RADIO
It is still very early in the National Hockey League season so there is no need to get bent out of shape or wildly excited about early results.
I mean, the Chicago Blackhawks play their second game of the season tonight.
But there are early results that at least bear watching. Teams like San Jose (0-4) and New Jersey (0-2-1) should be better than this while Edmonton (3-0), Buffalo (3-0-1), and Anaheim (3-0) have started better than anticipated.
Take those early results into account, but maybe not too much, when making your prop picks on Monkey Knife Fight.
One thing to consider when playing props on MKF is the fantasy scoring system. Points are allocated as follows:
Offense:
- Goals = 3
- Assists = 2
- Shots on Goal = 0.5
- Blocked Shots = 0.5
- Short Handed Goals = 1
- Short Handed Assists = 1
- Shootout Goals = 0.2
Goalie:
- Goals against = -1
- Save= 0.2 pts
That sure gets tempting when Toronto hosts an Ottawa team that could very well be the league’s worst. Here are some angles to consider before making your picks on Monkey Knife Fight.
Here are some angles to consider for Thursday’s NHL action.
STAR SHOOTOUT
OVER/UNDERS
Connor McDavid OVER 0.5 ASSISTS – The best player on the planet has six assists in three games and recorded at least one assist in 24 of 39 road contests last season. Against the struggling Devils, take the over and run.
John Gibson UNDER 32.5 SAVES – Quite possibly the best goaltender in the world, the Ducks netminder is averaging 32.7 saves per game early in this season but he also had at least 33 saves in just 10 of 27 road starts last season. The Pittsburgh native is also facing a depleted Penguins team that should have trouble generating shots so even if Gibson plays well it may be difficult to reach that threshold.
Braden Holtby UNDER 31.5 SAVES – Certainly the Capitals face a stiff test in Nashville tonight but Washington has been rather tight defensively early in the season, surrendering an average of 25.3 shots against in Holtby’s three starts.
David Rittich OVER 31.5 SAVES – By contrast, the Flames have been hanging their goaltender out to dry a bit, and Rittich has averaged 32.3 saves per game. A visit to Dallas doesn’t necessarily ease the pressure that will be put on the Flames’ defense and, by extension, on Rittich.
Connor Hellebuyck UNDER 31.5 SAVES – It’s been a tale of two starts so far this season for Hellebuyck, who stopped 26 of 31 shots in a loss at the Rangers then, after a couple of games off, returned to stop 37 of 38 for a win in Pittsburgh. Winnipeg’s inexperienced defense is a risk but getting a home game against Minnesota tilts this one towards the under.
Alex Ovechkin OVER 4.5 FANTASY POINTS – Although he has a modest two points (one goal, one assist) in four games, Ovi is still averaging five shots on goal per game right now and that ability to generate shots is what makes him such an elite scorer. It also makes him an elite fantasy performer.
Brent Burns OVER 4.5 FANTASY POINTS – A defensive version of Ovechkin, at least in terms of his ability to generate shots on goal, Burns is averaging four shots on goal per game and has recorded three points on San Jose’s five total goals. If they score more than one goal tonight, look out!
Roman Josi UNDER 5.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – It’s only three games but Josi is averaging 3.7 shots plus blocks per game right now and going against a stingy Capitals team doesn’t seem like a recipe for a breakout performance. It’s also asking a lot for any defenseman to go for six or more in this category.
RAPID FIRE
Connor McDavid -0.5 fantasy points vs. Nikita Kucherov – Under normal circumstances, taking the underdog in this matchup would seem the safer play but McDavid is on a tear right out of the gate and the Lightning have been struggling to find their way so maybe bank on McDavid for at least one more night.
Patrick Kane -0.5 fantasy points vs. Nathan MacKinnon – Kane and the Blackhawks host the struggling Sharks, who will be going with backup goaltender Aaron Dell, so that’s a pretty good opportunity for Kane to get on the scoresheet. MacKinnon is an elite performer who can score against any team but does face a more difficult matchup with the Bruins visiting Colorado.
Vladimir Tarasenko +0.5 fantasy points vs. Sidney Crosby – This is a reflection of the uphill fight that Crosby is facing right now on a Penguins team that traded Phil Kessel in the offseason and is missing (deep breath): Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjugstad, and Alex Galchenyuk. Patric Hornqvist was hurt last game, too, so the supporting cast in Pittsburgh looks a lot like the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Steven Stamkos +0.5 fantasy points vs. Blake Wheeler – As good as Wheeler is, and he’s off to a nice start this season too, he faces a Minnesota team that is sound defensively and Stamkos ought to be amped up to play in Toronto, especially after calling out his teammates in an effort to shake them out of an early-season funk.
