Neil Parker's favorite NHL player props for Wednesday, January 14, include Eeli Tolvanen, Owen Tippett, and Shea Theodore.

The NHL season churns ahead on Wednesday, and we have a four-game slate to navigate from a betting perspective. I’ve sifted through the data and analyzed the matchups, narrowing in on three best bets from tonight’s board.

The NHL trade deadline is less than two months away, and some teams have more cap space and draft picks to use in trades than most others.

There’s been a clear uptick in shot volume from New York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere across his past nine games, and the 2020 first overall pick has recorded 2+ in eight of those contests while racking up an impressive 22 total on 46 attempts. Both of those totals rank second on the Rangers, too.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. Five Penguins were featured on Pronman's rankings, as Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Harrison Brunicke (No. 100), Will Horcoff (No. 105), Rutger McGroarty (No. 115), and Sergei Murashov (No. 136) all made the cut.

Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer remains the clear favorite, but a consensus top four has also now developed.

The banged-up Colorado Avalanche lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time this season, but they rebounded with blowout wins.

Every NHL season sees new players begin what they hope will be long and productive careers. Since 2020, the league has seen youngsters such as Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard and New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes emerging as superstars in their own right.

Hawks players were confused at first by coach Jeff Blashill's new approach to penalty-killing. But it has yielded brilliant results over time, including a perfect 16-for-16 so far in January.