Join Canada Sports Betting’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player prop bets available from Thursday’s massive 15-game slate.
We hit what ultimately was our only selection on Adam Fantilli to record over 2.5 shots on goal on Wednesday, pushing our win streak to six straight selections and our yearly record to +14.22 units across 105 selections. Thursday’s massive card offers up a lot of intriguing betting options, and I’ll outline my two favourites below.
Jakob Chychrun Over 3.5 Shots on Goal +150 (bet365, play to +140)
One of our most recent losing picks was on Chychrun to record four or more shots on goal on January 21st, as he recorded just two shots on goal in that matchup versus the Vancouver Canucks. In the three games that have followed, Chychrun has recorded a grand total of just five shots on goal.
Chychrun’s recent volume will not have many shot-prop bettors eyeing him on Thursday. However, over the last six games, Chychrun has averaged 7.0 attempts per game, and he’s averaged 23:46 of time on ice in that span.
For the majority of defenders’ shot attempts, they are less likely to reach the goal, as a lot of them are flung into heavy traffic from the point. While that is true in Chychrun’s case, it was quite clear that on a night where the Capitals did not have it and were heavily outplayed, he could have easily finished with four shots on target Tuesday versus the Kraken. He hit a post and missed the net on two shots from deep in the slot.
Chychrun is still one of the primary shooters on the Capitals’ top power play unit, and in general, we are still seeing a lot of teams press high on Alex Ovechkin’s one-timer, which should force Chychrun to continue calling his own number. His recent role and style of play still look the same as they did earlier on in the season when his shot volume was much greater, and this looks like a good spot to buy-low, particularly if Rasmus Sandin does end up missing the game with injury.
The Detroit Red Wings have allowed 28.05 shots on goal per 60 over the last 10 games, which is the 11th highest mark in the NHL during that span. I’m expecting a competitive, high-event game Thursday, and at +150, there looks to be value in backing Chychrun to record four or more shots on target.
Jacob Chychrun Over 3.5 Shots on Goal
Beckett Sennecke Over 2.5 Shots on Goal +105 (bet365, play to -105)
As the Anaheim Ducks have been playing without Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, and Frank Vatrano recently, Sennecke has taken on a greater role, and he has been playing at an extremely high level and has been a key reason that the team has done more than simply tread water while playing without a handful of key forwards.
Over the last seven games, Sennecke has put up eight points and averaged 19:48 of time on ice. Targeting Sennecke to record a point or score a goal in Thursday’s matchup versus the Vancouver Canucks would be very reasonable, but a price of +105 for Sennecke to record three shots looks to provide the most value.
Throughout those seven games, Sennecke has averaged 6.28 shot attempts per game and averaged 4.66 shots on goal per game.
The Canucks have allowed 34.48 shots against per game over the last ten matchups and spend a ton of time defending in the defensive zone, as you would expect for a team that has been, by a fairly wide margin, the worst unit in the league.
At +105 there looks to be value in backing Sennecke to record over 2.5 shots on target in this soft matchup.