3 NHL Best-of-the-Board Props to Back on October 29: Boldy, Gauthier and Werenski

Thursday night’s NHL board has a little bit of everything: a Wild team rolling at 9-3, a late-night Ducks-Sabres special out west, and a Blue Jackets defenseman who keeps setting up teammates on the road. Grab a snack and settle in, because we are going best-of-the-board today with two shots props and an assist.

These three picks come from three different games, so you are not stacking one matchup. Lines move all day, so check your book before you lock anything in.

Matt Boldy Shots on Goal: Wild Winger Keeps the Pucks Coming

Matt Boldy (No. 12) has been a shot-volume machine to start the season, going over 3.5 shots on goal in 8 of Minnesota’s first 13 games with a 4.54 average per game. Over his last five he is averaging 4.80, including a 7-shot night against Calgary and an 8-shot explosion against St. Louis earlier this month. He is not bust-proof, as he managed just two against Utah on Tuesday, but the volume is real.

Tonight the Wild host the Islanders at 8 p.m. ET as heavy favorites at around -192. Boldy is projected for about 21 minutes of ice time, nearly four of them on the power play, and the model has him at roughly 3.6 shots with a 67 percent chance of getting to three or more. The Islanders are 6-4 and allowing about 2.67 goals a game, so this is no cakewalk, but a home favorite tends to own the puck.

A number had not been posted on this game at the time of writing, and recent games have mostly hung a 3.5 on him. If you can find 2.5, the over is the clear play, and at 3.5 it is still a fair number for a player averaging more than four a night.

Cutter Gauthier Shots on Goal: Ducks Forward Fires Away at Home

Out in Anaheim, Cutter Gauthier (No. 61) treats every shift like a shooting drill. He is averaging 3.6 shots over his last 10 games and has cleared 3.5 in six of them, with a high of seven against Edmonton. He has put four on net in each of his last three outings, including Tuesday against Vancouver and last Saturday in Philadelphia.

The Sabres visit at 10 p.m. ET as slight road favorites at around -130, with the total set at 6.5 goals. A total that high points to an open game with plenty of chances on both ends, which is exactly the setting a shooter like Gauthier wants. His shots line has been sitting at 3.5 at roughly -115, and the projection lands right around 3.6.

If you want to get greedy, his anytime goal prop has been hanging around +175 at some books, a nice little sprinkle for a guy who is going to fire the puck all night. Treat that one as a bonus, not the main course.

Zach Werenski Assists: The Quarterback of the Blue Line

Zach Werenski (No. 8) is the engine of the Columbus attack, and the assist numbers show it. He has 8 assists in 10 games this season with no goals, which tells you exactly what he is doing: running the offense and letting teammates finish. He logged two assists in Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Flyers, and he has picked up a helper in each of the Blue Jackets’ last four games as a road underdog.

The Blue Jackets head to Carolina at 7 p.m. ET as +190 underdogs, a spot that usually means Columbus is chasing the game and leaning on a top defenseman who plays nearly 29 minutes a night. Kent Johnson already has six goals, and Werenski is the man feeding him. When a team is scoring only 2.5 goals a game, almost everything runs through number 8.

The over 0.5 assists number has been floating around -130 at some books, which is fair for a player who has hit it this consistently. It is a minus-money price, but the floor is high. If you are building a slip on a DFS app, our PrizePicks promo code page is a handy place to start.

Lock These In: Thursday’s NHL Card

That is the card: two volume shooters and one playmaker, spread across three different games. Boldy and Gauthier bring shot volume with plenty of upside if their games open up, and Werenski brings a high-floor assist play from a player involved in almost every Columbus scoring chance.

• Matt Boldy OVER shots on goal (2.5 or 3.5, check your book for the posted line)
• Cutter Gauthier OVER 3.5 shots on goal (around -115)
• Zach Werenski OVER 0.5 assists (around -130)

Shop the lines, bet within your budget, and enjoy the hockey. If you want a refresher on reading these prices, our guide to how betting odds work has you covered.