Best NHL player prop bets (March 6): Plus money on this surging Panthers forward to record a point

Join Daily Faceoff’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player props available at Sports Interaction on Thursday night.

Mackie Samoskevich Over 0.5 points: +110 Sports Interaction

As we touched on Monday, Samoskevich is a former first-round pick who is blossoming into an impact player for the Panthers, and is currently skating on the second line and top power play because of Matthew Tkachuk’s absence.

With rumors swirling that the Panthers are tabling offers to bring in Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes, it is possible that Samoskevich will not play in this game, as he is one of the few truly appealing pieces which Florida could offer in that deal.

If Samoskevich does play, however, this looks to be an appealing number as he faces off against a Columbus Blue Jackets side which has played a ton of high-event hockey this season.

The Blue Jackets rank fifth in goals scored per game this season, but have allowed the eighth-most goals against per game. Over the last 10 games, they have been comparably bad defensively, allowing 3.30 goals against per game, which is also their exact average on the entire season.

Samoskevich had a lot of touches working the left flank on the Panthers’ top power play unit versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, and was able to find Aleksander Barkov in the bumper spot to record an assist in a tight-checking game.

The Blue Jackets penalty kill has succeeded on just 75.6% of opportunities this season, so Samoskevich will have a good opportunity to earn another power-play point in this matchup.

Samoskevich will also have a good opportunity to do some damage at even strength, as he, Sam Bennett, and Evan Rodrigues have formed an effective unit so far. In 75.3 minutes together, they hold a 58.6% expected goal share, and have generated 69.36 shot attempts per 60.

Samoskevich has recorded seven points over the last 11 games, including at least one point in six of those matchups. That already suggests +110 is a solid price to back Samoskevich recording a point, and in the majority of those matchups he wasn’t skating in such favorable roles for production, and was not opposing one of the league’s worst defensive sides.

Jared McCann Over 2.5 shots on goal: +115 Sports Interaction

On Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken traded two key forwards to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They dealt Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde for an excellent return of two first-round picks, a second-round pick and Michael Eyssimont, a trade which seems like a win-win for both sides.

The Kraken still have a significantly more valuable piece of trade bait in McCann, if they do opt to go in that direction.

By his standards, McCann has had a down year in posting 44 points in 62 games, after scoring 69 goals in 159 games over the previous two seasons. He has a very team-friendly, $5 million dollar cap hit through the end of the 2026-27 season, which arguably makes him the most valuable potential trade candidate on the market.

So sorry in advance if it actually works out where both guys are dealt leaving us with zero bets, but a price of +115 for McCann to record over 2.5 shots on goal looks to hold plenty of value if he is to play in this game.

McCann has started to pour pucks on goal at a much higher rate, which is more consistent with the vast majority of his tenure with the Kraken. McCann has recorded over 2.5 shots on target in seven of his last 10 games played, averaging 5.4 attempts per game.

At the time of writing it is unclear how Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma will adjust his lines after Bjorkstrand’s departure (Gourde returned from injury on Tuesday for just one game), but it is possible McCann receives slightly better usage in this matchup. McCann currently ranks fourth in average time-on-ice among Kraken forwards, and is capable of taking on more minutes, if needed.

The Nashville Predators have been a train wreck defensively of late, as they have allowed 32.05 shots against per 60 over the last 10 games. They dealt away another useful roster piece in Tommy Novak last night, who was among the Predators’ best defensive forwards from an analytical perspective.

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