Check out Tony Sartori's NHL picks tonight for Friday, April 5 – his expert anytime goalscorer best bets.
Tonight's NHL games are all on ESPN+, and I have three NHL anytime goalscorer picks for the seven-game lineup.
Betting on NHL anytime goalscorers is simple enough: If your player scores a goal at any point in the game, your bet is a winner. MLB has its dingers; the NHL has its anytime goalscorers. And with both types of player props, the bets usually come with plus-money odds attached to them, so they're a favorite among all types of sports bettors.
Check out all of the analysis with my favorite anytime goalscorer predictions for tonight's NHL games below.
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NHL Picks Tonight – Anytime Goalscorer Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
| 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Rangers vs. Red Wings
Kicking off Friday's NHL slate is an Eastern Conference tilt with the Detroit Red Wings hosting the New York Rangers. Detroit has struggled in the defensive end of the ice this whole year, ranking 24th or lower in goals allowed per game, shots on goal per game and expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).
This poor defense is backed up by goaltender Alex Lyon, who is slated to guard the cage for the Wings on Friday. He has come crashing back down after a dominant start to the campaign, allowing four or more goals in seven of his past 11 starts.
Over that stretch, Lyon is 1-8-2 with a fade-worthy .888 SV% and 3.83 GAA. Assuming New York capitalizes on this vulnerable group, I find it hard to believe that forward Chris Kreider won't be involved.
He is in great form, scoring in three of his past four games as he now possesses 36 tallies on the campaign. We just saw Kreider score against the Red Wings back in November – something I believe will occur once again on Friday.
Pick: Chris Kreider (+170)
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Avalanche vs. Oilers
Later in the evening, the Edmonton Oilers host the Colorado Avalanche in a Western Conference tilt. I am targeting two goalscorers for Colorado, starting with Valeri Nichushkin.
Now, it is worth noting that Nichushkin missed Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild with a lower-body injury. However, it's possible that he returns to his normal spot in the lineup on Friday, and if he doesn't, then this play is simply voided.
With that said, if he does play, then Nichushkin profiles well to score against Edmonton due to his dominance on the power play. Nichushkin leads the Avs in power-play goals this season, which is particularly impressive given that he has done so in roughly half the amount of games as everyone else in the lineup.
I mention this because the Oilers rank 24th in the league in penalty minutes taken per game. Therefore, it is not surprising that Nichushkin has scored three goals over his past four games against Edmonton.
Pick: Valeri Nichushkin (+160)
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Avalanche vs. Oilers
I'm risking a half-unit on Nichushkin to score along with another half-unit on his teammate Nathan MacKinnon. My thinking here is that I am fairly confident that at least one of these two guys will find the back of the net, which would guarantee a wash at minimum.
And, if both score – all the better.
I already talked about Edmonton's vulnerability on special teams, but goaltender Stuart Skinner is slated to guard the crease and could be another reason to look at a high-scoring game for Colorado. Skinner has now allowed three or more goals in five of his past six starts.
Meanwhile, Hart Trophy frontrunner Nathan MacKinnon hardly needs any introduction. He has gone nuclear over the past two months, scoring 14 goals in 17 games.
MacKinnon has also torched the Oilers over the past half-decade, scoring in seven of their past 10 meetings.
Pick: Nathan MacKinnon (-105)
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