NHL PrizePicks Today: Top NHL Player Props & Picks for April 9 – Best Plays

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Note: Time on Ice projections and picks can change frequently throughout the day due to injuries and changes to line combinations, especially power-play lines. I encourage readers to check the comments section below for any last-minute updates prior to puck drop.

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Analyzing NHL Time on Ice PrizePicks Plays

Card Overview: Over time, sometimes it kills you, sometimes it saves you. I had both experiences on Tuesday as one pick was saved (Seider) and one was lost (Heiskanen). In total, however, another great night as Heiskanen was the only loss. 

As for tonight, we're getting into some unsettling territory as coaches might start making some decisions with the future in mind within the game. Much like the Lane Hutson situation discussed on Tuesday, teams that are locked into the playoffs might start pulling back a bit, which is scary if you're taking the more option. With that said, hockey coaches seem to play it straight more often than not, so I'm going to stick with my initial thoughts on most of these guys. 

BUILDING BLOCKS

Nathan MacKinnon 21.75 vs. Calgary Flames - 9:00 p.m. ET (LESS) 

You know that I don't like using forwards, but I'll make an exception here because it's clear that Colorado has pulled back on MacKinnon's minutes down the stretch. MacKinnon has gone over this number just once in his past five games, and that was a game where Vancouver got out to a big lead early in the first period. Even in trail scripts, MacKinnon has fallen under 21 minutes most nights over the past couple of weeks. Colorado knows it's in for a long playoff run, so there's no need to fight hard to win these meaningless regular-season games. Calgary, meanwhile, is all but eliminated from the playoffs, so I'm not sure how much fight the Flames will have tonight. 

Brandon Montour 22.75 vs. Vegas Golden Knights  - 10:00 p.m. ET (LESS) 

I get a little worried when playing a defenseman from Seattle because they're roatations have been hard to pick up on, but I think I've got this one. Mountour is capable of playing a lot of minutes, but Seattle seems determined to keep their three pairs all around 20-21 minutes per night. The Kraken can do this because they aren't going to the playoffs, so these games don't mean anything. They might as well figure out what they've got with all their defensemen. What clinched my thoughts on Montour was that he failed to go over this number in four of his past five games, and all have been losses. Montour has always seen heavy ice in negative scripts, but that doesn't seem to be the case any longer. Seattle is just going to spread those minutes out. Montour is on both specialty units, but he's on the second pair in each, so he shouldn't get much added time tonight. 

John Carlson 23.75 vs. San Jose Sharks  - 10:00 p.m. ET (MORE) 

I'm glad PrizePicks decided to keep Carlson as the option here and not go back to Jackson LaCombe, as Carlson is the more reliable option. Carlson cruised over this number on Tuesday, and yes, it was a trail script, but it was also a blowout, yet Carlson got plenty of ice time in the 3rd period. The Ducks are starting to slide down the standings, and while they're still in good shape, they haven't clinched a spot yet, so they'll be going all out tonight to ensure they're into the postseason. Carlson has played a lot of minutes since joining the Ducks, and there's no reason that will change tonight. We just need a tight game, and Carlson should hit again. 

SCRIPT/LINE/INJURY DEPENDENT

Quinn Hughes 27.5 vs. Dallas Stars  - 9:00 p.m. ET (MORE) 

I'm flipping the script here. We got the win on the under with Hughes on Tuesday, but this will be a different style of game tonight against Dallas. I've harped on the fact that the Wild have been playing Hughes too much lately, but that's been in an effort to catch the Stars for 2nd place in the division. Yes, Minnesota seems like the only team in the league that cares about home ice advantage, but we'll use that to our advantage tonight. I'm expecting the Wild to play to win this game tonight, which means plenty of ice time for Hughes. It doesn't take much to get Hughes over this number, a tight game and a trail script for part of it should be enough. 

Rasmus Dahlin 24.25 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets  - 7:00 p.m. ET (LESS) 

Dahlin has been a great "less" option over the past month as Buffalo has made it clear it wants to limit his minutes entering the playoffs. The Sabres played last night, and Dahlin actually went over this number, so regardless of how this game plays out, I would expect less ice time for Dahlin tonight. With that said, I don't think the Sabres can help themselves if they are trailing, so we're going to need a neutral or positive game script tonight to get this one. Considering Columbus' injury problems and general poor play over the past couple of weeks, I would expect Buffalo to play from ahead tonight, ensuring this pick.