Getty Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Thursday’s NHL slate will feature pivotal matchups in both the Eastern and Western Conference Wild Card races, including the 69th all-time regular-season head-to-head between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, with the Pittsburgh Penguins captain entering the night just three assists shy of 1,000 in his NHL career.
There will be plenty of other individual performances to monitor during a nine-game slate on Thursday, so let’s dive into our AI-powered dfsPro model’s favorite player props for April 4!
See also: Heavy’s NHL player props from April 3: 2-for-6 (33% accuracy)
Hottest Player Props: Shots on Goal
Sidney Crosby: Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+120, DraftKings)
Crosby and the Penguins will be looking for two crucial points in the playoff standings as they face the Washington Capitals, who currently sit three points ahead of them in the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. Crosby is averaging 3.45 shots per game, but our model projects a 13% uptick in a big rivalry game to put him over the betting line at 3.9.
Nathan MacKinnon: Under 4.5 Shots on Goal (+120, DraftKings)
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, in pursuit of his first career Art Ross Trophy with 127 points on the season, averages nearly five shots per game. However, our model projects a 10% decline in his shot potential tonight against the Minnesota Wild, putting him just below the betting line at 4.47. He racked up an above-average six shots on goal in the teams’ last meeting on March 8 but managed just three in their first meeting of the season on Nov. 24.
Mark Scheifele: Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+140, DraftKings)
Our model likes Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele to outperform his average in both shot and goal potential tonight against the Calgary Flames. He didn’t register a single shot on goal in the Jets’ most recent game against the Los Angeles Kings, but he averages just over two shots per game. For tonight’s matchup, our model projects a 27% increase to put him over the betting line at 2.73.
Hottest Player Props: Points & Assists
Filip Forsberg: Over 0.5 Assists (+114, DraftKings)
Filip Forsberg is the Nashville Predators’ scoring leader with 84 points on the season, and his 43 assists are the third-most on the team. He has dished out five assists over two games against the St. Louis Blues this season, and our model likes him to add at least one more against Nashville’s Central Division rivals tonight.
Brock Faber: Over 0.5 Points (+124, DraftKings)
Rookie defenseman Brock Faber averages just over 0.5 points per game, and our model likes him to outperform that average in tonight’s matchup against the Avalanche. He scored a goal in the teams’ most recent meeting on March 8, which Colorado won, 2-1, in overtime.
Brady Tkachuk: Anytime Goalscorer (+140, DraftKings)
Finally, our model likes Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk to find the back of the net tonight against his brother, Matthew, and the Florida Panthers. His 33 goals are the most on the Senators this season, and he averages 0.45 per game. Our model, however, projects a 36% increase in his goal potential against the Panthers tonight, putting him over the 0.5 betting line at 0.61. Takchuk has yet to score a goal against the Panthers this season, but he has six in his last 10 games.
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