NHL prop picks March 24: Bet on Islanders’ Bo Horvat
There are only three NHL games on Friday’s slate but that’s more than enough for us to find some value.
The pregame narrative: Bo Horvat is a consistent offensive presence for the New York Islanders and we’re betting on him to usurp his shot total. Tage Thompson is cooling off and a tough matchup makes the under on his shot total an intriguing play. Lastly, we’re sticking with the red-hot Clayton Keller.
Find all our best NHL props picks for March 24 below.
NHL odds as of 9:55 p.m. ET on 03/24/2023.
NHL prop picks
Best Bet Horvat over 2.5 shots (-134)
Bettors should feel confident wagering on Horvat to usurp his shot total on Friday.
The Islanders star is having a career year, setting new highs in goals (36) and points (63). He’s also shooting the puck more than ever, averaging an impressive 2.93 shots per game this season.
His shots per game mark is noticeably higher than what this bet requires of him, meaning he won’t need an extraordinary effort to clear this line.
Horvat is also entering a plus matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Columbus is allowing the third-most shots on goal (35.2) per game this campaign. The Blue Jackets aren’t improving, either, as they’re ceding 38.1 shots per contest over their last three.
With a hearty 11 shots across his last three games, we’re liking what we’re seeing from the ex-Vancouver Canuck and expect a big shooting performance.
Key stat: Horvat has three-plus shots in eight of his last 10 outings.
Quick picks
Thompson under 3.5 shots (-125): Thompson is having an excellent year, there’s no denying that. The Buffalo Sabres sniper, however, is starting to cool off. He only has seven shots on goal in his last three contests and has fallen short of this mark in nine of his last 11.
The task will be tough against the New Jersey Devils, also, as they’re allowing the fifth-fewest shots per game (28.3) in the NHL this season. Thompson finished with three shots in his only meeting against New Jersey this campaign.
Keller over 2.5 shots (+105): Few players in the NHL are hotter than Keller. The Arizona Coyotes forward has 37 points in 22 games since the All-Star break and, most importantly for this bet, 69 shots on goal. Even his season-long average of 2.58 shots per contest puts him above what this line requires.
Looking even more recently, Keller is clearing this line with great consistency. He has gone over this mark in five of his last six contests.
His opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, is an average matchup. The Avs are tied for allowing the 13th-most shots per game (31.5) this season, but the sixth-most (35.3) across the last week.
