NHL Monday player props: Vilardi to take flight vs. Canadiens
We finished last week on a strong note, falling one Artemi Panarin shot shy of sweeping our player props.
Let's look at three bets that pop off the page on Monday as we look to pick up where we left off.
Alex DeBrincat: Over 3.5 shots
DeBrincat has been a proficient shot-generator at home this season. He's averaged 3.6 shots on 6.3 attempts and gone over his total in 11 of 16 tries.
That's much higher than his totals on the road, where he's managed four shots on 14 attempts and averaged fewer than three shots on goal per game.
DeBrincat has been a little cold of late, but that can partly be attributed to Patrick Kane's return. With the future Hall of Famer on his line, his shot volume has been drastically lower than it was when he played with other Red Wings. He's likely spent too much time deferring to the future Hall of Famer.
On Monday night, DeBrincat is expected to skate on a line with Lucas Raymond and Joe Veleno. That's a big plus: DeBrincat averages nearly 11 shots on goal per 60 minutes with those two players. Comparatively, he averages 6.74 per 60 with Kane.
He also has a mouthwatering matchup against a Ducks team that gives up a ton of shots. Anaheim also takes penalties at the highest rate in the league, so DeBrincat should get plenty of opportunities on the man advantage.
Odds: +120 (playable to -120)
Gabriel Vilardi: Over 2.5 shots
Kyle Connor recently suffered an injury and, in each of the four games since, Vilardi has recorded at least three shots on goal.
Vilardi is playing on the first line alongside Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, as well as on the top power-play unit. He's in a prime spot for offensive success.
Although we're still dealing with small samples, Vilardi's outputs have drastically improved since he's been on the first line. Beside Scheifele, Vilardi's averaging well over 20 attempts per 60 minutes, and his shot rate jumps to 27 per 60 with Ehlers on his line.
He's generating a lot of high-quality opportunities playing with those two and there's no reason to expect any different against the Canadiens. They're one of the worst teams in the league at suppressing shots five-on-five and are horrendous on the penalty kill. Vilardi will likely continue his success in such a friendly matchup.
Odds: -105 (playable to -125)
Cole Caufield: Under 3.5 shots
Caufield is a fairly consistent shooter at home but, on the road, his volume seems very dependent on his opponent's caliber.
In the last handful of road games, Caufield failed to get the job done against the Coyotes, Red Wings, Bruins, and Kings, who are all holding onto postseason spots.
Caufield couldn't find success against quality opponents but registered five shots or more against non-playoff teams in the Blues, Ducks, Sharks, and Sabres.
The Jets are a win out of first place in the Central Division - which features multiple Stanley Cup contenders - so they certainly classify as quality competition. They're also very good at slowing a game's pace and limiting shots, which should lead to a dip in Caufield's shooting floor and ceiling.
Odds: -115 (playable to -130)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.