Death, taxes, and winning shot props this season.

We hit the Viktor Arvidsson over on Wednesday - and, as a bonus, the Brock Boeser total I tweeted - to push our record to 12-2 on the year.

There's a jam-packed slate of games to pick through tonight, so let's get right into it.

Mitch Marner over 2.5 shots (-115)

Mitch Marner is not somebody you think of as a big shooter, but he's been very trigger-happy as of late. He's attempted 56 shots and hit the net 29 times over his last 10 games.

Marner now draws arguably the best matchup you could ask for. The Rangers are allowing a league-leading 69 shot attempts per 60 over the last seven games. They can't defend a lick and are relying heavily on goaltender Igor Shesterkin to keep them in games.

The good news with shot totals is that opposing goaltenders are irrelevant. It doesn't matter whether you're facing Shesterkin or the guy from the corner store; a shot is a shot whether it goes in or not.

Marner is generating shots at an efficient clip and New York is bleeding them more than any other team.

At near even money, I'm happy to roll the dice with Marner here.

Zach Werenski over 2.5 shots (+100)

Zach Werenski is a shooting machine, averaging 6.5 attempts and 3.5 shots on goal per game over the last 10. He's also gone over 2.5 in seven consecutive contests.

While the Coyotes don't give up a ton of shots at five-on-five, they bleed them on the penalty kill, and only Oliver Bjorkstrand has more power-play shot attempts than Werenski for the Blue Jackets over the last 10 games.

This is not a dream spot in terms of pace, but Werenski is a willing shooter who plays nearly 27 minutes per game. So there's still real value on this line.

Bonus round: Aaron Ekblad over 2.5 shots (-120). The Devils are struggling defensively, allowing shots at a higher rate than everyone but the Rangers over the last five games. Ekblad leads the Panthers in shots this season and there's some extra puck to go around with Aleksander Barkov out of the lineup.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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Cole Caufield is back with the big club.

The Montreal Canadiens recalled the sniper from the AHL's Laval Rocket on Thursday, the team announced.

Alex Belzile has been assigned to the AHL in a corresponding move.

Caufield was demoted to the Rocket 10 games into the NHL season after recording just one assist with Montreal. However, he seemed to regain his offensive form in the AHL, collecting two goals and three helpers in six contests.

The 20-year-old was tremendous last season for the Habs during their miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final, potting four goals in 10 regular-season games and producing 12 points in 20 postseason contests.

The Canadiens drafted Caufield 15th overall in 2019.

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Ryan Ellis' first season with his new team hasn't gone according to plan thus far.

The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman will miss an additional four-to-six weeks after aggravating a lower-body injury, head coach Alain Vigneault said Thursday, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.

Ellis has suited up in just four of Philadelphia's 14 games this season. The 30-year-old missed nine straight contests with a lower-body injury and then returned to the lineup last Saturday before he aggravated the ailment and sat out of the team's next game.

The Flyers initially listed Ellis as week-to-week after getting re-injured.

Ellis doesn't need surgery at this point and will treat his injury through rest and rehab, said Vigneault.

In an attempt to bolster their blue line, the Flyers acquired Ellis from the Nashville Predators this past offseason for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick.

Ellis has been productive when healthy this season, producing a goal and four assists over four games. He's also been reliable defensively, as his expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five is the best among Philadelphia defensemen, per Natural Stat Trick.

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New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock will miss the next four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Wednesday.

The 27-year-old seemed to be in pain after blocking a shot and then limping to the bench during the second period of Monday's clash against the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple. He played just over two minutes in Monday's final frame and didn't suit up for Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Pulock's absence is a huge blow for New York's defense corps. He eats up a ton of hard minutes for the team, averaging 21:07 of ice time per game. He's registered two points over 12 contests this campaign and leads all Islanders defensemen with 34 blocks.

A crucial component to New York's recent playoff runs, the underrated stalwart signed an eight-year, $49.2-million extension in October that kicks in after this season.

The Islanders have stumbled to a 5-6-2 record to start the campaign. They host the Calgary Flames on Saturday, which will be the first game ever played at UBS Arena.

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, interim head coach Andrew Brunette said Wednesday, according to NHL.com's Jameson Olive.

Barkov doesn't need surgery but will require rehab, Brunette added.

The 26-year-old took a knee-on-knee from New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield on Tuesday night. Mayfield received a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play but won't face any further discipline for the incident, reports The Athletic's Arthur Staple.

Here's a look at the play:

Barkov, one of the game's premier two-way centers, leads the Panthers with 17 points over 15 games this season. Here's how Florida's lines project to shake out in the reigning Selke Trophy winner's absence:

The NHL has never suspended Mayfield in his eight-year career, but he drew the ire of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos during the 2021 playoffs for his cross-check on Nikita Kucherov.

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Tuesday night's 11-game NHL slate went about as well as it possibly could have.

The Winnipeg Jets jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Edmonton Oilers and survived a late push en route to a 5-2 win as home underdogs. We also hit a sweat-free under between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators. Oh, and two of our three shot props came through. We're now 10-2 overall on the year.

While there are only three games to work with tonight, there is value to be had. Let's dive into it with our best bets.

Avalanche (-160) @ Canucks (+140)

The Canucks are a tire fire. They've won just five of 16 contests this season and have conceded 22 goals over their current four-game losing skid. They are objectively bad ... and yet I still can't agree with Colorado being favored to this extent.

While a healthy Avalanche team can compete with anybody, they aren't close to that. Nathan MacKinnon, their best player, is sidelined for the foreseeable future. J.T. Compher, a solid middle-six forward, and impact rookie Bowen Byram are also unavailable.

Colorado moved Mikko Rantanen to center as a byproduct of the injuries, and the team now looks paper-thin on the right side. The Avalanche are expected to trot out Logan O'Connor, Andre Burakovsky, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Kiefer Sherwood at right wing. Not great.

The Avs still have difference-makers like Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Cale Makar in the lineup, but the depth just isn't there - at least to the usual extent.

For all of the Canucks' faults, they do have several stars on their roster, a game-stealer between the pipes in Thatcher Demko, and they've proven to be one of the NHL's best teams at drawing penalties. It's not as if there's nothing to work with here.

There is value on the Canucks. Plug your nose and play it.

Viktor Arvidsson over 2.5 shots (-125)

Have we, as a society, forgotten about Arvidsson during his COVID-19 absence? That must be the case because it's the only explanation for this line.

Arvidsson is one of the more trigger-happy players in the NHL. He won't pass up a look at the net, be it in close or from range.

That shows in the numbers. He's recorded 32 shots on goal and 57 shot attempts over just eight games this season. I'll save you the math at home; that's four shots and more than seven attempts per contest.

Arvidsson has gone over this prop number in six of his eight games, including all four home dates.

He should play a prominent role at even strength and on the power play against an injury-plagued Capitals team playing their third game in four nights.

I think this line is well short. Take advantage of it.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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'When Goalies Were Weird' is a new hockey podcast from theScore.

Starting Nov. 22, the six-part series dives into the lives and careers of some of the most fascinating characters in NHL history. Each episode tells the story of one great and unforgettable 1990s-era goalie, including Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, Ron Hextall, Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph, and more.

Check out the series trailer for a sneak peek:

Find the podcast and subscribe/follow on:

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