NHL Friday player props: Vrana to stay hot vs. Capitals

Thursday night was a good one for our shot props. Carter Verhaeghe and Jared McCann breezed past their totals, ensuring a profitable night despite a dud of a performance from Jason Robertson.

We'll happily take the 2-1 night and look to build upon it with three more plays as we begin the weekend.

Jakub Vrana over 2.5 shots (+115)

To say Vrana has hit the ground running with the Blues would be an understatement. The highly skilled winger has played inside the top six, as well as on the top power play, and has taken full advantage of it.

Vrana has scored three times over three games while generating nine shots on goal and 17 attempts. With just under six attempts per game, Vrana is creating more than enough volume to hit his shot total on a consistent basis.

He finds himself in a juicy matchup Friday night against the Capitals. Not only is it a chance to make some noise against one of his former clubs, but the Capitals enter this game playing some of their worst hockey this season.

At five-on-five, they are bleeding shots and rank 31st in expected goals against per 60 since the trade deadline. We've also seen a healthy uptick in penalties, which means extra time and space for Vrana to go to work.

Vrana has gone over his total in two of three games since debuting with the Blues. Given he's being centered by a strong playmaker in Pavel Buchnevich and is being used in every key offensive situation, I expect him to come through once again.

Tage Thompson over 3.5 shots (-110)

After finding himself a bit of a rut, Thompson is heating up. He has hit in back-to-back games, generating eight attempts or more in each.

That not so coincidently aligns with the return of top line winger Alex Tuch. With Tuch back in the fold, the Sabres' top line possesses more punch and is able to spend additional time on the attack. Clearly, it's paying off.

While we have seen an uptick from Thompson since Tuch's return, it is worth noting he also leads the team in attempts, shots, and chances over the past 10 games. He was still generating plenty as the go-to shooter.

Every point is crucial for the Sabres right now and that is reflecting in Thompson's usage, as he's played 21 minutes or more in two straight contests. So long as this game against a feisty Flyers team remains relatively close - I expect it will - Thompson will get all the ice he can handle.

Troy Terry over 2.5 shots (-125)

Terry is quietly having a productive shooting year, at least on home ice. The skilled winger has averaged 2.9 shots per game in Anaheim and gone over his shot total 57% of the time; including six of his last nine.

He has feasted on underwhelming competition in that span, getting the job done most recently against the Coyotes, Blackhawks, Predators, and Islanders.

Luckily for Terry, he has another mouthwatering matchup in front of him Friday.

The Blue Jackets rank dead last in the NHL and have conceded shots at a higher rate than every other team since their deadline sell-off. They are awful.

I think this is a generous price for Terry at home against the worst defensive team he'll see all season.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.