3 NHL Goal Scorer, Points and Assists Props to Back on October 23

Friday’s NHL board is a two-game slate, which means every prop has to earn its spot. Montreal visits Chicago at 8:00 PM ET, then Tampa Bay heads to Denver for a 9:00 PM ET meeting with Colorado. Three players stand out in the goal, points and assist markets, and the numbers behind each one point in the same direction.

The common thread is process over recency bias. Each of these props pairs a role that produces volume with a matchup that gives that volume a place to land, and each is priced a little softer than the underlying model suggests.

Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 Points (+155)

Kucherov enters Colorado with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) through nine games, a pace well above a point per game. He is coming off a goal and two assists in Tuesday’s 6-2 win in Vegas, a night that tied him with Steven Stamkos for the franchise points record. He logs just over 21 minutes a night and has 26 shots on net, so the volume is not a fluke.

The matchup history is the real story. In 23 career regular-season games against Colorado, Kucherov has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists), and he has averaged two or more points per game against the Avalanche over the last six meetings. Colorado’s goaltending is not a deterrent either: Mackenzie Blackwood sits at .889 and Scott Wedgewood at .912, while the Avalanche allow 3.00 goals per game and 27.3 shots against.

The best available number is +155, with the market running from +140 to +158. A player of this caliber needs only a goal and an assist, or two helpers on a power-play look, to cash. At plus money that is a price worth taking.

Juraj Slafkovsky Over 0.5 Assists (+126)

Slafkovsky has quietly become one of Montreal’s steadiest playmakers. He has 5 assists in his last 5 games and 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) through nine appearances. He had a goal and an assist in Tuesday’s overtime loss to San Jose, two assists against Buffalo on Oct. 17 and another two against the Sabres on Oct. 13, so the assists are arriving in bunches rather than as a one-off.

The game script supports it. Montreal is a -1.5 road favorite against a Chicago team that is 3-6-0 after a 4-0 loss to Dallas, and Spencer Knight carries a .890 save percentage and 3.52 goals-against average into the crease. When the Canadiens score, Slafkovsky is regularly on the ice and on the scoresheet, averaging roughly 19 minutes a night with between two and six minutes of power-play time in recent games.

The anytime-goal model gives him about a 30% chance to score as well, which tells you how much offense runs through him in this matchup. At +126 you are being paid better than even money on a player whose assist production has been this consistent. The price is the edge.

Artturi Lehkonen Anytime Goal Scorer (+230)

Lehkonen is tied for fourth in the NHL with 8 goals, and he arrives hot. He scored twice in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss at New Jersey, including a late goal with the Avalanche playing six skaters, and his four goals since Oct. 16 are tied for the second most in the league. He is skating with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas, a line that generates premium looks every night.

His +230 price at FanDuel implies roughly a 30% chance. The models land between 32% and 37%, a real gap on a player riding this kind of form. The opposing goalie helps: Andrei Vasilevskiy has posted a .898 save percentage and 2.46 GAA over seven starts, good numbers by most standards but beatable by his own.

Colorado also averages 4.10 goals per game, so the offense is producing at a high rate. A top-line winger with hot hands and a soft number is exactly where anytime-goal value tends to live.

Lock These In

This slate is small, but all three of these props are backed by role, matchup and a price that undersells the probability. Shop around before you bet, since lines can move between books; the numbers below are the best available at the time of writing, and you can compare options at our sportsbooks hub.

• Nikita Kucherov OVER 1.5 points (+155)
• Juraj Slafkovsky OVER 0.5 assists (+126)
• Artturi Lehkonen anytime goal scorer (+230 at FanDuel)

Two skilled playmakers and one hot shooter, all at plus money. Bet responsibly and only what you can afford to lose.