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NHL Player Props & Best Bets Today: Nyquist to Lead Nashville to Victory

Ryan Gilbert

Last Updated: March 7, 2024 6:07 PM EST • 4 min 10 sec read.

The NHL has 12 games on the docket on Thursday for the final slate before the trade deadline, and we have you covered with our top NHL prop picks and best bets based on the top NHL odds from our best sports betting apps.

The NHL has a dozen games on the docket for Thursday before the NHL trade deadline, when teams will have a final chance to shake things up on Friday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Boston Bruins in the marquee game of the 7 p.m. ET slate, while the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights battle in the highlight late game.

Here are our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Thursday (NHL picks based on odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Thursday’s NHL best bets

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Thursday’s NHL schedule and odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

  • Philadelphia Flyers vs. Florida Panthers | Spread: Panthers -1.5 | Total: 6
  • Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins | Spread: Penguins -1.5 | Total: 6
  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins | Spread: Bruins -1.5 | Total: 6
  • Edmonton Oilers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets | Spread: Oilers -1.5 | Total: 6.5
  • Calgary Flames vs. Tampa Bay Lightning | Spread: Lightning -1.5 | Total: 6.5
  • Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes | Spread: Hurricanes -1.5 | Total: 6
  • St. Louis Blues vs. New Jersey Devils | Spread: Devils -1.5 | Total: 6.5
  • Buffalo Sabres vs. Nashville Predators | Spread: Predators -1.5 | Total: 6.5
  • Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes | Spread: Wild -1.5 | Total: 6
  • Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights | Spread: Golden Knights -1.5 | Total: 6
  • New York Islanders vs. San Jose Sharks | Spread: Islanders -1.5 | Total: 6
  • Ottawa Senators vs. Los Angeles Kings | Spread: Kings -1.5 | Total: 6.5

Thursday’s NHL player props

Bobby McMann Over 2.5 shots on goal vs. Bruins (+172 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann has been a one-man shooting gallery over the past few weeks. His shots on goal line is set at 1.5 juiced to the Over 1.5 (-182) so we’re climbing up the ladder to Over 2.5 at +172 at FanDuel.

McMann has gone Over 3.5 shots on goal in four straight games and six of his last seven contests. That includes a five-shot effort against the Bruins earlier this week. 

The winger has seen his ice time increase in recent weeks, and he’s making the most of it to get pucks on net. I’ll happily take +172 odds (or Over 3.5 at +415) for something McMann has hit in four straight games.

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Gustav Nyquist to record a point vs. Sabres (-135 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Veteran winger Gustav Nyquist is enjoying a resurgent season in Nashville. After putting up just 27 points in 51 games last year between Columbus and Minnesota, Nyquist has 53 points in 63 games with the Predators this season.

Nyquist is playing on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly. He’s coming off a two-point game against the Canadiens and has 15 points in 12 games since the All-Star break.

Overall, Nyquist has a point in 40 of 63 games this season, a 63% clip. These odds of -135 imply a probability of 57.45%. There’s some value there Thursday against a tired Buffalo team over at DraftKings.

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Thursday’s NHL game picks

Predators ML vs. Sabres (-160 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Sabres are in a tough spot tonight in Nashville after playing in Toronto last night. Buffalo battled to an overtime loss in Toronto and now has to play the second half of a back-to-back set.

Meanwhile, the Predators have been waiting at home after a disappointing overtime loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday night. That was their only game since last Thursday, so they have a huge rest advantage over the Sabres.

The Sabres have lost two straight games, and the Predators should be able to make it three in a row tonight. U.P. Luukkonen started between the pipes on Wednesday, and unless the Sabres want to run him into the ground, it’ll likely be Eric Comrie tonight. Even if it is Luukkonen, who started both halves of the back-to-back last week, he faltered in the second half — a 5-2 loss to Winnipeg.

I would play the Predators all the way up to -175 at home against the Sabres, but you can get a better price for now by using our BetMGM bonus code: SBRBONUS.

Canucks ML vs. Golden Knights (+100 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Golden Knights made some waves on Wednesday night by acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin, but even if he plays Thursday, it’s going to take some time for Vegas to find its groove. 

The Knights have struggled mightily recently, with three straight losses and a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games. This is also the first game at home after a long road trip.

The Canucks also hit a bit of a rut a few weeks ago but look to be bouncing out of it now. They’ve won two straight games — both on the road — and are 3-1-1- in their last five after a four-game losing streak.

This game opened up around a pick’em but the Canucks are now even-money underdogs. That seems odd, given Vancouver’s third-best xGF% in the league over the past 10 games while Vegas has the eighth-worst.

NHL best bets made Thursday at 11:50 a.m. ET.

Here are our best NHL betting sites:

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Written By:
Ryan Gilbert
Ryan Gilbert is a contributing writer at SportsbookReview.com, covering hockey and baseball. He is the lead NHL writer and editor at the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, where he also co-hosts the Hockey Gambling Podcast. Ryan covers the Philadelphia Flyers for Broad Street Hockey and co-founded Sons of Penn. His past stops include NBC Sports Regional Networks and NHL.com.