3 Best NHL Props to Back Today: Thompson, Marner, and Markstrom

Monday’s NHL slate is stacked with afternoon and primetime options, but three names stand out above the noise when you sift through every market on the board — goal scorer, point scorer, and goalie saves alike. We went angle-agnostic today and just took the three strongest plays regardless of prop type, and the results span a power forward on a heater, a $133 million playmaker finding his groove, and a workhorse netminder who’s quietly been one of the steadiest goalies in the league through the first two weeks.

Here’s why these three bets deserve a spot on your card today.

Tage Thompson Anytime Goal Scorer (+140)

Tage Thompson has been nothing short of a problem through five games, sitting on three goals, five points and a league-leading 29 shots on net heading into Monday’s matinee against Florida. The 28-year-old is coming off a power-play goal in Saturday’s loss to Utah where he fired six shots on net, and he’s found twine in two of his last three outings — including a goal-and-assist effort against Minnesota and another multi-point game against Chicago. Thompson is averaging nearly six shots a night, which is an absurd volume number for any skater, let alone a 6-foot-7 power forward who can beat goalies from range or off the rush.

The matchup isn’t scary just because it’s Florida. Thompson has history against the Panthers, with six goals and nine points in 24 career games against them. Buffalo as a team is generating 26.4 shots per game, tops in the league early on, and Thompson’s workload — nearly 20 minutes a night with regular power-play time — means he’s getting every opportunity to add to his goal total. At +140, you’re being paid plus-money on a guy averaging a shot on net nearly every three minutes of ice time.

Mitch Marner Anytime Point Scorer

Mitch Marner just delivered his first multi-point game of the season, scoring the overtime winner on the power play and adding an assist in Vegas’s 2-1 win over Los Angeles on Saturday. That gives him two goals and three assists for five points through six games, a top-six role that’s showing no signs of slowing down, and a Golden Knights offense that’s one of the hottest starts in the league at 5-1-0.

Marner is logging over 21 minutes a night and more than four minutes of power-play time per game, slotting in alongside Mark Stone and Jack Eichel on a loaded top unit. Monday’s matchup in Minnesota brings a Wild team that’s 3-1-1 to open the year, but Vegas has been money on the road at 2-0-0, and the total sits near 6 goals, suggesting both teams expect to trade chances. Marner’s floor as a point producer is exactly the profile that hits anytime point props consistently — he doesn’t need to score to cash, he just needs to be involved, and he’s been involved in nearly every Vegas goal through six games.

Jacob Markstrom Over 24.5 Saves

Jacob Markstrom has quietly been excellent to open the season, sitting at 2-1-1 with a .916 save percentage and a 1.71 goals-against average through four starts. His lone blemish came Saturday against Minnesota, when he still turned aside 25 of 28 shots in a 4-1 loss — the extra goal came on an empty net, so the actual performance was stronger than the final line suggests. Before that outing, Markstrom had allowed just four goals on 55 shots over a three-start stretch, going 2-0-1 with a sparkling .927 save percentage on a season-opening road trip.

Monday’s matchup sets up well for volume. Buffalo is generating 26.4 shots per game, the most in the NHL through the first week and a half, and this is a Sabres team that likes to fire from distance and crash the net with players like Thompson leading the shot count. Markstrom has already faced 28-plus shots once this season and is squarely in Florida’s crease as the clear starter. With Buffalo’s shot-happy attack on the road and Markstrom playing every bit the workhorse early, the saves total has real room to clear.

Today’s Edge

Three different markets, three strong reads on current form and matchup context. Here’s the card:

• Tage Thompson Anytime Goal Scorer (+140)
• Mitch Marner Anytime Point Scorer (check your book for current odds)
• Jacob Markstrom Over 24.5 Saves (check your book for current odds)

All three bets lean on players getting heavy usage in winnable spots, and if you want to shop lines across multiple sportsbooks before locking anything in, that’s always the smart move on a slate this loaded.