3 NHL Player Prop Best Bets for Friday 4/11/25

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy hockey on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Utilizing numberFire's NHL projections as a guide, here are some NHL player prop bets that look appealing via the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note that betting lines and numberFire's NHL DFS projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com. Lineup notes and starting goaltenders come from Daily Faceoff.

Today’s Top NHL Player Prop Picks

Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Nikita Kucherov Any Time Goal Scorer (+140)

Nikita Kucherov is one of the premier goal scorers in the NHL. However, his recent efforts have come up short of the mark. We expect meaningful progression from the Russian forward when his Tampa Bay Lightning host the Detroit Red Wings.

Analytically, few players can stand next to Kucherov. Across all strengths, the former Hart Trophy winner has a 63.2% expected goals-for rating. Predictably, that correlates with elite scoring metrics. Kucherov averages 13.7 scoring and 5.9 high-danger chances per game, with corresponding ratings of 61.9% and 66.1%, respectively.

Despite that sustained analytics success, Kucherov has been held below his usual scoring standard. He has just one goal over his last five games while attempting 16 shots. That puts him at a 6.3% shooting percentage, a substantial departure from his career mark of 14.3%.

Kucherov is a natural progression candidate and is in a prime position to exploit a Wings squad skating on consecutive nights. As such, we see value in backing him as an anytime goal scorer.

San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid Over 2.5 Shots (-154)

The Edmonton Oilers got a significant boost to their lineup last time out. After a three-week absence, Connor McDavid returned to the lineup. The three-time Hart Trophy winner made an immediate impact, generating three assists while maintaining his usual playing time. McDavid will again be counted upon when the Oilers host the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place.

While he’s fallen short of his previous standards, McDavid is still the best player in the NHL. The former first-overall selection averages 15.1 scoring and 6.5 high-danger chances per game, with elite relative metrics across the board. Moreover, as we saw on Wednesday night, McDavid is the driving force in the Oilers’ offensive attack.

Now that he’s got his feet wet, McDavid will be asked to do even more against the Sharks. He was held shotless against the St. Louis Blues, a trend that was starting to emerge before he went down with an injury. Over his last five games, McDavid has been held to one or fewer shots in all but one of those contests.

Without some of their top scorers, McDavid will need to do more against the Sharks. The board has several intriguing props, but the biggest edge lies in backing him to go over 2.5 shots.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils

Sidney Crosby to Record 1+ Powerplay Points (+240)

The Pittsburgh Penguins are missing out on the playoffs for the second straight season. Still, the Pens have too much pride to go down without a fight. Sidney Crosby has almost single-handedly driven scoring, a trend that should persist versus the New Jersey Devils.

Crosby has looked like his vintage self recently. The future Hall of Famer has seven points over his last five games, including five goals. He’s still a force at five-on-five, but Crosby’s increased output correlates with improved efficiency on the powerplay.

Across the five-game sample, four of his seven points have come on the man advantage. However, Crosby’s analytics profile points toward sustained scoring. At 0.989, his on-ice PDO remains deflated, and his actual goals-for rating (53.6%) remains almost five points below expected (58.3%).

The Devils were humbled last time out, and they’ve struggled to contain opponents lately. That’s an advantage Crosby will exploit, leaving an edge in backing him to record one or more power-play points on the road.

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