NHL Wednesday player props: Hayton to pounce on sitting Ducks

We have a small but fruitful four-game slate on the docket Wednesday night. Let's waste no time getting to a few props that pop off the page.

Barrett Hayton over 2.5 shots

Hayton is averaging a healthy 2.9 shots per game on the season. He's in a great spot to continue his shooting success against a rebuilding Ducks team.

The Ducks have shown clear signs of improvement this season but still have a long way to go - especially defensively. They give up a lot of shot volume at five-on-five and take a ton of penalties. That should benefit Hayton, who's among Arizona's top skaters on the power play.

Hayton faced the Ducks less than two weeks ago and recorded four shots on goal. In fact, he's gone over his shot total in four consecutive games against the Ducks dating back to last season.

With a healthy dose of minutes and a high-end matchup, there's value in backing Hayton to pile up the shots in this game.

Odds: -118 (playable to -135)

Tage Thompson under 3.5 shots

Thompson - like many goal scorers and volume shooters - is a completely different player away from home soil.

He's averaged 4.5 shots and 8.2 attempts per game in Buffalo this season. On the road, he's recorded an average of just 3.0 shots on 5.3 attempts. That's a drastic difference.

Thompson gets all the special attention away from home - and that's not going to serve him well against a stingy Flyers team.

Aided by the return of Selke candidate Sean Couturier, the Flyers have defended extremely well this year. Even more so in Philadelphia.

The Flyers rank fifth in five-on-five expected goal suppression while playing at home. They're making life very difficult on opponents at even strength.

They're also staying disciplined, meaning they're not spoon-feeding guys like Thompson opportunities to pile up the shots on the power play.

I don't think we'll see a ton of volume from Thompson in this spot.

Odds: -110 (playable to -125)

Owen Tippett over 0.5 points

Tippett started the season on a quiet note but has since come alive offensively. He's picked up a point in four straight games and in five of his last six.

He's riding shotgun with Couturier and Cam Atkinson on the top line and making the most of it. The production is there and, more than that, Tippett is recording shots and scoring chances at absurdly high rates. That's a good sign for sustainable production.

The Sabres sit 26th in expected goals against per 60 minutes across all situations. They give up a lot of chances and don't have the talent between the pipes to bail them out.

Eric Comrie is the only player in their three-netminder rotation who has saved more goals than expected. He's sidelined right now, which means the Sabres have to go with Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, their two inexperienced youngsters.

Tippett and his line should be able to create plenty of quality looks on Wednesday night. With the underwhelming goaltending the Sabres are getting, I like his chances of finding the scoresheet.

Odds: -120 (playable to -140)

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