NHL Thursday player props: DeBrusk among 3 shooters worth backing
After a quiet two-game slate, the NHL is back in full force on Thursday night with 24 of the league's 32 teams set to hit the ice.
Let's take a closer look at a few of my favorite props on the board.
Jordan Kyrou over 3.5 shotsKyrou didn't end last season on the best of terms. He was rifting with Blues head coach Craig Berube, and his ice time - and shot outputs - decreased as a result.
A new year has provided a fresh start for everyone, and Kyrou is certainly making the most of it. He's logged more than 40 minutes through two games - a far cry from the 15-to-16 minutes per game he routinely played down the stretch last season - and amassed 18 shot attempts. That's an average of nine per game, which is a very strong rate.
What's impressive is that Kyrou got the job done as a shooter despite stiff competition. His first two games came against a Stars team that made the final four and a Kraken team that's extremely good at limiting shots and sucking the life out of opposing offenses. For Kyrou to generate such volume against those teams is a very encouraging sign.
The Coyotes are an improved team, but they can still be exploited defensively. Kyrou should see favorable matchups on home ice, and I expect he'll make the most of them.
Odds: -115 (playable to -130)
Jake DeBrusk over 2.5 shotsNo Bruins player has attempted more five-on-five shots than DeBrusk over the first two games of the year. No, not even David Pastrnak.
That should bode well for his chances of success on Thursday night. The Sharks are an abysmal team, spending most of the time on their heels in the defensive zone and absorbing shots in bulk.
The Sharks have conceded nearly 80 shot attempts and 40 shots on goal per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. Those are absurdly bad numbers.
Sure, their schedule has been difficult. But - even without Patrice Bergeron - the Bruins remain a strong team, especially when it comes to controlling play and winning the shot count.
DeBrusk and the Bruins should spend a ton of time with the puck in the offensive zone, meaning there won't be any shortage of shooting opportunities.
Odds: -115 (playable to -130)
Miro Heiskanen over 2.5 shotsThe Ducks were an unmitigated disaster defensively last year and appear to be once again this season. The core of their team is largely the same, and they didn't make any needle-moving additions to their blue line in the summer.
Given as much, it's hardly surprising they rank dead last in five-on-five shot suppression through the first week of the season.
Heiskanen should be one of the prime beneficiaries of this matchup. He plays on the top pairing at even strength, he skates on the top power play, and he's a more than willing shooter.
He hit the over in all three meetings with the Ducks a season ago. Based on his current shooting form (he has 14 attempts through two games), I'm confident he's in a good shooting state of mind to keep that streak going.
Odds: -105 (playable to -125)
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.