NHL Monday player props: 3 forwards to target at home

With nine games scheduled for Monday night, we have an abnormally large plate of games to begin the week.

Let's waste no time in getting to a few of my favorite shot props on the board.

Mathew Barzal over 2.5 shots

Barzal is shooting the puck more this season, especially on home ice. He's averaged 6.2 attempts per game on Long Island and registered at least three shots in all five games.

We're still dealing with a small sample size, but Barzal failed to go over the number in both road games and generated less than half the volume.

Barzal is back home tonight in a sneaky-good matchup against the Red Wings. Although they look much improved this season, that's more a byproduct of Alex DeBrincat and the offense as opposed to stout defensive play.

The Red Wings rank in the bottom 10 when it comes to five-on-five shot suppression. They've also taken penalties at an above-average rate, opening the door for plenty of extra shooting opportunities for those featured on the power play.

Odds: +103 (playable to -125)

Jason Robertson over 3.5 shots

Robertson is off to a slow start to the year but appears to be coming out of his shell. After failing to hit his shot total in four straight to begin the season, Robertson has bounced back with consecutive hits.

The volume was strong in those games. Robertson averaged five shots on goal and eight attempts between a road matchup in Pittsburgh and a home game against a solid Maple Leafs squad.

The fun should continue for Robertson on Monday night. He'll square off against a Blue Jackets side that continues to bleed shots each and every night.

Only the Sharks and Canadiens have allowed more shots per minute across all situations. The Blue Jackets remain lost defensively despite the personnel changes made during the offseason.

Expect a vintage Robertson performance against a Blue Jackets team allowing nearly 33 shots per game.

Odds: +100 (playable to -130)

Jack Eichel over 3.5 shots

Eichel has recorded at least four shots in six of nine games thus far and is in the perfect spot to continue his shooting success.

For one, Eichel is at home. He's averaged an extra 1.2 shot attempts per game in Vegas this season, so that's a nice feather in the cap.

More importantly, though, is the mouthwatering matchup against the Canadiens. They give up a ton of shots at even strength and have spent more time killing penalties than anybody else on a per-game basis. It's a prime matchup for Eichel to do damage in any game state.

The Canadiens also struggle immensely against opposing centers. No team in the NHL allows more shots per game to the position.

To summarize, the Canadiens are bad defensively, can't stay out of the box, don't have the ability to control matchups on the road, and no team has fared worse versus Eichel's position thus far. He should have a field day.

Odds: -125 (playable to -140)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.