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There are a whopping 14 games on Saturday’s National Hockey League schedule and Monkey Knife Fight has contests in every one of them to add to the excitement.
It starts with three games at 1:05 ET, including the Calgary Flames trying to exact some revenge on the Ottawa Senators after the Sens thumped the Flames 6-1 on Thursday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in first place in the North Division and will be in Edmonton, taking on the second place Edmonton Oilers. The Florida Panthers hold top spot in the Central and will be hosting the fourth-place Carolina Hurricanes, who are just three points behind the Panthers in the standings.
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STAR SHOOTOUT - ALL DAY
MORE OR LESS
Connor Hellebuyck MORE THAN 27.5 SAVES
Over the course of this season, Hellebuyck has averaged 27.9 saves per 60 minutes and is facing a Montreal Canadiens team that has generated shots at a higher rate than any other team this season. On the other hand, the Canadiens offered a toothless attack in their first game with new head coach Dominique Ducharme behind the bench, managing just 21 shots against the Jets.
Patrick Kane MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
As great as the Chicago star winger has been this season, putting up 21 assists in 21 games, he has recorded an assist in 12 of those 21 games so it is not quite as lopsided as one might expect. The advantage for Kane is that he faces the Detroit Red Wings, one of the worst teams in the league and a team that Kane has produced an assist against in three of four games this season.
RAPID FIRE
Nathan MacKinnon +0.5 fantasy points vs. Max Pacioretty
Pacioretty does have the sound fantasy base of being a volume shooter, with 4.1 shots per game, but that doesn’t offer much of an advantage against MacKinnon, who is generating 4.0 shots per game. Because MacKinnon is that close in terms of shot production makes him a lively underdog because he scores more (1.20 points/game) than Pacioretty (0.81 points/game).
STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Andrei Vasilevskiy LESS THAN 26.5 SAVES
Tampa Bay’s star netminder is averaging 26.9 saves per 60 minutes this season, thanks in part to a sparkling .935 save percentage. He is going against a Dallas Stars squad that struggles to create offense, averaging 27.8 shots per 60 minutes, which does not leave a lot of room for Vasilevskiy to get at least 27 saves.
Mitchell Marner MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
Toronto’s dynamic playmaking winger has 21 assists in 21 games this season but has been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games. Kane does have at least one assist in 13 of 21 games but the biggest concern going into this game is the health of Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews, who is dealing with a hand injury. If Matthews can’t play at Edmonton, then it becomes more difficult for Marner to pick up assists but it’s not like the Maple Leafs are completely devoid of talent if Matthews is out of the lineup.
RAPID FIRE
Aleksander Barkov -0.5 fantasy points vs. Mikko Rantanen
Barkov is scoring at a higher rate and generating shots at a higher rate than Rantanen. It may be a close contest between the Finnish duo but Barkov’s consistent production gives him the edge.
Leon Draisaitl +0.5 points vs. Connor McDavid
McDavid is off to a phenomenal start this season, with 1.82 points per game, but it’s not like Draisaitl has dropped off the map either, as he has put up 1.55 points per game. McDavid’s production is not as dependent on percentages, so it is probably more sustainable, but getting an extra half point with Draisaitl is the way to go.
STAR SHOOTOUT - NIGHT GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Tyler Toffoli LESS THAN 0.5 GOALS
Although the Canadiens winger has tallied 12 goals in 19 games, he has scored at least one goal in eight of those games and has scored in just four of 14 games against opponents not named the Vancouver Canucks.
Mark Stone MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
The Golden Knights captain had gone five straight games without an assist before picking up a helper in Vegas’ last game, Monday at Colorado. He does have 13 assists in 16 games and is going against an Anaheim Ducks team that is at least a little vulnerable.
Mark Scheifele MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
Riding an 11-game point streak, Scheifele has recorded an assist in seven of those games – and in 12 of 19 games overall this season – so he is more likely than not to keep producing against a reeling Montreal Canadiens team.
RAPID FIRE
Nikolaj Ehlers +0.5 fantasy points vs. Brent Burns
Ehlers is having a fantastic season, scoring better than a point per game and averaging more than 3.5 shots per game. Burns has eight points in 17 games and is generating 3.0 shots per game. Ehlers should be favored in this matchup so he’s really easy to like as the underdog.
Logan Couture -0.5 fantasy points vs. Evander Kane
In past seasons, Kane would hold a bigger shot advantage that would make him a tougher opponent. As it is, Kane is generating 2.9 shots per game, his lowest rate since his rookie season, and Couture is recording 2.8 shots per game. That closeness in shot production gives Couture a little edge overall because he has 16 points to Kane’s 13.
