NHL Friday player props: Hughes to make noise vs. Blues
Thursday was a good night for our shot props. We cashed two of three plays, with Adam Fantilli coming up one short of a sweep despite logging 18 minutes in a high-event matchup.
At any rate, we'll take the profit and look to continue our strong start to the season with three more props for Friday night's slate.
Jack Eichel over 3.5 shots
Eichel is off to a very strong shooting start. He's registered at least four shots in five of seven games, falling only one shy in the other two.
Eichel is averaging a healthy seven shot attempts per game, which is a massive number for him. He's a very accurate shooter and doesn't need as many attempts as some to go over his shot total.
For perspective, Eichel registered six-plus attempts in 41 games last season. He had four-plus shots in 31 contests, good for a whopping 76% success rate. If we raise the bar to games in which Eichel recorded seven attempts - this season's average - he hit in 24 of 29 (83%).
He shouldn't have much difficulty getting to that number Friday against the Blackhawks. They're dead last in five-on-five shot suppression and concede a ton of volume to opposing centers.
Eichel went over his total against Chicago just a few days ago. There's no reason to expect any different this time around.
Odds: -120 (playable to -135)
Kirill Kaprizov over 3.5 shots
While I generally prefer backing Kaprizov on home ice, a date with the Capitals seems like a worthwhile exception.
They're not a good defensive team and are routinely giving up shots and goals in bulk. A high-event game environment in Washington should serve Kaprizov well.
There are a couple of other things that should aid Kaprizov's chances. For one, Minnesota can't defend a lick right now. The Wild need to generate a lot of offense to outscore their problems, which means loosening the leash for Kaprizov.
His road volume is also extremely strong right now. He's averaging 8.7 shot attempts per game away from Minnesota, well above last year's rate of 6.7.
So long as Kaprizov continues to generate shots at this clip, there's value in backing him anywhere.
Odds: -115 (playable to -125)
Quinn Hughes over 2.5 shots
Hughes said he wanted to shoot the puck more this season. We're still dealing with small samples, but that sure doesn't appear to be wordplay.
He's recorded three-plus shots in five of six games, and the shot attempt output we've seen is remarkably high.
Hughes has attempted 51 shots through just six games. No other Canucks player is in the same stratosphere, with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser sitting tied for second on the team at 28 each.
An average of 8.5 attempts is something you expect to see from players like Kaprizov, Jack Hughes, and Auston Matthews. That we can get someone with that volume at a 2.5 line is a bargain.
Even if you expect Hughes to slow down, this is not the matchup for that to happen. The Blues rank 30th in shots against per game versus defensemen and are in the latter half of a road back-to-back.
They should be an inviting opponent for Hughes to build on his early-season success.
Odds: -105 (playable to -135)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.