NHL PrizePicks Player Predictions: Thursday (3/28)

The NHL season churns ahead, and the league's offering up a 14-game slate tonight. I'm heading the PrizePicks route, where I've locked in these three player props. If you opt to use the Power Play, these props come with the standard 5/1 payout.

Our NHL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet assists bettors by comparing lines from leading sportsbooks with our daily projections >>

Thursday's Best NHL PrizePicks Player Projections

(Props courtesy of PrizePicks)

Michael Bunting Over 0.5 Points

Times are tough in Pittsburgh. So tough that the Penguins shipped off their star winger, Jake Guentzel, to the Hurricanes earlier this month. One of the pieces they received back was winger Michael Bunting. The forward has been serviceable since joining Pittsburgh, racking up six points (3G, 3A) in his last eight games. I'll take the 28-year-old to pick up another point tonight when the Pens host the Blue Jackets.

The bottom line with this play is that Bunting gets a great matchup against an abysmal Columbus defense. They're 31st in overall defense, allowing 3.43 goals per game. The Blue Jackets have also conceded the second-most 5-on-5 shots on goal (1,913), and Bunting is typically a 5-on-5 player, rather than a power-play merchant. I think this line with Michael Bunting, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell will find plenty of success against the floundering Jackets.

Brady Tkachuk Over 4.5 SOG

The Senators cruised to a 6-2 victory last night over the Sabres, racking up five first-period goals in the winning effort. They'll return home to host the Blackhawks, who earned a 3-1 win against the Flames last time out.

It's a lofty number at 4.5, but I'll take the over for Brady Tkachuk's total shots on goal. The winger hasn't been shy about ripping pucks on net this year, amassing 306 shots on goal! That's the third-highest mark in the league, trailing only Nathan MacKinnon (351) and David Pastrnak (349). Tkachuk has hit the over at this number in eight of his last 11 games. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have allowed the fourth-most 5-on-5 shots on goal (1,888) and they're ranked at a pedestrian 13th in blocked shots per game (16.43). This is a matchup where Tkachuk can assert his dominance over an inferior opponent, so look for him to be active offensively.

Mathew Barzal Under 2.5 SOG

The Islanders will pack their bags as they embark on a three-game road trip. The first stop is in Sunrise, Florida, where they're tasked with playing the Panthers. Florida is one of the best defensive teams in the league, so I'll play the under on Mathew Barzal's total shots on goal.

PrizePicks has three forwards from the Islanders listed at 2.5 SOG tonight, and Barzal has accumulated the lowest SOG (210) of his two peers with this line. In theory, it makes sense to play the lowest-volume shooter of the three. In his recent form, Barzal has registered two or fewer shots on goal in nine of his last 13 games. He's a centerman, so he's typically playing with a pass-first mentality. This will also be a tough matchup to get pucks on net, as Florida has conceded the second-fewest 5-on-5 shots on goal this season (1,496). This is a physical team that doesn't give much room defensively, and I expect that to be the case in this Eastern Conference clash. Let's play the under on Barzal's SOG total.

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