There have already been three awful NHL slates thus far this week, but Saturday's massive 15-game card should help to make up for it, and I'm excited to outline my two favorite player props below.
Let's dive into my NHL props, picks, predictions, and odds for Saturday, March 28.
You can follow all of Nick’s bets on the Action Network App!
NHL Player Props for March 28
- Zach Werenski Over 1.5 Points (+162, FanDuel | Play to +152)
- Jack Eichel Anytime Goalscorer (+155, DraftKings | Play to +145)
NHL Player Props, Picks
Zach Werenski Over 1.5 Points (+162)
While the budding young Sharks' surprising push for a playoff spot was a fun storyline earlier in the campaign, their results never seemed overly sustainable, and it's no surprise they have faltered down the stretch.
Since the Olympic break, the Sharks are 5-7-3 and have allowed 3.87 goals against per game. Their defensive core is among the worst in the league, and the Blue Jackets appear poised for a strong offensive output in this critical spot on home ice.
The Blue Jackets are 19-4-4 since appointing Rick Bowness as head coach, and Zach Werenski's unbelievable play in that span has been a major reason why. He's put up 30 points over the last 24 games and recorded two points or more in nine of those matchups.
On January 30th, I detailed why Werenski was a good bet to win the Norris at +175 and also posted that selection to my profile on the Action Network app. Obviously, at this point, I'm hoping lots of people tailed that bet given that he is now favored to win.
If there is one small concern against Werenski's case, though, it's that he is not handling a ton of shutdown minutes versus elite stars relative to some other defenders in the mix.
While that's bad for a potential Norris win, it's good for the possibility that Werenski can continue to rack up points at a high rate.
The Blue Jackets have a notably high implied team total in this spot, being -200 favorites in a game with a total of 6.5, and I think we will see Columbus earn two critical points with a convincing offensive performance in this spot.
Also, +162 appears to be a great price to back Werenski to record two points as a result.
Pick: Zach Werenski Over 1.5 Points +162 (FanDuel, Play to +152)
Jack Eichel Anytime Goalscorer (+155)
As someone who bet on Jack Eichel to score 30+ goals entering the year (and posted to the Action Network app), I've obviously been keeping a close eye on his production in that regard and have hated watching his current seven-game goalless drought, which has put the bet in peril.
Eichel has looked more determined to drive pucks to the net himself over the last two games, however. That thought was especially true in Thursday's critical matchup versus the Edmonton Oilers, as he was more aggressive on the power play in pressing out off the wall to be a direct shooting threat himself and not simply working as a distributor.
Over the previous two games, Eichel has attempted 14 shots on goal and recorded eight shots on target. Throughout the last five games, he's attempted 32 shots and managed 18 on target.
Eichel has generated 2.36 individual expected goals in that span, which is a solid output given the +155 price tag for him to score Saturday.
And though he's been snake-bitten of late, by no means is Eichel a poor finisher, and if anything, he's an underrated mid-range shooter that could benefit from being a little more direct at times.
He's shot at 11.7% over the previous three seasons, and given his recent chance creation, a price of +155 looks pretty appealing for him to snap the slump.
Pick: Jack Eichel Anytime Goalscorer +155 (DraftKings, Play to +145)
