NHL Thursday player props: 3 shooters to target
There are 13 games scheduled for an extremely busy Thursday in the NHL. Let's waste no time in getting to a few shot props that really stand out.
Patrik Laine over 3.5 shots (-125)
It hasn't been a banner year for Patrik Laine - or any member of the Columbus Blue Jackets - but the streaky sniper appears to be heating up.
Laine registered 29 shots and six points over the last six games. He's been far and away the Blue Jackets' most prominent shooter, attempting a ridiculous 50 shots during that stretch.
For perspective, Johnny Gaudreau (28) is the only other player on the team with more than 22 attempts over the same period.
Laine is shooting from anywhere and everywhere right now, and I expect that to continue in a mouthwatering matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. No team allowed a higher rate of shots at five-on-five or on the power play than the Ducks over the last 10 games.
Anaheim bleeds shots each and every night no matter the caliber of opponent. It allowed at least 35 shots in seven straight and 39 or more in six straight.
This Blue Jackets team should be able to send John Gibson plenty of rubber, and Laine will no doubt be the player doing the heavy lifting.
Miro Heiskanen over 2.5 shots (-120)
Heiskanen is somewhat of a cheat code right now. The fluid, minute-munching blue-liner recorded three shots or more in nine of the last 10 games.
The lone exception came Wednesday night against the San Jose Sharks. Heiskanen didn't struggle to generate opportunities, attempting five shots. He just failed to hit the target on three of them.
I like Heiskanen to bounce back quickly against the Los Angeles Kings. For one, the shot volume he's generating is almost unmatched.
He averaged 6.7 attempts per game over the last 10, which is more than anyone but Roman Josi and Dougie Hamilton. With that kind of output, the Dallas Stars blue-liner will hit very frequently.
Los Angeles' stingy shot-suppression defense hasn't hindered Heiskanen at all. He went over the number in each of the five times he faced the Kings since the beginning of last season, generating four or more shots four times.
Expect another strong performance Thursday night.
Alex Ovechkin over 4.5 shots (-125)
The Arizona Coyotes give up a lot of shots. They routinely get caved in at five-on-five and averaged more shorthanded time per game than all but two teams.
That should be music to the ears of Ovechkin, the NHL's distant leader in power-play attempts. He doesn't need a lot of time to pile up the shots on the man advantage. Facing an undisciplined team like the Coyotes definitely raises his floor and ceiling.
It's also worth noting the Coyotes rank dead last in shots against per game against left-wingers, which happens to be the position Ovechkin plays.
Ovechkin piled up 13 attempts and six shots on goal when he faced the Coyotes earlier this campaign. He should be in line for another big performance this time around.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.