NHL Friday player props: 3 volume shooters to target
Thursday was a successful night for shot props. Jack Eichel threw up a dud against his former team but, luckily, Anze Kopitar and Mark Giordano capitalized on their advantageous matchups and led us to a profitable evening.
We'll look for more of the same as we find the best way to approach Friday's four-game slate.
Brock Nelson over 2.5 shots (-112)
Nelson is sizzling-hot right now. The Islanders center has taken at least three shots on goal in eight of the last 10 games, generating four or more at a 50% clip.
He's in a very good spot to continue his success Friday night. The Jets have been below average at suppressing shots and shot attempts over the last 10 contests, and they've struggled against the center position all season long.
They're conceding 10.81 shots per game to centers, which is a higher rate than all but four teams.
I doubt they're going to tighten the screws in the second half of a road back-to-back, particularly against someone generating as much volume as Nelson is.
Alex Pietrangelo over 2.5 shots (-155)
Pietrangelo is another guy who has been gripping it and ripping it lately. He has averaged 3.2 shots per game over the last 10, with only Jack Eichel outpacing him during that span.
The Penguins are an above-average shot-suppression team but have struggled to limit defensemen recently.
Jaccob Slavin (twice), Dougie Hamilton, Jacob Trouba, and Aaron Ekblad, among others, have registered at least three shots in recent meetings against Pittsburgh. Clearly, trigger-happy minute-munchers have enjoyed plenty of success against the Penguins. Expect no different with the Golden Knights rearguard.
Patrik Laine over 2.5 shots (-167)
Even while losing games, the Wild have remained very stingy in terms of suppressing shots at five-on-five. So why back Laine here? Special teams.
The Wild have conceded shots at an alarming rate while killing penalties. They've given up 119 attempts, and 73 shots on goal, per 60 minutes of PK time over the last 10.
Laine is option No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 on the Blue Jackets' power play, so he's as likely as anybody to take advantage of this juicy matchup.
He should be able to generate a couple shots on the man advantage, which puts him in prime position to go over the number (2.5) for the ninth time in the last 11 games.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.