The NHL returns with an 11-game slate on Thursday night, with first puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. Below, I’ll go over my favorite NHL player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
For up-to-date NHL betting information and data, check out both the DraftKings Sportsbook betting splits page and the DraftKings Sportsbook player props page!
Best NHL props for Thursday 3/19/26
Nikita Kucherov Anytime Goalscorer (+120)
Kucherov is coming off a hat trick on Tuesday against the Kraken, and he has found plenty of success against the Canucks in past meetings. The Russian winger ranks fifth in the NHL in 5v5 goals and seventh in 5v5 goals per 60. Tonight, he’ll draw a matchup against arguably the worst goaltending team in the league, the Canucks. With Thatcher Demko still on Injured Reserve, Kevin Lankinen will likely draw his 35th start of the season, and he has posted a 8-21-5 record with a 3.60 GAA and .878 SV% this season. Kucherov has scored in six of his last seven meetings against Vancouver and has totaled five goals across his past two road outings.
Roman Josi 1+ Assist (-120)
Josi has notched at least one assist in each of his past seven home games and draws a matchup against a Kraken squad that has allowed the most 5v5 goals against per 60 across the past 10 games. If you’re interested, pairing Josi’s assist prop with Filip Forsberg’s anytime goalscorer prop (+175) looks like a steal tonight, as Forsberg has also scored a goal in each of the past five home games. Nashville isn’t a great 5v5 team, so Josi ranks just 39th among defenseman with 200+ minutes of ice time in 5v5 assists per 60. Luckily, the Kraken rank 31st in PK%, so there should be opportunities to notch an assist on the power play.
Josh Doan 3+ Shots On Goal (+130)
Arguably the Sabres’ most underrated player, Doan has been aggressive offensively as of late, and he draws a juicy matchup against the Sharks tonight. Doan has cleared 3+ SOG in eight of his last 11 outings, which includes four of his past five when playing on the road. San Jose ranks second in the NHL in shots allowed per game and sixth against opposing right wingers, specifically. Across the last 10 games, Doan ranks 11th in 5v5 shots per 60 and 27th in 5v5 shot attempts per 60. One area that Doan especially excels in is takeaways, and the Sharks rank seventh in giveaways per 60. In Buffalo’s most recent game, Doan totaled three shots, with two of them coming directly after a takeaway.
