NHL PrizePicks Player Predictions: Thursday (3/21)

Between the NCAA tournament and the NHL's 11-game slate, we have a huge Thursday for sports on the horizon! I'm heading the PrizePicks route, where I'm rolling with this three-leg Power Play (5/1 payout) on the ice. Here are my three favorite prop bets over at PrizePicks.

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Thursday's Best NHL PrizePicks Player Projections

(Props courtesy of PrizePicks)

Brayden Schenn Over 0.5 Points

The Blues had their four-game winning streak snapped last time out, losing 4-3 to the Avalanche on Tuesday. St. Louis has a favorable matchup to get back in the win column as they pack their bags and take on Ottawa in the Canadian capital.

Why is it such a favorable matchup for the Blues? Well, simply because the Senators have one of the worst defenses in the NHL. They come into tonight's action ranked 30th in overall defense (3.43 GAA) and 31st on the penalty kill (72.73%). I'll take Brayden Schenn to register a point tonight. The veteran centerman has picked up a point in three straight games (2G, 1A). As for his season total, he's up to 34 points over 69 games (15G, 19A), which equates to roughly a 50/50 chance of us cashing this leg. Considering Schenn's recent form and Ottawa's abysmal defense, I think he'll make his way onto the scoresheet tonight.

Brady Tkachuk Over 4.5 SOG

Keeping it in the same game, I'm also going to lock in Brady Tkachuk to exceed 4.5 shots on goal. This is a lofty number, but once you dive into the game logs, you'll realize this is just a casual stroll in the park for Tkachuk.

The winger is by far the team leader in SOG, amassing 292 this season. For context, the next-closest Senator is Tim Stutzle, who enters tonight's action with 177 SOG this season. And to really drive it home, Tkachuk is third in the whole NHL in SOG, trailing only David Pastrnak (338) and Nathan MacKinnon (333). Tkachuk has reached this mark in four straight games and six of his last seven contests. Over that seven-game sample size, he averaged 5.9 SOG/G. Lastly, St. Louis has allowed the third-most 5-on-5 shots on goal (1,808) this season, so they're no stranger to getting peppered in their own end.

Tage Thompson Over 0.5 Points

The Sabres are five points out of the final Wild Card spot, but they've been playing well recently, going 4-2-0 over their last six games. Buffalo has two games left on their current five-game road trip; they'll take on the Oilers tonight and the Flames on Sunday.

The Sabres and Oilers just played on March 9, with Buffalo winning 3-2 in a shootout. Tage Thompson not only scored in the shootout, but also added a regulation goal in the first period. Thompson has been hot since that night, racking up seven points (3G, 4A) over his last six games. He has at least one point in five of those six games. Edmonton brings in the eighth-best defense (2.64 GAA) and 13th-ranked PK (80.19%), so it's not like they're untouchable defensively. Thompson has seen 14 (8G, 6A) of his 42 points (21G, 21A) come on the man advantage, and he should get a few opportunities to register a point when Buffalo goes to the power play tonight.

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday: