These parlays power us into the weekend

Donovan Mitchell didn't suit up last night, and that turned our steals play into a winning 2-legger as both Jordan Poole and Russell Westbrook got in on the defensive fun yesterday! We're going to have to continue highlighting that market, but we'd also like to give NHL some shine on this fine Friday night.

We'll touch 'em both as we turn to a pair of reasonable parlays to power us into the weekend.

Arrow points up for this NHL parlay

The most notable matchup on the ice tonight has to be between the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers, two teams finding plenty of offense of late.

The Wild's offense in particular is interesting here, as their power play has come alive. They've scored a power-play goal in six straight games (10 total), and that's a streak that seems poised to continue here, as Edmonton's penalty kill ranks third-worst in the league over the past month.

Knowing that element exists, we turn to a pair of players producing on the power play and just combine their standard points, opening the path to some cashes in any form rather than needing it to be on the power play (though we do think that's where it comes).

Joel Eriksson Ek and Matthew Boldy are both rolling. Eriksson Ek has 13 points in his last six games, and Boldy has 11 in that stretch. They each also love to see Edmonton, with Eriksson Ek racking up nine points in the last eight meetings and Boldy notching eight in his past six.

Betting: Joel Eriksson Ek & Matthew Boldy 1+ point each (+104 DraftKings)

We'll keep swiping wins in the NBA defensive prop market

Bam Adebayo seems bound for a steal here. The Heat big man has 2+ steals in three straight and 10 total in his past six games. That streak should be buoyed here against a New Orleans team that turns the ball over at the eighth-highest clip in the NBA. Adebayo has recored two steals in back-to-back meetings with the Pelicans.

Tyus Jones looks to be in favorable spot for a swipe here, facing a Thunder team turning the ball over at the highest rate this season. Jones is averaging 1.1 steals per game this year, notching at least one in 75% of his games. He's certainly loved seeing Oklahoma City, piling up seven steals in his last three meetings.

Simple does it for us with these props.

Betting: Bam Adebayo & Tyus Jones 1+ steal each (+139 DraftKings)

In the news ...

Nikola Jokic records historic triple-double on Thursday — There was no rust for Denver's Nikola Jokic after the All-Star break, as he piled up 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in a win over  Washington. The triple-double was special, as Jokic becomes only the third player in NBA history to post triple-doubles against every team they've played against. He joins LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the only players to accomplish the ridiculous feat. Jokic is currently the -140 favorite to win NBA MVP, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander behind him at +220. Denver is also +475 to win the NBA title again, the best odds of any Western Conference team.

Reports suggest LeBron James would like to sign new contract with Los Angeles — While there have been some murmurs that LeBron James may opt for a new team soon or even retire, that does not seem to be the case. Brian Windhorst, who has a strong track record of covering LeBron news, is reporting that James is angling for a new long-term contract with the Lakers this offseason. Talks have already turned to what Los Angeles can do this summer to give James and Anthony Davis another star. The Lakers are currently the ninth-seed in the West and thus in the mix for the play-in games. They are currently +128 to make the playoffs.

Auston Matthews keeps up his blistering pace — This run by Toronto's Auston Matthews is simply unreal. The star center scored again last night, making it 10 goals in five games, and he now sits at 52 goals through just 55 games. FanDuel has some intriguing markets up for Matthews, including a +1800 price on him reaching 60 goals in 60 games. He is now +230 to win the Hart Trophy, just behind Nathan MacKinnon at +170. He was north of +300 yesterday, now is probably the time to hop on before he assumedly becomes the favorite (should the goals continue).

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.