RADIO
Saturday brings a spread-out schedule, with games running from early afternoon to late at night, and you can play all day and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
The highlight of the schedule should be the Battle of Alberta, as the Edmonton Oilers visit the Calgary Flames. Both teams are struggling but competitive. The Oilers are 6-6 with a minus-1 goal differential and the Flames are 4-5-1 with an even goal differential.
Will the matchup, without fans, still have the same kind of bad blood that is typical of an Edmonton-Calgary meeting?
The Montreal Canadiens take on the Ottawa Senators, with the Habs trying to bounce back after getting upset by the Sens on Thursday. The Toronto Maple Leafs host the reeling Vancouver Canucks and the injury-riddled Pittsburgh Penguins take on the New York Islanders.
In another late game, the Anaheim Ducks will try to exact some measure of revenge on a San Jose Sharks team that took a shootout decision Friday night.
Here are some Star Shootout angles to consider for Saturday’s NHL action on Monkey Knife Fight:
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STAR SHOOTOUT - ALL DAY
MORE OR LESS
Devan Dubnyk LESS THAN 28.5 SAVES
Even though Dubnyk, the Sharks veteran goaltender, has been mostly mediocre on his way to a .902 save percentage, he has recorded 29.9 saves per 60 minutes for the Sharks this season. The Sharks are below average defensively, allowing 31.8 shots per 60 minutes this season but they face a Ducks team with a popgun offense, one that averages 26.3 shots on goal per 60 minutes so it could be tough to get enough shots for Dubnyk to get at least 29 saves.
Braden Holtby MORE THAN 27.5 SAVES
Although he is not off to a great start for Vancouver, posting a .896 save percentage in his first six starts for the Canucks, Holtby does have 31.2 saves per 60 minutes. Sometimes a porous defense has its advantages. Toronto is averaging 30.4 shots per 60 minutes but that also includes the 37 shots they fired against the Canucks on Thursday night.
Leon Draisaitl MORE THAN 5.5 FANTASY POINTS
Draisaitl has 17 points and 23 shots on goal during an eight-game point streak. If the Calgary Flames can hold him to less than 5.5 fantasy points they should celebrate deep into the night.
Mitch Marner MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
The crafty and creative Maple Leafs winger has 11 assists in 11 games this season and has recorded at least one in each of the past six games. With a second game against a Vancouver team with a porous defense there is little reason to expect Marner to be held in check in this matchup.
RAPID FIRE
Auston Matthews +0.5 fantasy points vs. Connor McDavid
This is more about the opposition. Both are great scoring forwards, though Matthews is more of a finisher and McDavid the playmaker, but Matthews is going against a Canucks squad that has the highest shot and expected goal rates allowed while McDavid will be knee-deep in the Battle of Alberta against a Calgary Flames team that is a little better than average defensively.
Brady Tkachuk +0.5 fantasy points vs. Brendan Gallagher
Tkachuk is still seeking consistency as a scorer and has seven points in 11 games but he also has 48 shots on goal in those 11 games and his shot volume gives him a strong basis to compete every night. Gallagher carries a similar statistical profile. He also has seven points in 11 games and has 44 shots rather than 48 so when they are so close in terms of their production might as well consider the underdog who is getting an extra half fantasy point.
John Tavares -0.5 fantasy points vs. Mark Giordano
This offers a pretty clear edge for Tavares who is having trouble scoring at even strength but still has 11 points and 32 shots on goal in 11 games. Giordano has three points and 22 shots on goal, which isn’t enough for his 17 blocked shots to make the difference.
Mitch Marner -0.5 fantasy points vs. Jake Guentzel
On one hand, Guentzel is due for better results as he stumbles around with an on-ice shooting percentage of 4.9% at even strength, the kind of number that can’t last, especially for a skilled winger who plays with Sidney Crosby. On the other hand, Mitch Marner doesn’t require some change in fortune to get productive – he’s already productive.
