NHL Friday best bets: Hyman to star on Broadway
Thursday was another profitable night on the ice. We posted a 3-2 record and both losses came by the slimmest of margins. The Canucks blew a late lead and lost in overtime while Rasmus Dahlin missed the net on five attempts and fell one shot shy as a result.
We'll look to end the week strong with three plays for Friday's four-game slate.
Zach Hyman: Over 3.5 shotsHyman is skating alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the top line, and their numbers are astronomically good. They're arguably the best forward unit in the NHL.
That trio holds a 203-97 edge in terms of shot attempts and has outchanced opponents 123-50. That translates to a +10 goal differential in just 130 minutes of ice. Insane numbers across the board.
With the Oilers spending so much time in the offensive zone - and generating such volume - it's no surprise Hyman is benefiting from that.
He's averaging more than 12 shots on goal per 60 minutes with McDavid as his center at even strength. That number drops to 9.4 with Leon Draisaitl.
We see even larger discrepancies in how Hyman fares with Nugent-Hopkins as opposed to Evander Kane. He's generating nearly 13 shots on goal per 60 with RNH compared to 7.66 with Kane.
Given his spot alongside McDavid and RNH, it's no coincidence Hyman has registered at least four shots in eight of the past 10 games. He finished with three shots in both exceptions, and he was skating on the second line in one of them.
As long as he remains on this version of the top line, there will continue to be real value in backing him.
Odds: -118 (playable to -140)
Gabriel Vilardi: Over 2.5 shotsVilardi has generated at least three shots on goal in each of the six games he's filled in for the injured Kyle Connor on the top line and power-play unit. He's also notched 11 points in that span.
He's averaging better than five shot attempts per game without Connor. That may not sound like a lot for someone going over his total every night, but Vilardi's different than many players. He lives around the net and almost all of his opportunities come from high-danger areas. That means his average shot distance is low, making it a lot easier to hit the target.
Put another way, he's selective with his looks and only takes high-quality shots. An average of 5.1 attempts would be concerning for someone like Alex Ovechkin, who posts up above the circles and takes a lot of shots from range.
Vilardi seems to have tremendous chemistry with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, the Jets' two leaders in assists up front. Both are more than happy to distribute the puck and plenty capable of finding Vilardi around the net.
The Bruins are an excellent team but have given up plenty of volume of late, ranking 26th in shot suppression over the past 10 games. They've also given up the third-most shots against on the road this season.
Odds: -110 (playable to -135)
Cole Caufield: Over 3.5 shotsCaufield has been pretty matchup-dependent this season. He hasn't had much shooting success against playoff teams but has feasted on weaker opponents, registering four shots against the Wild, five against the Ducks, six against the Penguins, six against the Sharks, and nine against the Sabres.
Caufield has a mouthwatering matchup on Friday night in Chicago. The Blackhawks are one of the league's worst defensive teams and rank 30th in five-on-five shot suppression over the last 10 games.
There should be no shortage of opportunities for Caufield to pile up the shots.
Odds: -135 (playable to -150)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.
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