I have picks on two star players during Monday’s NHL playoff action.
The pregame narrative: Alex Ovechkin set the NHL’s all-time goal record this season, and I like the value on his anytime goal prop in Game 1. Later on, bet on Nathan MacKinnon to have another big performance against the Dallas Stars.
Check out my NHL anytime goal picks for April 21.
NHL anytime goal picks
Best Bet: Ovechkin to score a goal (+116)
Ovechkin had an incredible season, there’s no other way to put it.
The 39-year-old was limited to 65 games this season and still scored 44 goals, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record in the process.
His 0.68 goals per game ranked second in the NHL behind only Leon Draisaitl (0.73).
In the opening round, the Washington Capitals play the Montreal Canadiens, who aren’t in the playoffs because of their defence.
- 11th-most goals against per game (3.18)
- 10th-most shots against per game (29.1)
Those are dangerous weaknesses to possess against Ovechkin.
Key stat: The ‘Great 8’ scored in seven of his final nine regular-season games.
NHL prop prediction: Back MacKinnon to score
MacKinnon to score a goal (+128): It’s hard to pass on MacKinnon in the first round of the playoffs.
Dating back to 2022, MacKinnon has scored 12 goals in 15 opening-round games.
That concluded with his two-goal performance over the Stars on Saturday.
Let’s also not forget about the centre’s extremely productive regular season. He finished second in the league with 116 points.
He closed things out by recording a point in eight straight games and scoring in two of the final three contests.
Colorado scored five times on Saturday and looked dominant on offence. Look for MacKinnon to be in the mix again with plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net.
NHL anytime goal picks made at 9:27 a.m. ET on 04/21/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.