Best NHL Player Props Today (4/23/26)

In this article, Canada Sports Betting’s Nick Martin breaks down the two best NHL player prop picks that provide value at online sportsbooks today (4/23/26).

We will look to get right Thursday after an ugly 0-2 record yesterday, which dropped our record to +10.82 units on the season. Thursday’s picks include backing Vezina-calibre goaltender Jeremy Swayman to continue his dominant start to the postseason, and Tim Stutzle as he tries to power the Ottawa Senators to a desperately needed win.

Jeremy Swayman Over 25.5 Saves: -130 (Play to -140)

Swayman has faced 72 shots through the first two games of this series with the Buffalo Sabres, as the Boston Bruins continue to spend a lot of time playing inside the defensive zone, as was the case for most of the season.

While the Bruins are never likely to be a team that owns much of the overall run of play, they do limit ultra-threatening chances off of the rush effectively, and are comfortable in taking what is more or less a bend-but-don’t-break approach where they attempt to allow the type of medium-danger chances that Swayman can handle.

The Sabres have spent most of the series playing from behind, and perhaps Boston will be able to carry a little more of the overall run of play on home ice. It’s been two ideal game scripts for Swayman to rack up saves thus far, but even with that in mind, a total of 25.5 appears to be too low.

The Bruins ranked 30th in offensive zone time this season and have spent 44% of the time in the defensive zone in this series. Their approach is not geared towards ending spells of defensive zone play quickly but keeping chances to the outside and preventing plays through the seams.

It’s been effective enough thus far in the series and may be enough to win if Swayman continues to play at such a high level, and that should mean Swayman faces a hefty workload of shots on Thursday, which he will likely continue to save at a high rate.

Tim Stutzle Over 2.5 Shots on Goal: +110 (Play to +100)

The Senators will return home desperate to avoid falling into an insurmountable three-game deficit after suffering a heartbreaking loss in an emotional, back-and-forth matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2.

Game 2 easily could have gone either way, and the Senators have to feel frustrated that one more bounce did not go their way. Stutzle, in particular, likely feels quite frustrated to have been unable to finish any of his looks, as he had seven attempts on target, including some very legitimate scoring chances.

Stutzle has recorded zero points and a -1 rating in the first two games of the series, but those statistics seem to be an entirely unfair take towards his overall performance. Stutzle skated extremely well in Game 2, in particular, and used his excellent combination of speed and skill to create some dangerous looks versus an elite defensive side.

Stutzle was especially threatening after head coach Travis Green pivoted to a stacked top trio of Stutzle, Drake Batherson, and Brady Tkachuk. In 13.9 minutes, the trio generated 3.88 xGF/60 and 73.21 shot attempts per 60.

Based on Thursday’s morning skate, Green will stick with keeping his top three forwards stacked onto one unit for this critical matchup. That likely means he will offer that unit as many minutes as they can handle, and with the Senators now holding last change on home ice, they should face slightly softer matchups on average.

Stutzle has generated six shots from 16 shot attempts in this series, and he appears to be well-situated to generate scoring chances in Game 3. At +110, there looks to be value targeting Stutzle to record at least three shots on goal Thursday.

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