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Pastrnak, Ovechkin, McDavid Lead Richard Trophy Odds; None Have Scored in Last Three Games

Paul Attfield

by Paul Attfield in NHL Hockey

Updated Mar 23, 2020 · 1:09 PM PDT

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak
Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak has 25 goals so far this season. By Gspeed0689 (Wiki Commons)
  • David Pastrnak leads the NHL goal-scoring race with 25 and the Rocket Richard Trophy odds at +224
  • Currently second with 20 goals, Alex Ovechkin (+400) has won the past two awards, along with six of the last seven
  • Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are also at +400 and have 19 goals apiece

With the NHL season now over a third of the way through, the race for individual awards is starting to heat up. One of the closer races will almost certainly be for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s top goal scorer.

Boston’s David Pastrnak leads the league in goals (25) and currently has the shortest 2020 Richard Trophy odds, as well. Underneath him, there is a cluster of players who all have designs of carting off the award. In fact, there are seven players who currently have between 18-20 goals.

2020 Rocket Richard Trophy Odds

Player Goals Odds
David Pastrnak, Bruins 25 +224
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals 20 +400
Connor McDavid, Oilers 19 +400
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers 19 +400
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs 18 +700
Brad Marchand, Bruins 18 +800
Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche 18 +1201
The Field (any other player) N/A +2002
Jack Eichel, Sabres 18 +5000
Patrick Kane, Blackhawks 14 +5000
Jake Guentzel, Penguins 16 +10000
Brock Boeser, Canucks 11 +15000
Elias Pettersson, Canucks 12 +15000
Patrik Laine, Jets 8 +20000
Jeff Skinner, Sabres 11 +20000
Nikita Kucherov, Lightning 10 +20000
John Tavares, Maple Leafs 10 +20000

Odds taken Dec. 9, 2019

The Favorite

For the first time all season, Bruins winger Pastrnak has been held without a goal through three consecutive games. However, despite not finding the back of the net, it’s not like No. 88 was irrelevant on the ice.

The Czech winger had eight shots in those three games, and those chances will eventually turn into goals once again. Plus, with the Bruins beginning a four-game road trip on Monday night, Boston will look to their go-to offensive genius to produce to overturn their current two-game losing streak.

One thing that will help Pastrnak is the return of Patrice Bergeron, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury. Skating alongside Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, Bergeron’s return will have Boston’s top line back in business. When intact, it’s one of hockey’s most dominant trios.

The Old Faithful

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has been written off multiple times in his career, going back to the 2010-11 season when he “only” scored 32 goals. However, each time, he finds a way to bounce back. Just last June, he managed to parlay the eighth 50-goal season of his career into his eighth Rocket Richard Trophy.

With 20 goals in 31 games, he’s currently on pace for nearly 53 this season. Much like Pastrnak, playing on a successful, dominant team such as the Caps will only help Ovechkin in his quest for another goal-scoring title. At 22-4-5, the Caps are off to the best start in franchise history, and their 115 goals lead the league in that category.

Ovechkin leads the way – once again – with 147 shots and a 13.7% shooting percentage, which is about in line with his S% over the last seven seasons. Playing in that offense and taking that many shots, more goals are going to be coming his way.

The Contenders

When paired together, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid may well be the most dynamic duo in the entire NHL. They’re certainly crucial to the fate of the Oilers this year, with their combined 38 goals accounting for 39% of Edmonton’s output this season.

But is one a better bet to win the Rocket Richard than the other? They’ve taken a similar number of shots, with McDavid edging Draisaitl slightly in this category, 106-99.

However, McDavid’s shooting percentage is at 17.9%, well above his career average of 15.1%, while Draisaitl is converting at 19.2%, north of his career rate of 16.4%.

Both percentages should regress slightly over the course of the season, although Draisaitl did register his 50-goal campaign last year shooting at a 21.6% clip, so maybe that regression isn’t quite as dramatic as it could be.

With a career-high of 38 goals, it’s tough to see Pastrnak leading for the remainder of the season, while Ovechkin always seems to be in the conversation right to the end, making him the best pick at this point (+400).

Pick: Ovechkin (+400)

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