NHL Props are so much more fun when we’re hitting — and we hit big on Tuesday. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov delivered on a goal-scoring prop by notching a hat trick in Buffalo, while Chicago’s Aaron Ekblad and Vegas’ Chandler Stephenson each cashed assists props.
Thursday’s NHL slate features 11 games — and not a single COVID postponement (for now, anyway). Let’s see if we can deliver some more winners with our top five NHL Props for Thursday.
All odds from DraftKings and FanDuel updated at noon ET on Jan. 13.
Carolina Hurricanes: RW Nino Niederreiter
The Prop: Total Goals Scored (vs. Columbus Blue Jackets)
The Odds: Over 0.5 (+240)
Somewhat quietly, Niederreiter now slots third in the Hurricanes’ goal-scoring standings this season (he has 10 in 27 games). The forward has been particularly lethal at home, where’s put the puck in the net seven times in 12 contests.
Niederreiter has picked up the physical element of his game, and it’s directly leading to opportunities all over the ice.
Just before the goal Nino Niederreiter brought the boom on Sasha Barkov at center ice.
Niederreiter was noticeably feisty last night and it appears that has rolled over into this evening's contest. pic.twitter.com/QRrwMhzdrY
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) January 9, 2022
Columbus has been the worst road team in the league this season, allowing 4.06 goals per game. Conversely, the Hurricanes rank fourth in scoring at home, averaging 3.87 per outing. After going without a point in his last two games, expect El Nino to get back on track and light the lamp against the Blue Jackets.
Tampa Bay Lightning: RW Nikita Kucherov
The Prop: Score Anytime Goal (vs. Vancouver Canucks)
The Odds: +135
How can we not roll with Kucherov after what the sharpshooting winger did two nights ago? Playing in just his third game since a lower-body injury sidelined him for 32 games, Kucherov tormented the Sabres with two goals in the second period and one in the third.
Kucherov has four goals and five assists in just six games this season, and he’s averaged more than a point per game in each of the past four seasons. Simply put, Tampa Bay’s offense is a different team when Kucherov is on the ice (just ask Buffalo).
Vancouver has turned things around defensively of late — during a recent 8-1 run, the Canucks gave up just 15 goals. However, Vancouver reverted to form in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at Florida and is still allowing 2.80 goals per contest.
Though the odds aren’t as favorable (-160), we could see Kucherov nab an assist in this one, as well. But let’s stick with the nice plus-money odds on this NHL prop and see if the Lightning star can find the net again tonight.
Editor’s Note: New to NHL props? Check out our complete NHL Props Betting Guide to get up to speed!
Philadelphia Flyers: LW Cam Atkinson
The Prop: Score Anytime Goal (at Boston Bruins)
The Odds: +215
All eyes in this game will be on Tuukka Rask as he makes his season debut for the Bruins. The veteran netminder was recently signed as a free agent, having previously been without a deal because of offseason surgery. Bruins fans surely let the team know how badly they wanted their star goaltender back in the lineup during last night’s home game against Montreal:
🔊 @NHLBruins fans broke out a "We want Tuukka" chant at TD Garden tonight.
🎥: @ConorRyan_93 pic.twitter.com/r6y1KBUkCI
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 13, 2022
But after no NHL action since last year’s playoffs — during which Rask played through injury — it’s safe to expect a bit of rust. And we’re looking for Atkinson to take advantage.
While he’s been far more effective at home this season (only two of his 15 goals have come on the road), Atkinson is a volume shooter, averaging more than three shots on goal per game. He’s also on a four-game point streak with two goals in that span.
Atkinson has two goals and an assist in two games against Boston this season. Expect to see his name on the scoresheet once again Thursday.
Nashville Predators: C Matt Duchene
The Prop: 2.5 Total Shots on Goal (vs. Buffalo Sabres)
The Odds: Over -110/Under -120
Averaging a tad less than three shots per game this season, Duchene has gone on a scoring tear with 16 goals in 33 contests. For a Nashville club that had been struggled offensively, it’s just the type of production the Predators expected when signing Duchene to an eight-year, $64 million deal ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Buffalo allows the fourth-most shots per game this season at 34.1, and that number climbs to 36.9 on the road. Duchene has also has eclipsed this prop number in 19 of 33 games this season. That said, prior to a six-shot effort against Colorado on Wednesday, Duchene produced a total of six shots in seven games.
Still, against a porous Sabres squad, don’t be shocked to see Duchene let ‘er rip early and often — and perhaps even light the lamp for the third time in four games.
Calgary Flames: LW Johnny Gaudreau
The Prop: Score Anytime Goal (vs. Ottawa Senators)
The Odds: +155
With goals in five of his last eight contests, Gaudreau is our pick to find the back of the net in Thursday’s late game north of the border.
Gaudreau has goals in eight of 20 games against Eastern Conference opponents this season and in five of 11 games against teams with a losing record. Now he takes on a Senators squad that’s dealing with a slew of injuries and illnesses, making an already bad team that much worse.
Ottawa allows the fifth-most shots (33.9) and third-most goals (3.69) per game this year, and both those numbers get worse when the Sens hit on the road.
Granted, Ottawa kept Gaudreau off the score sheet in a game back in mid-November. But the veteran forward has had produced six goals in his previous 21 games against the Sens. Look for lucky No. 7 to come in this one.
