Following a hefty 11-game slate on Thursday, the NHL returns with a small four-game slate on Friday night. The Canucks beat the Stars last night and are the only team playing on the second leg of a back-to-back. Here are tonight’s games:
- Washington Capitals vs. Minnesota Wild
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
- Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks
- Utah Mammoth vs. San Jose Sharks
Here are my favorite three NHL player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday, October 17.
Best NHL props for Friday 10/17/25
Kirill Kaprizov to Record 2+ Points (+140)
The highest-paid player in the league has gotten off to a hot start, clearing this line in three of his first four games of the new season. The Russian winger is tied for the second-most points in the NHL (9), having already recorded four goals and five assists. All four of his goals have come via powerplay, and he should take advantage of the Capitals’ penalty kill that ranks third-to-last in PK%. The goalscoring ability is there. The playmaking ability is there. He hasn’t faced Washington since 2023 either, and that unfamiliarity, paired with his recent production, gives him an edge tonight.
Patrick Kane to Score a Goal (+260)
The 36-year-old sniper has netted two goals and is tied for the second-most points on the team (5) through four games. Kane also ranks third on the team in 5v5 xGoals and is quietly six goals away from 500 career goals, so I’m expecting him to continue producing high-quality chances. I am also operating under the assumption that Tampa Bay will start Andrei Vasilevskiy following three days of rest, and he has gotten off to a slow start this season. Vasilevskiy sports a 4.08 GAA and .870 SV%, and has even particularly struggled against Kane throughout his career. Across 17 career meetings against Vasilevskiy, Kane has totaled eight goals and seven assists.
JJ Peterka to Record 3+ Shots on Goal (+115)
Peterka has yet to record three SOG in a game this season, but tonight’s matchup against the Sharks is a perfect spot for him to eclipse the mark. The Mammoth have scored a league-low eight goals, but Peterka has scored in back-to-back games and should make it a point to get the puck on the net often. The Sharks rank dead-last in shots allowed per game (39.3), and the German has cleared this line in three of the past five meetings against them. Peterka is Utah’s main source of offensive production at the moment, and his linemates should look to set him up with high-quality shot opportunities.
