3 NHL Player Prop Best Bets for Thursday 3/13/25

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

Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

John Tavares Any Time Goal Scorer (+250)

The Toronto Maple Leafs need all hands on deck in tonight’s intra-divisional battle versus the Florida Panthers. The Leafs have been mired in a bit of a slump recently, and things don’t get any easier with the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers in town. It’s up to their veteran leaders to help lead them to victory.

Thankfully, the Maple Leafs can count on John Tavares to deliver another standout performance. The Toronto native has been firing on all cylinders lately. Tavares has six points over his last five games, including three goals. More importantly, that surge is validated by elite production metrics.

Over that stretch, the former Leafs captain has totaled 13 shots on net, reflecting his stellar play in the offensive zone. Tavares ranks fourth among Leafs forwards in scoring chances and cracks the top three in high-danger opportunities.

Tavares is part of a small group of Maple Leafs players trying to lift the team out of the mud. We’re predicting another solid performance from the skilled veteran, identifying him as one of the premier value picks in the any time goal scorer market.

St. Louis Blues vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-122)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have too much pride to abandon their postseason aspirations, resulting in a late-season surge in the Steel City. That upward trajectory continues with tonight’s showdown versus the St. Louis Blues.

Sidney Crosby has been the driving force behind the Pens’ improved play. The two-time Hart Trophy winner has four goals over his last two games and has been a menace in the attacking zone. Crosby has seven shots in those contests and has 15 over his previous five.

More importantly, Crosby’s dominance is expected to continue in the short term. He remains an analytics darling, posting a team-best 58.3% expected goals-for rating across all strengths. Still, Crosby is operating below his expected goals for total, with a below-average 0.974 PDO. Both benchmarks are solid indicators that ongoing success is anticipated.

There are plenty of intriguing entry points in the prop market for Crosby. However, the most likely outcome is that he eclipses 2.5 shots.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks

Macklin Celebrini to Record 1+ Powerplay Points (+210)

With the playoff picture heating up, it’s easy to overlook all the good things the San Jose Sharks are doing. We’re here to highlight one position in particular as they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. Macklin Celebrini is a primo candidate to record at least one powerplay point.

The reigning first-overall pick is playing out of this world right now. Celebrini has four points over his last four games, but his production values are skyrocketing. The Sharks forward had a 10-shot effort a few games ago, bumping his total up to 20 over the last four games. Inevitably, that will lead to more points on the scoresheet.

As expected, there’s also an analytics component to his presumed success. Celebrini is performing below his expected level. He’s been on the ice for 60 goals across all strengths, beneath his expected total of 65.6. Consequently, we have him pegged as a natural progression candidate to end the season.

Celebrini is just starting to scratch the surface, and it won’t be long until he develops into a full-on rash for opponents. We see him as an ideal value candidate to record a powerplay point against the Hawks for now.

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