Star defensemen take center stage in matchup between Avs, Oilers

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We swept the board with our player props Thursday night. We'll look to keep the ball rolling with three plays for Friday's stacked slate.

Evan Bouchard: Over 2.5 shots

Bouchard is an Avalanche killer. He always seems to have his offensive juices flowing when his Oilers square off against them. He's gone over his shot total in seven of their past 11 matchups, averaging 3.5 shots on 8.5 attempts.

He's played especially well when the two meet in Edmonton. Bouchard went over the number in five of six home games versus the Avalanche and posted ridiculous outputs, averaging 4.7 shots on 10.2 attempts.

There's no reason to expect any different this time around. Both teams rank among the top five in total pace over the past 10 games. Colorado also ranks lower at suppressing shots from defensemen than any other position in that span.

Bouchard should log a lot of ice time and have plenty of opportunity to shoot in what figures to be an incredibly high-paced affair.

Odds: -130 (playable to -150)

Cale Makar: Over 0.5 assists

Makar is an assist machine. He's recorded 63 through 71 games and at least one in 13 of his last 18 contests.

Unsurprisingly, the supremely dynamic defenseman performs well against the Oilers. Makar has picked up an assist in seven of the past nine head-to-head meetings and 12 total during that span.

With dynamic puck skills and effortless skating ability, he's built perfectly for the fast-paced games that occur whenever these two square off.

The Avalanche are trying to catch the Stars for the top spot in the Central Division. Even in a back-to-back situation, head coach Jared Bednar will undoubtedly ride the team's best players - Makar among them - to get a result against the very good and very hungry Oilers.

Win or lose, the Avalanche should score their share of goals in this one. Expect Makar to pick up a helper in the process.

Odds: -130 (playable to -150)

Shea Theodore: Over 0.5 points

Theodore has found the scoresheet in 14 of his last 20 outings despite failing to do so in three straight games against a difficult string of opponents.

A date with the Coyotes is just what he needs to get back on track. They rank 28th in goals against per game over the past couple of weeks and have been one of the league's worst shot-suppression teams.

The Golden Knights have won six of seven, and their offense has drastically picked up since the arrivals of Anthony Mantha and Noah Hanifin, which coincided with Jack Eichel's return.

The offense should explode in this game - and I like Theodore's chances of getting in on the action.

Odds: +100 (playable to -135)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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