Exactly 28 teams will be in action on Thursday, leaving us with a boatload of options for our NHL anytime goal-scorer parlay. Each of our three selections for March 12 looks to offer standalone value, but a parlay comes in at +2420 for bettors looking to take a chance on a lottery ticket on the best NHL betting sites.
Anytime goal-scorer bets are among the most exciting bets available in any sport. The rush of hitting a long shot goal-scorer is hard to match, but even the NHL’s top scorers are less than 50% likely to score on average, and it is a volatile market subject to randomness, so as always, we do recommend staying within your means. Regardless of the score, any uncashed goal-scorer bet is still live to win, while hitting this type of wager early in any matchup is also extremely satisfying.
Nick’s AGS parlay
Wyatt Johnston: +140
Skating on a Dallas Stars side littered with elite talent, Johnston’s excellent season still seems to be flying a little under the radar. He’s put up 0.54 goals per game, and ranks tied with team leader Jason Robertson with 34 goals. Johnston put up 33 goals last season, so it’s no surprise to see the highly intelligent winger take steps forward this season playing closer to his true prime at age 22.
With Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz both currently sidelined due to injury, Johnston’s importance to the Stars has risen since the restart. He’s answered the call, as he’s put up five goals and nine points over the last seven games while averaging 20:34 of time-on-ice.
The Edmonton Oilers enter this matchup having played two of their best games of the season, earning regulation wins on the road over the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson will likely continue to help the Oilers play a cleaner defensive game, but Thursday’s matchup still appears to be at worst an average spot to ride with the red-hot Johnston to score, even considering Edmonton’s potentially improved defensive game.
In seven games since the Olympic break, Johnston has averaged 0.67 individual expected goals per game. He’s got ultra-fast hands and a quick release, and those strengths have been put to good use of late given the amount of chances he has generated from dangerous locations.
Kirill Kaprizov: +110
Kaprizov is considered the third-most likely skater to score out of all 14 games on Thursday’s docket, and +110 is a very low number for any skater to score. It still looks to be a playable price, though, given the way that Kaprizov has been playing of late and Thursday’s favourable matchup versus the Philadelphia Flyers.
Kaprizov has scored 12 goals and 19 points over the last 14 games. His recent chance creation numbers have been incredible, as over the last 16 games, he’s averaged 0.65 individual expected goals per game. That mark suggests that even a dead average shooter, would likely be scoring often enough to suggest prices in the +110 range profitable.
Just as head coach Jared Bednar does in Colorado with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, Minnesota Wild Head coach John Hynes has done the logical thing in attempting to play Quinn Hughes alongside Kaprizov as much as possible at even strength, which has led to some entirely dominant sequences in the offensive zone.
Hughes’ addition seems to be powering even greater production from Kaprizov, who’s averaged close to a fifty-goal pace when healthy over the last five seasons playing on Wild sides which were far less talented than this year’s iteration. Having Mats Zuccarello healthy also seems to be aiding in Kaprizov’s recent production. The two have always displayed strong chemistry together, and have been effective at even strength of late alongside Ryan Hartman.
The Wild’s power play has succeeded on 29% of opportunities since Hughes was acquired, and Kaprizov is now up to 16 power play goals this season. Kaprizov needs 13 goals over the next 17 games to hit the 50-goal mark, and based on his recent form, it wouldn’t be shocking if he is able to get surprisingly close to that mark.
Liam Ohgren: +400
It’s a consolation for the loss of the aforementioned Hughes, but it does seem possible that Ohgren could prove to be an effective middle-nine skater at the NHL level. Ohgren was drafted 19th overall in the 2022 by Minnesota, and was part of the package Vancouver received for Hughes, which also included Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and a first-round pick.
Though Ohgren’s game is quite raw, he has a solid offensive skill set and a high quality release. He’s started to show more signs of life offensively of late, as he’s scored three goals over the last nine games. He’s starting to carve out a greater role on the team, as he’s averaged 16:58 over the last three games, and averaged 3.66 shot attempts per game in that span.
Throughout his 33 games with the Canucks, Ohgren holds strong underlying metrics, and is a skater that fans have generally been hoping to see receive a greater role. He holds a +3.3 expected goals above replacement rating throughout his time with Vancouver, led by solid underlying metrics offensively.
A price of +400 looks to be long enough to throw a dart backing Ohgren to score, as the former first-round pick seems to be trending in the right direction offensively while playing a meaningful role on a horrid Canucks side.
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