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There are four games in the National Hockey League tonight, providing ample opportunity to play props and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
The marquee game of the evening may be in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs are hosting the Oilers. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl – the game doesn’t lack for star scorers.
Colorado visits the Islanders and the Avalanche in a contrast of styles, with the Avalanche offering more explosive offense than the grind-it-out Isles.
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Ilya Kovalchuk will make his Montreal Canadiens debut against the Winnipeg Jets and Kovalchuk will get first line and first-unit power play time with Brendan Gallagher out of the Habs lineup.
The last game of the night goes in Los Angeles, where the banged-up Blue Jackets take on a Kings team that is getting healthier.
Here are some angles to keep in mind before making your prop picks on Monkey Knife Fight.
EDMONTON-TORONTO
MORE OR LESS
Auston Matthews MORE THAN 0.5 GOALS – Matthews has scored 21 goals in 20 home games this season and faces an Oilers club that is below average defensively, allowing 3.09 goals against per 60 minutes, the 12th -highest rate in the 31-team league.
Connor McDavid MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS – The Oilers superstar has 17 assists in 23 road games, and that includes assists in 12 of those 23 games so it’s a pretty tight squeeze, but he also has seven assists in eight career games against the Leafs.
Frederik Andersen LESS THAN 30.5 SAVES – This isn’t so much a reflection of the Maple Leafs goaltender as it is Edmonton averaging 28.8 shots per 60 minutes and Andersen stopping 29.2 shots per 60 minutes this season. Neither of those numbers push the expectation for Andersen over 30 saves.
Mikko Koskinen LESS THAN 29.5 SAVES – The Maple Leafs are generating nearly 33 shots on goal per 60 minutes this season and Koskinen is averaging 29.5 saves per 60 minutes. He should face a lot of shots but has also not recorded 30 or more saves in six of his past eight starts.
RAPID FIRE
Leon Draisaitl +0.5 points vs. Connor McDavid – As great as McDavid is, he’s put up 28 points in 23 road games this season while Draisaitl has 32 points in 23 road games. McDavid may be more of a results driver, and Draisaitl produces more when he’s with 97, but Draisaitl is productive enough in his own right to be a viable underdog.
COLORADO-N.Y. ISLANDERS
MORE OR LESS
Philipp Grubauer LESS THAN 27.5 SAVES – Grubauer is averaging 29.4 saves per 60 minutes this season but the Islanders are not a big shot generating team, 28.7 shots per 60 at home is only better than Detroit, so while Grubauer should deliver a strong game, the Islanders may not test him enough to expect 28 saves.
Brock Nelson MORE THAN 3.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – Nelson’s a nice contributor for the Islanders but has been held to three or fewer shots plus blocks in eight of the past 10 games. The Avalanche aren’t going to be a soft touch as an opponent.
Nathan MacKinnon LESS THAN 0.5 GOALS – The Islanders have been above average defensively, at least in terms of goals against, with 2.65 goals against per 60 at home, and MacKinnon has 11 goals in 22 road games, which isn’t enough reason to count on a goal tonight.
WINNIPEG-MONTREAL
MORE OR LESS
Connor Hellebuyck MORE THAN 31.5 SAVES – The Jets goaltender has been fantastic this season and especially strong on the road, where he has a .926 save percentage and has 33.1 save per 60 on the road and he faces a Canadiens team that, oddly enough, is averaging a league-best 36.6 shots per 60 on home ice.
Carey Price LESS THAN 29.5 SAVES – While Hellebuyck has been great on the road, Price has had a hard time on home ice with a .890 save percentage and 24.9 saves per 60 on home ice. That looks like an under from here.
RAPID FIRE
Max Domi +0.5 points vs. Blake Wheeler – While Wheeler is a consistent threat for the Jets, putting up 20 points in 21 road contests this season, it’s not by enough to like him giving a half point to Domi, who has 17 points in 21 games for the Habs.
COLUMBUS-LOS ANGELES
MORE OR LESS
Jonathan Quick LESS THAN 28.5 SAVES – Although Quick has been inconsistent in his performance, he has been better on home ice, with his .912 save percentage leading to 25.9 save per 60 minutes. Columbus does generate shots, 33.5 shots per 60 on the road is the second-best rate in the league, but with some injuries up front they are probably not at full strength on the attack.
Zach Werenski MORE THAN 3.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – The appeal to Werenski is the recent upward trend. He has nine points in the past eight games and has at least four shots plus blocks in five of those games. The Blue Jackets need his offense which could keep Werenski pressing forward when Columbus has the puck.
RAPID FIRE
Seth Jones +0.5 shots + blocks vs. Drew Doughty – This is essentially a case for taking the underdog because both players are really good and Doughty isn’t productive enough to prefer him while giving up a half shot plus block in this matchup.
Gustav Nyquist +0.5 points vs. Pierre-Luc Dubois – In 19 road games this season, Nyquist has 15 points compared to Dubois’ 14 points, which makes it easy enough to like the underdog who gets an extra half point in this head-to-head matchup of Blue Jackets teammates.
