NHL Player Props Today: Anytime Goal Scorer Predictions & Best Bets for Thursday

After correctly predicting Leon Draisaitl to score and Mitch Marner to post at least one assist yesterday, my NHL player props today feature four NHL picks. 

Three of the four featured players enjoyed dream starts to their 2025-26 season, scoring 10 combined points in Wednesday's openers. I'm also headlining Nathan MacKinnon, who's facing a Utah Mammoth team he thrives against. 

🏒 Best NHL player props today

NHL player prop odds subject to change.

• Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche: Over 3.5 shots (-120 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights: Over 1.5 points (+150 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Pavel Dorofeyev, RW, Golden Knights: Anytime goal (+230 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins: Anytime goal (+105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

💰 NHL player prop bets for Oct. 9 

Our NHL player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.

⬆️ Nathan MacKinnon Over 3.5 shots ⭐⭐⭐⭐

MacKinnon managed just two shots on goal in the Colorado Avalanche's opener in Los Angeles. However, he'll be playing in the friendly confines of Ball Arena tonight, where he averaged 4.1 shots per game last season.

He's also been even more prolific than usual against Utah, previously Arizona, hitting the Over on this total in eight of the last 10 games, including six of the previous seven.  

Of the best sports betting sites, BetMGM offers the best odds (-120), where a winning $10 bet will profit $8.33. 

⬆️ Jack Eichel Over 1.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Eichel last night played like a man who just signed a $108 million contract extension. He notched four points against the Los Angeles Kings and added five shots. That must represent an ominous thought for a San Jose Sharks team about to open their season against Eichel and his Golden Knights, who, by the way, lost to LA 6-5 in a shootout.

He scored five points in the last three games against San Jose, which includes a pair of two-point outings. BetMGM's +150 odds imply a 40% win probability, and a winning $10 bet will pocket $15 in profits.

🥅 Anytime goal scorer predictions

🔥 Pavel Dorofeyev anytime goal (+230) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This early in the season, I'm inclined to go with the hot hand. Even the Human Torch and Firefist don't have hands as hot as Pavel Dorofeyev, who opened the season Wednesday night with a hat trick against the Kings.

Playing on back-to-back nights at this embryonic stage of the season should help the Vegas Golden Knights' sniper, as momentum, confidence, and fluidity easily supersede any minimal fatigue he may have incurred. Dorofeyev has two goals in the last three games against the San Jose Sharks, adding even more appeal to the prop. 

FanDuel is the best of our NHL betting sites to lock in this wager as its +230 odds facilitate a $23 profit if he lights the lamp. 

🔥 David Pastrnak anytime goal (+105) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

David Pastrnak scored a goal against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. He gets a home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, whom he scored against the last time he faced them.

Pastrnak scored 43 goals last season, the fifth most, and he's not wasting any time trying to eclipse that total in 2025-26. He scored 26 of his 43 goals on home ice, and he should be feeling it after a three-point performance yesterday in the capital. 

Our Liam Fox has four more NHL anytime goal scorer predictions today, including a play on the Canadiens' Cole Caufield.

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