Ryan Hodges
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There have been 18 NHL games in the first 3 days of this busy week in hockey. It gets even crazier with 13 games on tap for Thursday night. Fans have been treated to some very entertaining hockey this week. Whether it was the 3 Hughes brothers facing off in a high-scoring game, the Oilers getting hot again or the Coyotes completing a sweep of the past 5 Stanley Cup-winning teams, Thursday sets up to deliver in a similar way considering the number of games we have to look forward to. You can find out our NHL predictions for tonight’s big games, but for now, let’s dive into my best NHL prop bets.
Tage Thompson over 0.5 goals (+145)
Tage Thompson returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing 10 games due to an upper-body injury. In his first game back, he was rusty, as he admitted, but he still tallied an assist. As he gets back to feeling the puck and getting back in the groove, his production should return as well. This is a guy who had 47 goals and 47 assists for 94 points last year in 78 games played. Sure, he is returning from injury. But with his upside, getting +145 odds for a goalscorer to do what a goalscorer does is great value.
Thompson should have ample opportunity to produce tonight. He skates on the Sabres’ top line with Casey Mittelstadt and Jeff Skinner, as well as on the top power play with those guys plus Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Dahlin. Thompson will get a ton of ice time to try to keep his team in a game against a tough team. His upside and this possible game script give this +145 tons of appeal.
Read our full Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins predictions
Drew Doughty over 0.5 points (+100)
The Kings have been stellar this year overall and perfect on the road. That is not hyperbole. They actually have a perfect 10-0-0 record on the road this season, including 7-3 on the puck line. The Kings should win, but expect the Canadiens to put up a fight. Regardless of the game script, Drew Doughty has a good chance to get on the scoresheet at a nice +100 number.
If this is a close game, Doughty should get plenty of ice time. If this is a Kings blowout, he likely will have been a contributor. If this is somehow a Canadiens blowout, he likely will get ice time out of pure necessity for the Kings. All game scripts favor Drew Doughty’s point production. He leads the team in average time on ice with 25:37 which is nearly 5 full minutes over the next skater. He has scored in his last 2 games played and has a favorable matchup on Thursday.
Check out our expert’s NHL mega parlay at +812 odds
