RADIO
There are 10 games on the Thursday night NHL schedule and Monkey Knife Fight is there with contests for all of them, making the games even more exciting.
The Battle of Florida goes in Sunrise, where the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Panthers. The surging Chicago Blackhawks host the discipline-conscious Columbus Blue Jackets and the game of the night might be in Dallas, where the Stars welcome the Carolina Hurricanes.
Pittsburgh’s new management gets their first look at the Penguins against the New York Islanders and the Montreal Canadiens, coming off a loss to Toronto, try to rebound against the Edmonton Oilers.
It should be a great night of sticks and pucks. Here are some Star Shootout angles to consider for Thursday’s NHL action on Monkey Knife Fight:
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STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Andrei Vasilevskiy MORE THAN 26.5 SAVES
This number is pretty close to the middle range. Vasilevskiy has averaged 26.3 saves per 60 minutes of play this season and has 27 or more saves in five of his 10 starts. But, considering that the Lightning should be favored against a Panthers team that generates shots at a higher-than-average rate, score effects might help the Panthers put enough shots on goal for Vasilevskiy to get at least 27 saves.
Dougie Hamilton LESS THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS
Hamilton has not been the big shooter that he was last season, when he averaged nearly five shots plus blocks per game. This season, Hamilton has averaged 3.5 shots plus blocks per game and he has had five or more shots plus blocks three times in 10 games.
Mathew Barzal MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
The Islanders pivot has recorded an assist in six straight games and faces a Penguins team that has an injury-depleted defense and shaky goaltending. Those seem like good enough reasons to keep the assist train rolling.
Darnell Nurse LESS THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS
Not only is the Oilers blueliner on fire offensively, with nine points in the past nine games and four goals in the past five, but Nurse has 26 shots on goal in that time. However, with 14 blocked shots in that time, his average shots plus blocks comes in under 4.5 per game and the Oilers are facing a Montreal team that is better than average at shot suppression, so it could be tough for Nurse to get to five shots plus blocks in this game.
RAPID FIRE
Nikolaj Ehlers +0.5 fantasy points vs. Leon Draisaitl
Ehlers is off to a wonderful start to the season with 14 points and 45 shots on goal in 12 games though it’s still a long way from Draisaitl, who has 25 points and 43 shots in 15 games. The difference tonight is that Ehlers faces the Ottawa Senators while Draisaitl matches up with the Montreal Canadiens and the relative strength of opposition makes Ehlers a lively underdog.
Connor McDavid -0.5 fantasy points vs. Patrick Kane
As the Blackhawks have improved, so too has the production from Kane, their star winger who has 17 points and 52 shots on goal in 14 games. McDavid has 27 points and 54 shots on goal in 15 games and while he has a relatively difficult matchup against Montreal, Kane doesn’t get the same kind of quality of competition advantage as Ehlers since Chicago is taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that is below average defensively but not as bad as the Ottawa Senators.
STAR SHOOTOUT - NIGHT GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Max Pacioretty MORE THAN 6.5 FANTASY POINTS
This is a huge number to cover, even for a winger as productive as Pacioretty, who has recorded seven or more fantasy points in five of 10 games. Pacioretty is averaging 4.5 shots on goal per game, which gives him a big foundation to build upon, and when combined with his 11 points and six blocked shots, he can create enough against an Anaheim Ducks team that has been below average defensively.
Brent Burns MORE THAN 4.5 FANTASY POINTS
Burns has 52 shots plus blocks in 11 games which gets him most of the way there, close enough that with standard production in those categories, he might need just a goal or an assist to put him over the top and going against the Los Angeles Kings is a favorable matchup.
Johnny Gaudreau MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
Johnny Hockey has assists in six of 12 games this season, so it’s a pretty even proposition but with a favorable matchup in Vancouver, the lean goes towards Gaudreau putting up one helper tonight.
RAPID FIRE
Anze Kopitar -0.5 fantasy points vs. Rickard Rakell
Kopitar has 15 points in 12 games to start the season, an outstanding start for a team without a lot of offensive firepower. At the same time, Rakell is generating shots for the Ducks but Anaheim isn’t scoring, ranking 30th in the league with 1.97 goals per 60 minutes this season and Rakell is the poster child for their offensive woes with one goal on 47 shots.
Jonathan Marchessault +0.5 fantasy points vs. Logan Couture
Couture has six points in the past five games and is a driving force for San Jose’s offense with 10 points in 11 games this season. Marchessault is a secondary scorer for Vegas but that still leaves him with five pints in the past five games and nine points in 10 games overall. That’s close enough to like the underdog getting an extra half fantasy points in this matchup.
