Best player prop bets for Thursday's NHL slate: Kucherov and Tampa Bay take control

NHL Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Nikita Kucherov

Matthew Lowrimore

NHL

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Matthew has been with Pickswise for a while now, covering a wide variety of sports. His main passions are college football and UFC, and those are the sports he has covered the most. Matthew uses a variety of methods to handicap games, including stats, trends, injuries, and situational factors. His goal is to consistently give out winners and will put in the research to try and achieve this.

@Sixfigurematt

Updated: 12:57 PM ET June 03, 2021

We’ve got a two-game slate for Thursday’s NHL card, but there are still plenty of opportunities to find some value. Right now, we’re going to be focusing on NHL player props, bringing you a few of our favorite props. Before you bet these, make sure you also check out our picks on the side and total for every game.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau over 0.5 points (+115)

The New York Islanders managed to tie up the series in Game 2 and will now try to use home-ice advantage to take an important series lead. The Bruins, on the other hand, will be look to reassert themselves and play like they did in Game 1. However, we are going to look to an Islanders player to at least have a repeat of what we saw in Game 2. That player being Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He was held to no points in Game 1, but had an assist and a goal in Game 2. In nine games against Boston this season (including the playoffs) Pageau has nine points. He clearly enjoys playing against this team and has success too. He also now has nine points in the postseason, so backing him to have a point at plus money will be our play.

Be sure to check out our full game preview for Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders

Nikita Kucherov over 1 point (-118)

The Tampa Bay Lightning have looked unstoppable, winning both games on the road in Carolina. They head home now looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Nikita Kucherov is one of the players playing lights-out for this Lightning team. He has 12 points in the playoffs to lead the team. In this series alone, Kucherov has just one point, but he will likely not be kept in check for very long. Most of his points in the playoffs have come in the form of an assist, but he has three goals as well, making this play worth a shot. Look for Kucherov to produce at home with the crowd behind him.

Be sure to check out our full game preview for Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

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