Best NHL player prop bets for Oct. 24: Value on Gritsyuk to score after promotion to Devils’ second line

Join Daily Faceoff’s Nick Martin as he handicaps the best NHL player prop bets available from Friday’s four-game slate.

Best Bet – Arseny Gritsyuk Anytime Goal-Scorer: +375 (bet365, play to +360)

In being a 24-year-old skilled forward coming over from the KHL this season, it felt like Gritsyuk had a fairly wide range of outcomes this season. His 44 points in 49 KHL games last season suggested he had the offensive upside to produce at the NHL level, but he did fit the profile of a player whose game may not convert overly well to the NHL.

Any questions about whether or not Gritsyuk could handle tighter NHL game-play have been answered in the early going. Most analysts expected strong flashes offensively, but he’s opened eyes with his consistently strong compete rate in all areas of the ice. Gritsyuk’s strong play has been one of the main talking points regarding the Devils, who did not receive much depth scoring during the 2024-25 season.

Gritsyuk has quickly moved from the fourth line up to the second line, as Sheldon Keefe has rightfully rewarded his high-quality play. Gritsyuk skated alongside Timo Meier and Nico Hischier at today’s morning skate, and also remained on the team’s second power-play unit, where he tallied his first NHL goal in Wednesday’s matchup versus the Minnesota Wild.

A home matchup versus the San Jose Sharks, who will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back, is the best possible spot in hockey. The Sharks have allowed 4.86 goals against per game this season, and starting goaltender Yaraslov Askarov holds an ugly 5.72 GAA.

Gritsyuk showed strong finishing ability last season in the KHL, scoring 0.34 goals per game. He has a great role alongside Hischier and Meier on a high-quality second line, which should be able to tilt the ice quite heavily in this matchup. At +375, I believe we are getting a good number to back him scoring in a second consecutive matchup. 

Best Bet – Eric Comrie Over 24.5 Saves: -115 (bet365, play to -125)

This appears to be a very good spot to tap into the idea that the Flames will generate a strong output of shots on target, but that their lack of high-end skill will mean many of those chances are not overly threatening. 

The Flames have looked quite desperate to snap their losing skid in their last two matchups, and the team’s effort level certainly does not appear to be the problem. They have generated 32.95 shots on goal per 60 over the last two games, including 33 in Monday’s matchup versus Winnipeg. 

The Jets will be playing back-to-back, and have allowed 25.87 shots against per 60 this season. While the Flames may not be able to create high quality chances, they should be able to control a decent amount of the play and offer a high workload to Comrie. 

Comrie has been effective over the last two seasons, which is a key reason that 24.5 saves looks to be low, as it is important for this game to stay in a competitive game script in order to hit our bet.

Comrie finished with a +2.5 GSAx rating and .914 save percentage in 20 appearances last season, and was sharp in his season debut, stopping 33 of 35 the shots he faced in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders. 

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