RADIO
Hockey starts in the early afternoon Saturday with the Rangers visiting the Bruins and ends with the Edmonton Oilers in Vancouver to take on the Canucks. Overall, there are a dozen games on the schedule and Monkey Knife Fight has contests for all of them to add to the excitement.
The most competitive games of the day include the Montreal Canadiens in Calgary to face the Flames, the Washington Capitals at the Philadelphia Flyers, the Winnipeg Jets at the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Vegas Golden Knights at the St. Louis Blues.
Here are some Star Shootout angles to consider when playing Saturday’s NHL action on Monkey Knife Fight.
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STAR SHOOTOUT - ALL DAY
MORE OR LESS
Andrei Vasilevskiy LESS THAN 31.5 SAVES
The Lightning netminder has been the best in the league this season, rocking a .936 save percentage, and yet he has averaged 26.3 save per 60 minutes of game action. Nashville is above average in terms of shots generated on the road, at 30.2 shots per 60. The Predators are dealing with a bunch of injuries which makes it likely that the Lightning will be able to shut them down, at least to the extent that it will be difficult for Vasilevskiy to accumulate at least 32 saves, a threshold he has crossed once in eight home contests this season.
Thatcher Demko LESS THAN 29.5 SAVES
Demko has emerged as the Canucks’ No. 1 option in goal and has averaged 30.5 saves per 60 minutes this season. The Canucks face an Edmonton Oilers team that is putting up 29.8 shots per 60 minutes on the road, with opposing goaltenders averaging 26.6 saves per 60 minutes. With the Oilers on the second game of a back-to-back, that might keep shot totals a little lower than usual.
David Pastrnak MORE THAN 6.5 FANTASY POINTS
Pasta has 22 points in 17 games while generating 71 shots on goal. In six home games this season, he is averaging more than eight fantasy points per game and has a matchup against a Rangers team that has been around league average defensively.
Brad Marchand MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
A consistent the relentless force, Marchand has recorded at least one assist in six of his past seven games and has registered an assist in eight of ten home games. Combine that with a matchup against the New York Rangers and Marchand should find his way to an ‘A’ on the scoresheet again.
RAPID FIRE
Leon Draisaitl -0.5 fantasy points vs. Victor Hedman
As great as Hedman is, and he is having a wonderful season for the Lightning, Draisaitl has 10 points during a 5-game point streak. He has a higher ceiling for production and that makes him a worthy favorite in this matchup.
Auston Matthews +0.5 shots + blocks vs. Brent Burns
Burns is not the same shooting machine that he has been in past seasons but he is averaging more than four shots plus blocks per game. Matthews, on the other hand, may be dealing with a bit of a wrist problem but he is putting up 5.3 shots plus blocks per game.
STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Ondrej Palat MORE THAN 5.5 FANTASY POINTS
Usually, Palat is not the most exciting player but a steady consistent performer. With eight points in the past four games he is standing out and facing a Nashville team with a defense depleted by injuries gives Palat a good chance to keep his scoring streak going.
Patrick Kane LESS THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
Although Kane is riding high with 40 points in 28 games, he has 11 assists in 15 road games this season. He has recorded those 11 assists in just six games. He faces a Florida team that has an average defensive record this season so maybe that is challenging enough to keep him under wraps.
Mitch Marner MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
The Leafs winger has 14 assists in 15 home games this year, with at least one assist in nine of those 15 games, and goes against a Winnipeg Jets team that is below average defensively on the road this season.
Max Pacioretty MORE THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS
The veteran Vegas sniper has been held under 4.5 shots plus blocks in back-to-back games but he has recorded at least five shots plus blocks in eight of the past 10 games.
RAPID FIRE
Patrick Kane -0.5 fantasy points vs. Mark Scheifele
Two very productive forwards in this matchup. Kane has 40 points in 28 games and is averaging nearly 3.5 shots per game. Scheifele has scored 34 points in 26 games and is averaging 2.0 shots per game. That extra shot and a half per game makes Kane a worthy favorite.
