NHL Tuesday player props: The Bedard show debuts in Pittsburgh

Hockey is finally back. The puck drops on the 2023-24 NHL season Tuesday and, despite a three-game slate, there's still plenty of value on the board.

Let's dig in with three of my favorite plays for opening night.

Connor Bedard over 3.5 shots

The 18-year-old phenom posted an unheard-of shot volume in junior, piling up shots by the handful every night. That's translated to the NHL in the early going - he was a machine in preseason play.

Bedard wasted no time asserting himself as the go-to shooter on the Blackhawks. He averaged more than four shots on goal and seven attempts per game over the span of four appearances.

Bedard is centering Taylor Hall - a talented speedster who's more of a playmaker than a shooter - at even strength and figures to be the focal point on the man advantage.

It's also worth noting that the Penguins were subpar at preventing shots against opposing centers last season. And although they have some new personnel, the core of the team is mostly intact.

Odds: +170 (playable to +140)

Filip Forsberg over 2.5 shots

Forsberg is one of the league's most consistent volume shooters. He generally ranks near the top of the league in shots per minute and I don't see that changing this year.

He has a more offensively inclined head coach in Andrew Brunette, who should give him all the opportunity in the world and allow him to play more creatively and freely than John Hynes did.

He'll also benefit from playing with Ryan O'Reilly, who's extremely pass-happy and will frequently record only one or two shots even when flirting with 20 minutes of ice time. He'll no doubt be looking to feed Forsberg every chance he can.

Preseason is preseason but Forsberg went absolutely bonkers in the exhibition games, registering 21 shots on goal and 39 attempts in just four appearances. Look for him to record more than his fair share of shots in what should be a fairly eventful season opener.

Odds: -150 (playable to-180)

Nikita Kucherov over 3.5 shots

Kucherov is a monster on home ice. Last season he averaged 7.5 shot attempts per game in Tampa Bay, compared to just 6.0 on the road. That's a drastic difference.

He finds himself in a juicy opening night matchup against the Predators. Nashville's new general manager Barry Trotz - of all people - talked all summer long about playing a faster, more offensive brand of hockey and letting the skill shine through. His coaching hire of Andrew Brunette strongly indicates that's not just wordplay.

The Predators played at an extremely high pace in the preseason, finishing near the top of the league in shot generation and near the bottom in shot prevention.

They'll likely play in a lot of high-event games this year and I think it starts on opening night against the Lightning.

We should see a lot of action in this one, making a perfect environment for Kucherov to excel in.

Odds: +100 (playable to -120)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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