NHL prop picks March 19: Bet on Vladimir Tarasenko

We’re firing up three prop picks for Sunday’s NHL slate.

The pregame narrative: Vladimir Tarasenko’s shot prop is at a reasonable line, and we’re picking him to cruise by it. Thomas Novak is becoming a reliable contributor on offence for the Nashville Predators and is a wise wager to notch a point. Lastly, we’re taking Johnny Gaudreau to go over his shot total.

Find all our best NHL props picks for March 19 below.

NHL odds as of 10:21 a.m. ET on 03/19/2023.

NHL prop picks

Best Bet: Tarasenko over 2.5 shots (-106)

There are several reasons why NHL bettors should be looking to take the over on this shot total.

The first is Tarasenko’s recent shot volume. He has 14 shots on goal in his last four games, an average of 3.5 per contest.

Secondly, he’s staring down a plus matchup against the Predators. Nashville is one of the worst teams in the NHL with regard to limiting the opposing team’s shot totals, tying for allowing the seventh-most shots per game (33.3) this season.

Thirdly, this line isn’t asking Tarasenko to do more than he usually does. He’s producing 2.55 shots per contest this year and 3.17 in his career, making this a very manageable number.

New York is also playing the squad’s second game in as many days. Tarasenko only logged 13:26 in ice time on Saturday, meaning he could be a bigger part of the plans as the team looks to scale back minutes for others.

Key stat: Tarasenko has gone over this number in three of his last four games.

Quick picks

Novak to score 1+ point (-114): Nashville is dealing with a flurry of injuries, but Novak is stepping up and providing a steady stream of offence. He has 19 points in his last 15 contests, including at least one in each of his last five.

He and the Predators face the Rangers on Sunday, and since they started Igor Shesterkin on Saturday, they’ll likely roll with Jaroslav Halak. The veteran goaltender is struggling, owning a .883 save percentage across his last five outings.

Gaudreau over 2.5 shots (-103): Gaudreau has put plenty of rubber on goal as of late, totalling 14 shots in his last three outings. The playmaking forward usurped a 2.5-shot line in each of those contests.

Gaudreau won’t need an extraordinary performance to clear this line as he’s averaging 2.62 shots per game this year. His opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights, is a fairly neutral matchup. The Golden Knights are tied for allowing the 12th-most shots per contest (30.8).