RADIO
The pucks drops for three games in the National Hockey League tonight. Play props and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
The most compelling matchup has the Edmonton Oilers in Vegas to take on the Golden Knights. Edmonton added wingers Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis at the trade deadline and Vegas brought in goaltender Robin Lehner but both teams are in the hunt in the tightly-contested Pacific Division.
Buffalo heads to Colorado and while the Sabres are fighting uphill in their quest for a playoff spot, they are playing better lately and the Avalanche have been impressive but are dealing with some injuries which might make this a more competitive matchup than the standings would suggest.
Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins have loaded up for another playoff push and they travel to Los Angeles, where the Kings are playing out the string, again.
Here are some angles to keep in mind when making Wednesday’s hockey prop picks on Monkey Knife Fight.
BUFFALO-COLORADO
MORE OR LESS
Carter Hutton MORE THAN 27.5 SAVES – Even though Hutton has not been having a great season, and has a .893 save percentage on the road this season, but he’s still averaging 31.4 saves per 60 minutes on the road this season and the Avalanche rank third in the league with 34.9 shots/60 on home ice.
Pavel Francouz LESS THAN 27.5 SAVES – Running with the ball as the Avalanche starter in net while Philipp Grubauer is injured, Francouz has averaged 27.2 saves per 60 minutes on home ice this season and goes up against a Sabres team that ranks 23rd with 29.2 shots/60 on the road and that tilts the number towards the under.
Nathan MacKinnon MORE THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – Without even including blocked shots, MacKinnon is averaging 5.4 shots on goal per game at home this season. The Sabres allow 32.9 shots per 60, which ranks 23rd, so MacKinnon against a team with subpar shot suppression should move this towards the over.
PITTSBURGH-LOS ANGELES
MORE OR LESS
Jonathan Quick LESS THAN 30.5 SAVES – The Kings’ veteran netminder hasn’t had his best season but is decent on home ice and the Kings are competent defensively. On home ice, Quick has averaged 25.7 saves per 60 minutes and he faces a Penguins team that has averaged 30.1 shots/60 on the road, which makes it difficult to expect at least 31 saves from Quick in this matchup.
Sidney Crosby LESS THAN 0.5 ASSISTS – No. 87 could very well be due to bust out on the road, where he has six assists in 15 road contests this season, and that includes just one assist in his past 11 road games. The Penguins have changed up his wings, having traded for Jason Zucker and Conor Sheary, but this strange road slump is a tough stretch for him.
RAPID FIRE
Kris Letang -0.5 shots + blocks vs. Drew Doughty – Doughty hasn’t been very productive, to be honest, averaging 3.0 shots plus blocks per home game which makes this a clear edge for Letang, who is posting 4.8 shots plus blocks per road game.
EDMONTON-VEGAS
MORE OR LESS
Connor McDavid MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS – He has new wingers, Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis, and has recorded 26 assists in 30 road games. That’s enough to count on the best player on the planet to come up with a single assist, even when playing the second game of a back-to-back against a strong Vegas squad.
Marc-Andre Fleury LESS THAN 28.5 SAVES – Fleury is averaging 26.7 saves per 60 on home ice and goes against an Oilers team that is playing the second game of a back-to-back situation. Unless the new-look Oilers are much more explosive they may not get enough shots for Fleury to get there.
Mikko Koskinen MORE THAN 27.5 SAVES – Not only is Koskinen averaging 30.3 saves per 60 minutes on the road but he’s facing a Golden Knights team that is generating a league-leading 36.3 shots/60 on home ice.
Darnell Nurse LESS THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – As much as Nurse can contribute in both categories, he’s averaging 4.1 shots plus blocks per game on the road. If he needs five, that’s not impossible but it’s a big ask.
RAPID FIRE
Mark Stone +0.5 points vs. Connor McDavid – This is relatively close. Stone has 32 points in 33 home games, so just under a point per game, while McDavid has 42 points in 30 games, which is 1.4 points per game, on the road.
