The 2026-27 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season rolls on Tuesday night with nine games, including a doubleheader on ESPN. The New York Islanders and New York Rangers renew acquaintances at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, while the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings do battle at 10:00 p.m. ET in the second end of the nationally-televised doubleheader. Below are our top NHL player props for Tuesday, October 6th.
Tuesday's Best NHL Player Props
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Cole Caufield 3+ Shots on Goal (-164)
It’s a little chalky, but taking Caufield to get to at least three shots on goal (SOG) is the right play. He had three SOG in the opener at Toronto on Sept. 29, and he had three SOG in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, with two of those shots going in.
And, while he and his fellow Canadiens saw their season ended by the Carolina Hurricanes, Tuesday’s opponent, in the playoffs back in late May in the East Finals, this is a different Carolina team off to a sluggish start. In the postseason, they were suffocating defensively, keeping him to nine SOG in the five-game series, with Caufield reaching three SOG just once, in the elimination Game 5. There will be a lot less defensive pressure here, and more wide-open spaces for the sniper to operate.
Robert Thomas Anytime Goal Scorer (+210)
Last season, Thomas posted 25 goals and 64 points in 64 games, and he just missed a career-high in goals by one. He is off to a sluggish start in 2026-27, going scoreless with a minus-1 rating, and he hasn’t even recorded a SOG yet through two games. That all changes against the Blackhawks.
Chicago has allowed 15 goals in just three games, so there will be plenty of opportunity for Thomas to snap back into form, and get closer to his point-per-game clip that he showed last season.
Artemi Panarin Anytime Goal Scorer (+205)
Like Thomas (above), the “Bread Man” is a strong Anytime Goal Scorer play for the opportunity to more than double up. Unlike Thomas, however, Panarin is off to a very good start, he is just playing a slightly more difficult opponent.
Panarin has a goal in each of his first two games at Colorado and at San Jose. He lit the lamp while adding an assist with four shots on goal in the 5-4 OTL in San Jose on Saturday. He sees plenty of time on the power play, and he’ll have his chances against Jacob Markstrom and the Cats on Tuesday.
Jack Eichel 1+ Assists (-155)
Eichel has been on fire to start this new season, posting a goal and five assists through the first three games. Strike while the iron is hot. For Eichel to simply get to one helper, he is still not priced out of line. He has an assist in each of his first three, and two apples in two of those outings.
The Seattle Kraken have been solid defensively in the early going, allowing just five goals in three games, but they haven’t faced a high-octane offense like Vegas yet. Keep rolling with Eichel until he cools off.
