3 Best NHL Any Time Goal Scorer Prop Bets for Friday 1/17/24

One of the most exciting ways to bet the NHL is through anytime goal-scoring props.

The league's top stars can light the lamp over 50 times a year, and some are even favored in the market throughout the season. Other players score a handful of times, making a nightly tally more of a longshot proposition.

Using our daily NHL projections as a guide, who are the best players to bet for a goal when perusing the the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook?

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. Line combos and starting goalies come from DailyFaceoff.com. All advanced statistics are used from Evolving-Hockey.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.

Today's Best NHL Any Time Goal Scorer Bets

Victor Olofsson Any Time Goal (+360)

Friday's two-game slate is a juxtaposition of elite defensive teams and poor ones. In the first contest between the former, this longshot with Victor Olofsson still gets a thumbs up from our projections.

Olofsson has had a career resurgence with the Vegas Golden Knights, potting nine goals with Vegas' second forward line and second power-play unit.

Masked by just 23 games played, Olofsson has put 2.3 shots on goal (SOG) per game this season. He's firing at an extremely healthy rate as a career 13.7% shooter -- yet has just one goal in January. The Carolina Hurricanes' team .889 SV% (12th-worst in the NHL) could help him find twine.

FanDuel Research's daily NHL projections are awarding him 0.37 median goals tonight, implying about +223 odds for a second marker this month.

Tage Thompson Any Time Goal (+150)

Here are the poor defensive teams squaring off in Western New York.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres' 6.5-goal total should mean some offense, and that's largely Tage Thompson for the Sabres. His 19 goals lead the team by four tallies.

Thompson's SOG per game (3.00) have remained high in his eighth season on Buffalo's top forward line and power-play unit. Tonight he'll draw a Pens squad allowing the seventh-most expected goals (xG) per 60 minutes (3.15) with the second-worst SV% in hockey (.881).

We've got Thompson projected for 0.63 goals in tonight's game, so FDR would line him closer to +114 for at least one.

Bryan Rust Any Time Goal (+230)

On the Pittsburgh side, we can back Bryan Rust.

Rust has become Sidney Crosby's running mate on the right wing, leading to a pace for a new career-high in goals (35.7) with 17 in 39 games. That might be a bit unnoticed in the same situation as last year.

Not to be outdone, the Sabres have allowed the eighth-most xG in hockey (3.14) with its seventh-worst SV% (.886).

FanDuel Research expects 0.43 median goals from Rust on Friday, which translates to roughly +186 odds for one. There's a bit of value here.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.