NHL Picks: Anytime Goalscorer Best Bets & Expert Predictions (Saturday, May 18)
Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his goal with teammates
Check out Tony Sartori's NHL best bets with anytime goalscorer picks for Saturday, May 18.
We have just one NHL game tonight as the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues on. I have two NHL anytime goalscorer picks for that lone matchup: Canucks vs Oilers Game 6 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN & ESPN+).
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 postseason action below.
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NHL Expert Picks – Anytime Goalscorers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 p.m. | ||
| 8 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. | ||
Canucks vs. Oilers
In terms of scoring, Vancouver forward Brock Boeser has been the team's best option this postseason. Entering Game 6, he leads the team in goals and shots, and he co-leads in points.
Boeser has scored seven times over the past nine games, and I don't think he will slow down against Edmonton, a team he has scored 13 goals against over the past 20 meetings. Furthermore, I don't trust the Oilers' goaltending situation at all.
Edmonton is likely to go back to goaltender Stuart Skinner after trying out backup Calvin Pickard over the past two games. I actually don't think the Oilers should do so, but all signs are suggesting that they will.
Yes, Pickard isn't good, but Skinner was performing even worse before getting pulled. In his three starts this series, Skinner is 1-2 with a troubling .793 SV% and 4.40 GAA.
Pick: Brock Boeser (+170 at FanDuel)
Canucks vs. Oilers
I'm risking a half-unit on Boeser to score along with another half-unit on his teammate J.T. Miller.
I am fairly confident that at least one of these two guys will find the back of the net, which would guarantee a profit. And, if both score – all the better.
Miller played the hero in Game 5 as he scored the game-winner with just over 30 seconds remaining in the third period. It was just his third goal of the postseason, but he has been Vancouver's best all-around forward and co-leads the team in points alongside Boeser.
I already discussed how poorly Skinner has performed between the pipes in this series, but it also certainly doesn't help his cause that he plays behind a struggling blue line. At 5-on-5, Edmonton ranks fifth among the remaining seven playoff teams in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) this postseason.
At least one of Boeser or Miller has scored in four of the five games this series.
Pick: J.T. Miller (+190 at FanDuel)
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