RADIO
There are five games Saturday in the National Hockey League and Monkey Knife Fight has contests to make those games even more exciting.
There is one afternoon game, with the Tampa Bay Lightning in Columbus to take on the troubled Blue Jackets. Not only is Columbus 1-2-2 in its first five games but just traded their No. 1 center, Pierre-Luc Dubois, which leaves the Blue Jackets fighting uphill early in this season.
Among the four games Saturday night, the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers play for a second straight game after the Bruins took the first one in a shootout. The Montreal Canadiens are playing the Vancouver Canucks for the third straight time this week. Covid scheduling is wild, folks.
The Los Angeles Kings are in St. Louis to take on the Blues and the Ottawa Senators, who hosted the Jets for a pair of games this week, are in Winnipeg for another game against the Jets.
Here are some Star Shootout angles to consider for Saturday’s NHL action on Monkey Knife Fight:
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STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Braden Holtby MORE THAN 26.5 SAVES
It has not been an easy start for the Canucks and not least of all for their new goaltender. Holtby has averaged 29.5 saves per 60 minutes in his first three starts for Vancouver and is behind an injury-depleted defense that has had trouble containing Montreal in the first two games that they have played. Overall, Montreal is generating more than 35 shots per 60 minutes, ranking second in the league, so the most likely avenue for Holtby to have less than 27 saves would be to get pulled because he’s getting shelled. Otherwise, he should be looking at 30-plus saves.
Carter Hart MORE THAN 26.5 SAVES
The Flyers netminder has allowed four goals in each of his past two starts and has faced at least 33 shots in three of his four starts this season, including 43 shots against Boston on Thursday. The Bruins are producing an average of 31.8 shots per 60 minutes while the Flyers are surrendering a league-worst 36.8 shots per 60 minutes. Put those two rates together and Hart should have ample opportunity to record at least 27 saves.
Quinn Hughes MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
Vancouver’s star blueliner has six assists in six games to start the season, getting on the scoresheet in four of the six games. Banking on a defenseman to score points is a risky game but Hughes is playing more than 24 minutes per game and generating more than three shots on goal per game, so the offensive opportunities are there for him to continue his hot start.
Patrice Bergeron LESS THAN 0.5 GOALS
Boston’s captain is still seeking his first even-strength point of the season, as he has one shorthanded goal and two power play assists. To his credit, Bergeron is generating offense, including 4.8 shots on goal per game but has just run into trouble finishing. That trouble finishing is not easy to hand wave away, though, when it comes to whether or not he will score a goal against the Flyers Saturday.
RAPID FIRE
Brendan Gallagher +0.5 fantasy points vs. Brad Marchand
Point production has been a little slow for Gallagher, who has three points in five games, but he also has 20 shots on goal and that makes him a challenging underdog in this matchup. Marchand has four points in four games but only nine shots on goal and Gallagher’s ability to create shots does make him worthwhile when he’s getting an extra half fantasy point.
Drew Doughty -0.5 shots + blocks vs. Shea Weber
These two veteran blueliners are approaching this from different directions. Doughty only has five shots on goal in four games but has blocked 13 so he is averaging 4.5 shots plus blocks per contest. Weber isn’t shy to shoot the puck and has 12 shots on goal in five games but he is not blocking shots – only three in five games – which is not consistent with his performance in previous seasons. Until that trend changes, though, Doughty makes more sense in this matchup.
Bo Horvat +0.5 fantasy points vs. Jeff Petry
The big question is whether or not Montreal has figured out how to stop Horvat on the power play, where he has scored three of the four goals that he has managed in the first two games of this series. Overall, Horvat has seven points and 19 shots on goal in six games. Petry has been outstanding for Montreal, producing seven points, 14 shots on goal, and eight blocks in five games. The odds are against Petry continuing to score at a better than point-per-game pace though and that would level the playing field in this matchup.
