NHL Thursday player props: 3 shooters to target
We are enjoying another strong week of shot props. After a 1-2 night Monday, we have responded in a big way with five consecutive wins.
Let's take a look at three players - all of whom play for Canadian sides - as we look to stay hot Thursday night.
Cole Caufield over 3.5 shots (+100)
Caufield has really been shooting the puck of late, especially on home ice. The young sniper has registered at least four shots in seven of the past 10 games in Montreal, and his attempt volume is considerably higher.
He has attempted 7.2 shots per game at home in that time, which is well above his season average of 5.3 on the road.
A matchup against the Predators also looks rather fruitful. They have really bled shots of late, conceding five-on-five attempts at a higher rate than all but the Blue Jackets over the last 10.
The Preds have also spent more time shorthanded than any other team during that stretch. Caufield is the primary shooter on the power play, so those extra opportunities are certainly a big plus.
Caufield generated six shots on 12 attempts against these same Predators just over a week ago. I expect another productive outing.
Thomas Chabot over 2.5 shots (-130)
The Coyotes rank 30th in shots against versus defensemen this season and continue to be a team we want to attack with blue-liners. Enter Chabot.
The Senators' No. 1 defenseman has been really hot of late in terms of generating shots. He has gone over the number in six of his last nine games. What I really like about Chabot is that the attempt volume is there even when he comes up short.
For example, Chabot's last two failures featured six and eight attempts. That's more than enough volume to get the job done and falls directly in line with what we see on his hits.
Chabot has a strong history against this putrid Coyotes team as well; he's registered three shots or more in six straight, including three meetings in 2022.
Mikael Backlund over 2.5 shots (-130)
Backlund is scorching hot. The veteran two-way pivot has been a shooting machine of late, piling up three shots or more in nine of his last 10 games.
He leads the Flames in shots by 13 and has easily outpaced everybody during that stretch, including Nazem Kadri, whose line is generally set at 3.5 shots.
Not only do you get insane bang for your buck with the volume Backlund is creating, but he also finds himself in a very favorable matchup.
The Blues are bottom five in shots allowed per contest to centers, and Backlund got five in his last game, which just so happened to be against St. Louis. I don't know if he'll get to that once again, but I'm happy to back him for three or more at a reasonable price.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.