RADIO
After a light schedule last Saturday, the National Hockey League is back with a typically busy slate, 12 games on the schedule. Monkey Knife Fight has contests for all of them to increase the fun and excitement with every drop of the puck.
There are a couple of matchups between top teams. The unbeaten Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes have played just eight games between them but the Stars are unbeaten and the Hurricanes have lost once.
The premier game of the day may be in Boston, with the Washington Capitals in town, the top two teams in the East Division facing off. That means the return of former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who is now a fixture on the Capitals blueline. It also means that Bruins sniper David Pastrnak may be ready to make his debut after offseason surgery. Finally, Washington’s Russian quartet that has been out for the past four games after a Covid-19 protocol violation, could be eligible to return to action. If they are ready to return for the Capitals this stands as the most compelling matchup on a busy schedule.
With that in mind, here are some Star Shootout angles to keep in mind for Saturday’s NHL action on Monkey Knife Fight:
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STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Andrei Vasilevskiy LESS THAN 32.5 SAVES
In five starts this season, Vasilevskiy is averaging 27.2 saves per 60 minutes so this seems like a big number. He is going up against the Nashville Predators, a team that ranks fifth in the league with 32.7 shots per 60 minutes. Even under those circumstance,s it’s unlikely that Vasilevskiy has at least 33 saves.
Frederik Andersen LESS THAN 29.5 SAVES
The Maple Leafs netminder has not been terribly consistent this season and, with an .896 save percentage, is not stopping enough pucks, averaging 24.7 saves per 60 minutes this season. He faces an Oilers team that is averaging 31.8 shots per 60 minutes, which is above average, but the Maple Leafs are allowing 27.2 shots per 60 minutes, which is below average. Take it all together and recognize that Andersen has recorded 30 or more saves once in seven starts this season.
Auston Matthews MORE THAN 5.5 SHOTS PLUS BLOCKS
It is a big number for Matthews to cover yet he has recorded at least six shots plus blocks in four of eight games this season. The advantage for Matthews is that the Oilers are allowing 33.1 shots against per 60 minutes, the third-highest rate in the league.
Brad Marchand MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
The Bruins agitator is already off to an impressive start this season, with six assists in seven games, and it appears that David Pastrnak is ready to return to the Boston lineup. Adding an elite goal-scorer to Marchand’s line, and the power play, only increases the likelihood of Marchand getting at least one assist.
Mitchell Marner MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
Marner has eight assists in nine games this season and that includes at least one in each of the past four contests. With Edmonton’s defensive play still suspect, there’s little reason to believe that Marner should be prevented from contributing at least one assist against them.
RAPID FIRE
Connor McDavid +0.5 fantasy points vs. Nathan MacKinnon
Although MacKinnon puts up 4.5 shots on goal per game, a rate that even McDavid (3.9 shots per game) can’t touch, McDavid is still leading the league with 14 points in nine games and his ability to generate points is still a strong foundation for his fantasy production, certainly enough to like him as an underdog in this head-to-head matchup of two of the very best players in the sport.
Leon Draisaitl +0.5 fantasy points vs. Adam Fox
Fox does have an edge that comes from blocked shots and is averaging 4.7 shots plus blocked shots per game, coupled with five points in seven games. Draisaitl does not have the shot numbers (3.7 shots plus blocks per game) but 13 points in nine games can’t be ignored, either. At the bare minimum, it makes him a quality option as the underdog.
Victor Hedman +0.5 fantasy points vs. Steven Stamkos
Stamkos is a terrific talent but, as a high-percentage finisher, he does not typically generate a lot of shots on goal and that makes it a close battle with his teammate, Hedman, who has one less point in five games but has 1.4 more shots plus blocks per game.
Mikko Rantanen +0.5 fantasy points vs. John Tavares
Rantanen is so productive riding shotgun with MacKinnon, and the Finnish winger has eight points and 31 shots plus blocks in eight games. Tavares has eight points and 30 shots plus blocks in nine games so while the matchup should be close, Rantanen is a lively underdog in this case, particularly since Tavares has been slumping a bit, with just two points in the past five games.
