminders with 20 shots in that span. Kempe is available at generous odds to tally a goal at some point on Wednesday, so jump on them as soon as you can.

NHL pick: Kempe anytime goal (+260)

Andreas Athanasiou goal scorer

Andreas Athanasiou managed five points in his first four games of the season before being held off the scoresheet by the Jets last Saturday. But he could rebound with a goal at a nice price here.

Athanasiou took 10 shots on goal in his first four games before being blanked in that category when last seen. Bettors should dismiss that as a fluke occurrence.

As we mentioned before, the Caps will have heavy legs in this one, and a backup netminder between the pipes. This plays right into the hands of a gifted goal-scorer like Athanasiou.

NHL pick: Athanasiou anytime goal (+350)