NHL Tuesday prop bets: Round 2 begins

We've made it to Round 2 in the Stanley Cup playoffs! Our Round 1 was a success both as a bettor (+8.53u) and a fan, as we were treated to quality series across the board.

While we strive to keep the former true, I feel supremely confident the latter is set to repeat. We'll start our dose of second-round matchups with two games Tuesday night.

My approach for this round is to look at a few primary things: how their regular-season series went, who has done well against this team before, current momentum and playoff data such as power plays allowed per game and positional shot data from the first round.

All that is to say, we are prepared and ready to start Round 2 right. Here are the shots on goal (SOG) and points props worth looking at Tuesday.

Parlay: Nikita Kucherov and Cale Makar over 2.5 SOG (+164 CZR)

With shot odds getting so heavily juiced, hopefully we don't need to deploy too many parlays on a nightly basis, as straight plays are always preferred.

We start one of our first two parlays with Nikita Kucherov and Cale Makar.

Kucherov is on my radar due to his involvement on the power play thus far this postseason, coupled with Florida allowing four power-play opportunities per game in Round 1. If the Lightning get those similar opportunities that the Capitals did, then I like Kucherov to capitalize, especially with Brayden Point (the second PP shot leader) doubtful Tuesday night.

In one game against Florida this year, Kucherov finished with five shots and a monster five points (two goals).

During the regular season, defensemen were getting their shots off against St. Louis, and Cale Makar is a special kind of talent that I like to reach this three SOG number repeatedly. 

Makar averaged 6.5 shot attempts per game in Round 1, and went over against the Blues in two of three this season.

In those three games, Makar put up a monster 28 shot attempts. Following that volume here.

Parlay: Jonathan Huberdeau and Valeri Nichuskin over 2.5 SOG (+171 CZR)

Jonathan Huberdeau is back home to begin this series, a location he has thrived all year. Yes, he missed in Game 5 at home, but in his past 30 games, Huberdeau has covered this 2.5 line at an 80% rate when in Florida.

Huberdeau is also the postseason power-play shot leader for the Panthers, and the Lightning had their troubles with penalties in Round 1. Florida averaged 34 shots per game against Tampa in the regular-season series, so there should be enough to go around.

We'll pair Huberdeau with Valeri Nichuskin, who has been rolling against this 2.5 SOG line. Nichuskin has now hit in 11 straight games, piling up 20 SOG in four games last round.

In one meeting against the Blues this year, Nichuskin finished with four SOG.

Aaron Ekblad over 0.5 points (-140 DK)

I am carrying over the defensemen points angle into this second round, and that starts with our old friend Aaron Ekblad. 

Ekblad, the top line defensemen who skates on the top power-play unit, had five points in the first round, and in three games against Tampa this season, Ekblad has two points.

When you scan the board and see how juiced these props are getting, -140 doesn't look too bad. I'll be playing it straight, but feel free to parlay this with our next pick if it's too rich for you.

The over/under in this Florida-Tampa game is currently seven goals, so there certainly should be scoring Tuesday night, and I tend to opt for the defensemen skating at home to take advantage of the potential goals to come.

Cale Makar over 0.5 assists (-130 CZR)

A Round 1 special, I'll be betting a Cale Makar assist for as long as the odds stay reasonable, and -130 is incredibly reasonable.

Makar finished with seven assists in the Avalanche's first-round sweep, bringing his career postseason assist tally to 25 in 25 games.

Makar had an assist in two of three games against St. Louis this year. His role in this offense is integral, and in a game I expect to go over, I need a piece of Colorado's star defensemen.

Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 SOG (-120 FD)

Focusing on star players as much as we can will likely become a daily staple here for our prop picks, and after what Nathan MacKinnon did in Round 1, he's one to go right back to.

MacKinnon covered in all four games, pouring on 29 shots in four games. While MacKinnon failed to cover in two games against the Blues this season, I'm not too worried.

I'm also not worried with this being our third Avalanche SOG target of the night. In three games against St. Louis, Colorado averaged 36 SOG per game, suggesting there's plenty to go around.

I don't see this high-flying offense slowing down, especially at home. MacKinnon has covered this 4.5 line in 70% of home games this year.

The cherry on top is the Blues allowing four power plays per game in Round 1. MacKinnon tops the Avalanche in power-play shots this postseason.

Ryan O'Reilly over 2.5 SOG (+125 DK)

We need a piece of the Blues offense Tuesday night, particularly considering how generous the Avalanche were to shots to wrap the regular season.

While the Predators didn't average a ton of shots against Colorado in Round 1, the stars did come through, and I would give Ryan O'Reilly that designation for this St. Louis team.

When looking at O'Reilly, there are a few things I like. He covered his SOG in four of six games in Round 1, and he's a center, a position Colorado was generous to for shots for the past two months.

What put this over the edge was O'Reilly's last meeting against the Avs. The Blues captain piled on seven shots on goal on 11 attempts. He's also scored in both meetings against them this year, with three goals total.

At +125, I love this value.

Best of luck Tuesday night! Let's start Round 2 strong and cash some NHL bets.