Top NHL GIFT & Anytime Goal Scorer Prop Bet Picks: Monday (2/26)
Betting the GIFT (Goal In First Ten) is simple. Pick whether or not a game will have a goal scored in the first 10 minutes of play (00:00-09:59). It's that easy and all you have to do is root for anyone to score and you win. It is one area of hockey betting that has a nearly league-wide positive success rate with 93.75% of the league currently cashing at 50% or better this season. Even the Bruins have slowly crept up to 47% so we may soon have 31-of-32 teams cashing at 50% or better. I have been able to use this season’s GIFT numbers to pick winners with extreme accuracy.
Anytime Goal Scorer props are even easier. Pick a player to score and if they light the lamp at any point, you win!
Tail me for cash, fade me for trash!
For additional prop bets check out our brand new daily NHL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet. Additionally, I will post my favorite bets in the BettingPros Discord, which is free to join and filled with info from some of the sharpest analysts in the field, including myself.
Monday’s Best GIFT & Anytime Goal Scorer Prop Bets
2023-24 Season: 97-30 (.764) | Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Ottawa Senators at Washington Capitals
Ottawa’s season GIFT rate of 70% (39-of-55) leads the NHL. That number, if you can believe it, jumps to 82% when they are away from Canadian Tire Centre, which also paces the NHL. The Sens have cashed this prop in three of their last five and eight of their last ten games overall.
Washington has cashed this prop at a 53% clip (30-of-56) this season, tied for 27th in the NHL. That number remains 53% when they are on their home ice of Capital One Arena but the Capitals have been hot when it comes to cashing GIFTS recently. The Caps have cashed the GIFT in four of their last five and seven of their last ten games overall.
When these two teams last met on October 28 in Ottawa, the GIFT easily cashed on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal at the 4:38 mark. That was back when the Caps were actually under .500 cashing GIFTs so expect this one to hit tonight.
Pick: Goal In First Ten (-160)
New York Islanders at Dallas Stars
New York’s season GIFT rate of 56% (32-of-57) is already tied for 18th in the NHL. That number dips slightly to 55% when they are away from UBS Arena. However, the Islanders have cashed this prop in three of their last five games and six of their last ten games overall.
Dallas has cashed this prop at a 62% clip (37-of-59) this season, good for 8th best in the league. The Stars’ GIFT cash rate dips slightly to 60% outside the friendly home ice of the American Airlines Center. The Stars have cashed the GIFT in three of their last five games and seven of their last ten games overall.
When these teams last played on January 21, the GIFT cashed easily on an Alexander Romanov goal at the 2:52 mark.
Pick: Goal In First Ten (-145)
Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers
The Kings’ season GIFT rate of 55% (31-of-56) is already tied for 21st in the NHL and slightly below the league average. That number improves to 62% when they are away from Crypto.com Arena. The Kings have cashed this prop in three of their last five and six of their last ten games overall.
Edmonton has cashed this prop at a 61% clip (34-of-55) this season, tied for 9th best in the NHL. Additionally, the Oilers’ GIFT cash rate jumps to 66% on the friendly home ice of Rogers Place. The Oilers have cashed the GIFT in three of their last five games and five of their last ten games overall.
Pick: Goal In First Ten (-160)
Parlay Odds: +346
Anytime Goal Scorer Picks
Leon Draisaitl (+120) – G vs. Kings this season, 5G in L9, 3G in L5 at home
David Pastrnak (-135) – G vs. Kraken this season, 4G in L5 on road, 15 Points in L12 (scoring adjacent), 11 Points in L9 road games (scoring adjacent)
Brock Nelson (+150) – 4G in L6, 5G in 12 games under Patrick Roy
Alex Ovechkin (+135) – G in L4 home games, 5G in L4 home games, 1+ Point in L10 home games (scoring adjacent)
ATG Parlay Odds: +2149
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Monday:
- NHL Prop Betting Cheat Sheet
- Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions
- College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NBA Same Game Parlay Odds, Picks & Predictions
- The Match 9 Odds & Picks: McIlroy, Homa, Thompson & Zhang (2024)
Luke Monaldo is a featured writer at BettingPros. Follow him on Twitter @MoKnowsSports and Discord @alydar1227 AKA The GIFTing Crooner. For more from Luke, check out his archive.