This article takes a look at Connor McDavid’s amazing MVP season through the lens of sports betting and also examines the recent hot streaks of stars Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon.
Connor McDavid
Edmonton Oilers’ superstar Connor McDavid was the favorite to win the Hart Trophy (+250) before the season and now he’s a virtual lock to win at -10,000, the same odds given to him in the race to win the Rocket Richard trophy as the league’s top goal scorer. McDavid had the third-best odds (+650) prior to the start of the regular season.
McDavid also crushed his regular season total (120.5 points) with 134 and counting, but sports bettors will have to wait to cash that ticket along with the rest of their futures. However, if a sports bettor bet $100 on McDavid to score a goal in all 70 games this season, their profit would already be around $1,375 heading into game No. 71.
Keep this in mind, though: If you were betting on McDavid to score a goal earlier this season (say his first 35 games) your average odds were around even money. In the 20 games since the All-Star break, the average odds for this prop are closer to -130, especially lately. In fact, betting $100 on McDavid to score a goal since the beginning of February would have cost you around $62.
Sportsbooks aren’t messing around anymore. If you were betting on McDavid to score a goal in his first 50 games, your average odds weren’t much different than what you’d see on a typical NFL point spread i.e., anywhere from even money to -120, but that hasn’t been the case since the All-Star break and the odds on McDavid to score a goal continue to climb.
If you want to bet on McDavid to score a goal on Monday against the San Jose Sharks, you’ll have to lay -190 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Leon Draisaitl
Leon Draisaitl has picked up his scoring pace with 15 goals in his last 20 games since the All-Star break and that would have returned roughly $325 to any sports bettor that bet $100 on him to light the lamp in each of those games.
However, Draisaitl’s anytime goal prop had average odds of around +110 during that stretch, and it’s listed at -130 heading into Monday’s game against the Sharks.
Nathan MacKinnon
Nobody’s going to catch McDavid, and it’s unlikely that any player will match his overall production now or in the playoffs, but in terms of goal scoring prowess, Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon has been on par with McDavid since the start of February.
Like McDavid, MacKinnon has 17 goals in his last 20 games. However, unlike McDavid, MacKinnon has been a profitable anytime goal scorer during that stretch as a sports bettor that bet $100 on him in all 20 games would have made around $1,150 profit.
That still wouldn’t be enough to make up for the roughly $1,200 that betting $100 on MacKinnon to score in his first 37 games, though, and adjustments have been made. This prop had an average implied probability of 46 percent prior to the All-Star break but has jumped almost 10 percent since.
DraftKings Sportsbook has MacKinnon’s anytime goal prop listed at -155 heading into Monday’s home game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Click here for the latest NHL odds and get injury updates here.
