RADIO
There are 10 NHL games on the ice Thursday night and Monkey Knife Fight has contests for all of them to add to the excitement.
As has become standard in this unusual NHL season, there are some glaring mismatches between divisional opponents as part of the mix but there are also some competitive matchups on the docket, too.
The Washington Capitals at the Philadelphia Flyers and the Winnipeg Jets at the Toronto Maple Leafs both look like quality games between playoff teams.
The Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers and the Blueshirts may have Artemi Panarin back in the lineup, which would certainly be a huge boost to their offense.
Florida is in Columbus for a second straight game, as is Chicago at Dallas. Same for Nashville at Carolina.
The New Jersey Devils have been fading fast and visiting the New York Islanders is not going to make it any easier for them.
As for the mismatches, the Pittsburgh Penguins going to Buffalo to battle a Sabres team missing Jack Eichel and a Tampa Bay Lightning visit to Detroit to handle the Red Wings would qualify.
The final game of the night has the Montreal Canadiens in Calgary to take on the Flames. The Canadiens have gone 3-1-3 under new head coach Dominique Ducharme and the Flames will have Darryl Sutter behind the bench for the first time since he was hired to replace Geoff Ward.
Here are some Star Shootout angles to consider when playing Thursday’s NHL action on Monkey Knife Fight.
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STAR SHOOTOUT - ALL DAY
MORE OR LESS
Ilya Samsonov LESS THAN 27.5 SAVES
Aside from Tuesday’s game against Philadelphia, when he stopped 36 shots, the Capitals netminder has been protected for much of the season and is averaging 23.9 saves per 60 minutes of action. The Flyers have not typically generated a lot of shots this season, just 26.4 per 60 minutes on home ice, so even if Samsonov had to stop a bunch in the last game against Philadelphia, the odds are against it being necessary this time out.
Connor Hellebuyck MORE THAN 29.5 SAVES
While Jets goaltender has had some hits and misses this season, he is averaging 31.5 saves per 60 minutes on the road and the Jets are facing a Maple Leafs team that is averaging 31.5 shots per 60 minutes on home ice after firing 39 shots on Hellebuyck Tuesday as the Maple Leafs desperately tried to catch up. Maybe the Maple Leafs won’t be chasing again tonight but a 30-save performance is not altogether unreasonable.
Brad Marchand MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
When breaking down Tuesday’s game at the Islanders, the expectation was that the Isles might grind down the Bruins and make it a little more difficult to score, even for someone as great as Marchand. The Isles did grind them down and ultimately won the game 2-1 in a shootout but Marchand did get an assist on Boston’s only goal. That gives him a helper in five of the past six games.
Dougie Hamilton MORE THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS
The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman has not been as freewheeling as he was last season and is averaging 4.1 shots plus blocks per game, which is fine but also not a rate at which it should be assumed that he will put up at least five against Nashville. However, Hamilton is much more productive on home ice, where he has recorded at least five shots plus blocks in seven of 11 home games, including Tuesday against the Predators when he had a total of nine.
RAPID FIRE
Sidney Crosby -0.5 fantasy points vs. Patric Hornqvist
After a relatively slow start to the season, at least by his standards, Crosby has 16 points and 41 shots on goal in the past 14 games. He’s moving closer to prime Crosby mode. Hornqvist, the crease-crashing former Penguin, is more consistent when it comes to generating shots but he does not score like Crosby and, perhaps more importantly, Crosby’s Penguins are playing against the Buffalo Sabres, one of the most favorable matchups possible.
Victor Hedman -0.5 fantasy points vs. Mitch Marner
Marner has put up 35 points (10 G, 25 A) and 70 shots on goal, with 14 blocked shots, in 25 games this season. On average, that has been worth 6.56 fantasy points per game. Hedman has produced 25 points (5 G, 20 A), 58 shots, and 38 blocked shots in 24 games, good for 6.29 fantasy points per game. Then the question becomes what of the competition for Thursday. Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs are at home against the Winnipeg Jets, not the easiest matchup. Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning are in Detroit to face the Red Wings. It is on the road but the Wings are right at the bottom of the barrel this season, so that matchup gives Hedman a slight edge.
Aleksander Barkov +0.5 fantasy points vs. Sean Couturier
Two premier two-way centers meet in this contest. Barkov has an edge because he generates nearly a shot per game more than Couturier. Barkov has 27 points in 25 games, compared to Couturier’s 16 points in 13 games, and neither has a lopsided matchup – Couturier faces the Washington Capitals and Barkov gets the Columbus Blue Jackets. It appears close enough to like the underdog who is getting an extra half fantasy point.
Alex Ovechkin +0.5 fantasy points vs. Filip Forsberg
Ovechkin is in the midst of a bit of a dry spell, with two goals and no assists in the past six games. He does have 27 shots on goal, which is at least a little bit encouraging. Even as the Predators appear to be collapsing around Forsberg, he continues to produce, putting up 16 points and 47 shots on goal in the past 13 games. Is that enough to prefer him as the favorite when he is up against a strong Carolina Hurricanes squad? Maybe not.
