Thursday’s NHL slate is loaded with intriguing matchups, and these are our top NHL player prop bets today—built around favourable matchups, strong recent form, and clear historical trends. From Tage Thompson’s dominant track record against Columbus to Connor McDavid’s point-per-game consistency in a high-event Pacific Division clash, and Kirill Kaprizov targeting a Nashville defence that struggled to limit high-danger chances last season, each pick below is backed by the numbers.
Here’s a breakdown of the best player props to target tonight with the best NHL odds, along with the reasoning behind every selection.
Tage Thompson to score
This is the headline pick, and the matchup makes it easy to like. Thompson has a well-documented history of torching the Blue Jackets (11 goals in 16 career games against them) specifically — most notably a franchise-record five-goal, four-in-the-first-period outburst against Columbus, plus multiple other multi-goal nights against them.
He’s also one of the league’s highest-volume shooters at his position, generating a heavy shot total per game and converting around 13-18% of his attempts depending on the season, well above league-average shooting rates for forwards. Combine his track record against this specific opponent with his shot-generation profile on Buffalo’s top line, and the anytime-goal market offers real plus-money value here on a shooter that is constantly underrated by the best NHL betting sites.
Connor McDavid over 1.5 points
McDavid has been one of the most reliable point-producers in hockey history, routinely finishing seasons at a point-per-game pace or better and ranking at or near the league lead in both goals and assists.
The Oilers-Canucks series has also been high-event in recent meetings, giving McDavid plenty of looks regardless of score state. With his elite ice time and usage on the top power-play unit, a points-based prop is a strong value play against divisional competition.
You can bet McDavid, who notched two points a couple of nights ago against the Canucks, will light up the boxscore again on Thursday night, especially after a disappointing 6-5 loss in overtime to a Vancouver team that could be the worst in hockey this season.
Kirill Kaprizov to score
Kaprizov has been Minnesota’s primary offensive engine for several seasons, routinely ranking among the league’s top goal-scorers and shot-generators.
He plays heavy top-line minutes and sees significant power-play time, both of which translate to consistent scoring-chance volume regardless of opponent. Nashville’s defence has had mixed results limiting high-danger chances in recent years, making Kaprizov a strong value play to find the net.
The Predators allowed 3.26 goals against per game last season (26th in the NHL), with goaltender Juuse Saros finishing with a sub-.900 save percentage for the first time in his career. Nashville enters this contest as a +125 home underdog.
