NHL Thursday player props: Hughes to stay hot vs. Sharks

We have a monster 11-game slate ahead of us on Thursday night. Let's jump right into a few of my favorite plays on the board.

Kirill Kaprizov over 3.5 shots

Kaprizov is back on home ice - and we want a piece of the fun. Dating back to last season, Kaprizov has averaged 4.2 shots in Minnesota while attempting more than eight shots per contest. That translates to a success rate that's 22% higher at home than on the road.

His team has also been out of action since Sunday. Last year, he averaged 4.7 shots per game in situations following three full days off to rest - which is the situation he finds himself in on Thursday.

The Devils are a solid shot-suppression team, but captain Nico Hischier - who was a Selke finalist in 2022-23 - is out with an injury. That takes a big bite out of the lineup and makes the Devils a weaker squad at five-on-five and while killing penalties.

Additionally, New Jersey is struggling with discipline this season. Only five teams have taken more minors per game, meaning Kaprizov should have plenty of opportunities on the power play with extra time and space to generate shots.

Odds: -125 (playable to -140)

Jakob Chychrun over 2.5 shots

Chychrun failed to get the job done last time out, but there's plenty of reason to go right back to the well. He's registered at least three shots on goal in nine of the last 10 games in which he logged 25 minutes of ice time or more.

With cluster injuries on defense, Senators head coach D.J. Smith is giving his star rearguard all the time he can handle: Chychrun has played over 27 minutes in each of Ottawa's last two contests.

In his first outing with this massive workload, Chychrun attempted 14 shots. He didn't hit his total against the Penguins, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. The blue-liner attempted a team-leading seven shots; he simply missed the net five times.

I will happily take my chances with that kind of volume, which is what we can reliably expect with Chychrun all but certain to play 25 minutes once again.

Odds: -135 (playable to -150)

Quinn Hughes over 2.5 shots

Hughes is scorching hot. He's piled up three shots or more in seven straight games and eight of nine on the season. It's crystal clear that Hughes' plan to fire more pucks at the net wasn't just lip service. He's doing it every single night.

The volume we're seeing from Hughes is astronomically high for a defenseman. He's attempted 7.8 shots per game this season, which is directly in line with that of Kaprizov - and the latter has his total set at 3.5.

I don't know that Hughes can sustain this level of production over an entire campaign, but a date with the Sharks is not the time to pull the plug. They rank dead last in shot suppression so far and give up more shots per game to opposing defenders than any other team.

Expect Hughes to test Kaapo Kahkonen early and often in this one.

Odds: -135 (playable to -160)

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

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.