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 parlay to score a goal in the NHL on Thursday night, which could also be played as a round robin wager.
All odds courtesy of bet365.
Nick’s AGS parlay
Bryan Rust to Score: +190
Rust has always flown a little under the radar playing on a Pittsburgh Penguins roster offering two surefire Hall-of-Famers, but he’s one of the more intelligent and reliable skaters in the NHL. He’s always fared well playing alongside Sidney Crosby, and Pittsburgh’s top line has fared extremely well since underrated forward Tommy Novak was added to the mix.
It is a small sample, but in 25.4 minutes of even-strength play Crosby, Rust, and Novak have generated 4.96 xGF/60 and scored 4.72 goals per 60 where it counts. Looking away from the data, it does seem to be a natural fit, as Novak has typically shown strong hockey sense and underrated play-driving ability but has rarely skated alongside high-end talent in his career.
Rust also plays a key role working on the Penguins’ power play, where he’s consistently shown strong chemistry with Crosby due to his ability to break free for easy finishes down low. The Penguins’ power play has succeeded on 32.4% of opportunities this season and should have a good chance to find success versus a Montreal Canadiens penalty kill that ranks 26th in success rate.
Over the last six games, Rust has generated 4.56 expected goals from 42 shot attempts. That’s an extremely encouraging scoring chance output for a bet that is priced at +190, and the Canadiens provide a favourable matchup for Rust in this market, having allowed 3.9 goals against and 3.55 xGA/60 over the last 10 games.
Arseny Gritsyuk to Score: +360
It’s been another frustrating start to the season for New Jersey Devils fans, as their highly talented roster is once again not living up to preseason expectations due to injuries that have played a key role in the team’s modest start.
Gristyuk’s strong start has been one of the few truly positive storylines for the team, which has lacked secondary scoring over the last two seasons. Gritsyuk recorded 17 goals and 44 points in 49 games last season in the KHL. While it’s not that surprising that he’s shown strong offensive upside, his compete level in all areas of the ice has been impressive, and has caught a lot of people, like myself, off guard.
New Jersey’s third line of Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown was fantastic versus the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, combining for eight points in a 4-3 victory. They have generally formed quite an effective unit, as in 68.4 minutes together, they hold a 57.6% expected goal share and have outscored opponents 5-1.
While Gritsyuk should have a solid chance of scoring at even strength playing on a third line that has looked really good, a key reason we like this bet is that he has been promoted to the Devils’ top power-play unit for Thursday’s matchup. New Jersey’s power play ranks ninth in success rate this season and still holds strong upside without Jack Hughes with Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Simon Nemec.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the league’s best defensive teams, but they present as a much more livable target for this prop with Andrei Vasilevskiy sidelined. It will either be Jonas Johansson, who has been surprisingly sharp this season, starting for the third time in four nights in this matchup, or potentially the second career NHL start for Brandon Halverson.
Kyle Connor to Score: +125
The Winnipeg Jets’ top line of Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi has been playing exceptionally of late, in an effort to help drag what has become quite a flawed roster to some wins with Connor Hellebuyck sidelined. Over the last 15 games, the trio has combined for 51 points and 22 goals.
Due to their excellent ability to create scoring chances coming after pre-shot movement, the trio’s play has generally been underrated by public expected goals models in recent years. They have scored 4.47 goals per 60 this season, and it seems that a high shooting percentage for each of the three is sustainable given the type of looks they typically create.
Over the last five games, Connor has generated 2.29 expected goals, and is certainly a skater that is capable of finishing chances off at a greater rate than is expected. The Boston Bruins have allowed 3.78 xGA/60 over the last 10 games, and those matchups have come versus a fairly soft slate of opposing offenses.
It is also possible (at the time of writing) that Joonas Korpisalo gets this start for the Bruins as opposed to potential Vezina winner Jeremy Swayman, which would make this an excellent spot for Connor to score.
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