NHL PrizePicks Player Predictions: Thursday (4/4)
The NHL rolls out a nine-game slate tonight, providing us with a plethora of different ways to get some skin in the game. I'm heading down the PrizePicks route, where I've narrowed in on these three player props. If you opt for the Power Play, this trio comes with a 5:1 payout.
Thursday’s Best NHL PrizePicks Player Projections
(Props courtesy of PrizePicks)
Vladimir Tarasenko Over 0.5 Points
The Panthers haven't been sharp over their past 10 games, going just 2-7-1 during that stretch. They'll try to snap a two-game slide tonight as they take on the Senators in Canada's capital city.
Florida should be able to secure the two points, and I'm expecting Tarasenko to have his hand in a goal. The winger came over from the Ottawa Senators at the deadline, setting up a quasi-revenge game in this spot. Since joining the Cats, Tarasenko has racked up 10 points (5G, 5A) over 13 games. He's really come on strong over the past two weeks, adding seven points (3G, 4A) over his past six games.
The veteran has at least one point in five of those six contests. This will be a favorable matchup against an Ottawa defense that has struggled all season. They're 29th in overall defense (3.32 GAA), 30th in 5-on-5 goals against per 60 minutes (2.91 GAA), and 30th on the penalty kill (74.09%). Let's lock in Tarasenko for a point tonight.
Drake Batherson Under 2.5 SOG
Keeping it in the same game, I'm also going to play the under on Drake Batherson's SOG total at 2.5. There are a pair of Senators skaters with SOG totals set at 2.5, including Batherson and Jakob Chychrun. Batherson's fourth in the team in SOG (174) while Chychrun is second (191), so I'll play the lower-volume-shooting Batheron's under.
As for his recent game logs, the winger has come in under this line in four consecutive games, averaging just 1.5 SOG over the four-game stretch. This should be a tough matchup against Florida's defense since they've allowed the second-fewest 5-on-5 SOG this season (1,581). Only Carolina (1,529) is better. I say Batherson finishes under 2.5 SOG for a fifth straight game.
Roman Josi Over 3.5 SOG
The Predators have dropped three consecutive games after going on that legendary 16-0-2 run. Most recently, it was a 3-0 shutout loss to the Bruins on Tuesday. Nashville will look to get back in the win column tonight as they host St. Louis.
Josi has sneakily been one of the best defensemen in the league this season. He's up to 76 points (19G, 57A) on the year, which trails only Quinn Hughes (86 points) and Cale Makar (81 points) in terms of scoring among defensemen. That's great, but how does that apply to this prop? It doesn't really. However, Josi leads all NHL defensemen in SOG this season, where he has amassed 243 of them (3.24 SOG/G). The veteran d-man has cleared 3.5 SOG in seven of his past 11 games, averaging 3.9 SOG over the 11-game run. Look for Josi to be active offensively as the Predators try to fend off the Blues, who are five points behind them in the Wild Card race. St. Louis has allowed the fourth-most 5-on-5 SOG (1,966) this season and they're just 28th in blocked shots per game (14.92).
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday: