An anytime goal-scorer bet is one of the most popular and straightforward player prop wagers in NHL betting. It allows you to bet on a specific player to score a goal at any point during the game, whether it’s the first goal, last goal, or any goal in between. This bet type offers an exciting way to stay engaged with the game, as your selected player can score at any moment to cash your bet.
Let’s take a look at three skaters to feature in an anytime goal-scorer parlay in the NHL on Tuesday night, which prices out at +2418 on bet365. I’d personally recommend also staking these anytime goal-scorer picks as a round-robin wager, allowing us to profit off hitting two of three of our goal-scorers finding the back of the net.
Caufield, Geekie, & Garland to Score a Goal
Cole Caufield (+145)
We liked Caufield to snap what was at that point a four-game goalless drought versus the Buffalo Sabres on January 15th, as the underlying numbers suggested one of the league’s most talented shooters was due to start filling the cage at a much greater rate. That take has proven to be one of the good ones, as Caufield has now scored eight goals over the last five games.
Given that the price for Caufield to score in Tuesday’s matchup has not budged from where it has been recently, it seems reasonable to keep it chalky and ride with Caufield to extend his goal-scoring streak to six games in Tuesday’s matchup versus the Vegas Golden Knights.
Caufield has generated 9.89 individual expected goals over his last 20 games. Even if you do not factor in Caufield’s finishing prowess, those metrics suggest Caufield is capable of scoring often enough to make a price of +145 profitable.
However, those metrics are based on a large database of shot attempts across the NHL and do not compensate for the fact that Caufield is capable of scoring from locations which generally are not threatening for other shooters and, in general is a likely candidate to finish chances at a greater rate than the average NHL skater.
It seems likely that Caufield will continue to generate scoring chances at a comparable rate moving forward. Nick Suzuki has become one of the better playmakers in the NHL and continues to find his trigger man at even strength, while the Canadiens’ top power play unit continues to look less static compared to earlier in the year, which has more consistently allowed the top unit’s best shooter in Caufield to get opportunities.
The Golden Knights are an elite defensive team, but their shaky goaltending continues to hamper their ability to suppress the opposition offensively. Over the last ten games the Knights have allowed 3.18 goals per game, and over the entirety of the season they have allowed 3.06 goals per game.
By no means are the Knights an ideal matchup, but they are a solid enough one for me to believe it’s worth riding with Caufield to score once again, given that the price remains at +145.
Morgan Geekie (+170)
Over the last ten games, Geekie has spent the majority of his even-strength time on ice playing alongside Alex Steeves and Fraser Minten, a unit that has generated only 2.23 xGF/60 per 60 across 61.8 minutes of play this season. It remains unclear whether Morgan Geekie can drive his own line for the Boston Bruins, but when he plays alongside David Pastrnak, his strong finishing ability becomes more significant.
Geekie has spent more time alongside Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm over the last two games, has had seven shots on goal from 16 shot attempts, and has generated 1.01 individual expected goals. He also remains on the Bruins’ top power-play unit, and Boston has the third-most efficient power play in the NHL this season.
I’m not going to lie and say that I believed Geekie’s 33-goal breakout last season was overly likely to be replicated and probably would have set his betting total for goals this season around 25.5. He’s proven me and many others quite wrong, having scored 29 goals in 52 games.
With Geekie seemingly set in a role back alongside Pastrnak on the Bruins’ top line, a price of +170 for a player that has scored 62 goals over the last 129 games appears quite appealing in Tuesday’s matchup versus the Nashville Predators.
Connor Garland to Score (+300)
This one is far more into the hunch and feel category than our previous two selections, as Garland has gone 14 consecutive games without scoring a goal. As outlined in Tuesday’s player prop piece, though, this seems to be a sneaky-good spot to buy low on the Canucks winger given his expected usage and performance in Sunday’s matchup versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Garland was not overly effective upon his return from his most recent injury and was also skating on units that were not particularly productive. He was much more involved and looked more threatening in Sunday’s matchup versus the Penguins, as he generated eight shot attempts and 0.57 individual expected goals.
Brock Boeser suffered what has been listed as a ‘head’ injury at the end of Sunday’s matchup and is expected to miss this matchup. I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for final confirmation based on Tuesday morning skate, but it seems logical to expect that Garland will bump back into the Canucks’ top six and potentially back onto the top power play unit.
Garland started the season in tremendous form but has struggled to find it offensively of late after being in and out of the lineup with a slew of nagging injuries. Head coach Adam Foote still seems to have faith in the struggling winger, offering him an average of 17:22 over the last eight games, and a matchup versus the San Jose Sharks seems like a solid time to buy low on a skater who has shown some offensive upside over the previous two seasons.