RADIO
Early in this NHL season, we catch a couple of marquee matchups on Wednesday night, at least in terms of high-powered scorers going head-to-head.
The Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins meet up and that means two Nova Scotia natives will face off when the puck drops between Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby. They are two of the premier players in the game and we might be getting to the point at which MacKinnon could overtake Crosby. Since the start of the 2017-2018 season, MacKinnon ranks third in the NHL with 204 points while Crosby ranks fourth with 199 points.
The matchup in Washington is pretty great, too, as Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals host Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since the start of the 2016-2017 season, Ovechkin ranks first with 138 goals and Matthews ranks third with 118 (Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov has 123).
Here are some angles to consider when making your picks on Monkey Knife Fight.
DALLAS-COLUMBUS
OVER/UNDERS
Ben Bishop UNDER 28.5 SAVES – The Stars are allowing an average of 28.6 shots per 60 minutes and the Blue Jackets have recorded 31.9 shots per 60. Part of the issue is that Bishop has not been at his best very early in the season, recording 29 saves once in five starts. Is this the night that the Stars both give up enough shots and Bishop round into form?
Joonas Korpisalo UNDER 27.5 SAVES – While it’s difficult to place a ton of confidence in Korpisalo, who has a .897 save percentage in the past two-plus seasons, the Blue Jackets have been solid defensively early in the year, allowing a bit under 28 shots against per 60 minutes. The Stars are also among the least threatening offensive teams right now, generating 26.2 shots per 60 minutes.
COLORADO-PITTSBURGH
OVER/UNDERS
Philipp Grubauer UNDER 33.5 SAVES – Grubauer has averaged 31 saves per game early in the year, and the Penguins are going with a depleted forward corps so they aren’t the explosive juggernaut that could reasonably be expected to generate a lot more shots.
Matt Murray OVER 27.5 SAVES – Again, the Penguins have a depleted roster and their defense is suspect even though they are relatively healthy. Murray has averaged 28.8 saves per game and the Avalanche have put up 30.8 shots per 60. This figures to be a busy enough game that Murray can get over that number.
RAPID FIRE
Sidney Crosby +1.5 fantasy points vs. Nathan MacKinnon – While MacKinnon does generate shots at a higher rate, it’s still pretty valuable to grab Crosby as an underdog because he’s put up 10 points in six games and still seems to be as strong as ever, even if the depth chart is crumbling around him.
TORONTO-WASHINGTON
OVER/UNDERS
Alex Ovechkin OVER 4.5 FANTASY POINTS – As long as Ovechkin is generating shots – and he’s putting up 4.3 per game this season – he has a high floor that can set the stage for big production and going against Toronto’s shaky defense and backup goaltender is a good side to play.
RAPID FIRE
Alex Ovechkin -0.5 fantasy points vs. Auston Matthews – Two elite shooters but might as well take the one playing at home against the less-inspiring backup goaltender.
PHILADELPHIA-EDMONTON
OVER/UNDERS
Connor McDavid OVER 0.5 ASSISTS – He was held off the board in Edmonton’s last game so the Oilers’ superstar is due to get back on track against a Flyers team playing the second game of a back-to-back. This isn’t so much of an issue with the Flyers as it is McDavid catching them under favorable circumstances.
BUFFALO-ANAHEIM
OVER/UNDERS
John Gibson UNDER 29.5 SAVES – While Gibson may be the best goaltender in the game, he’s facing a Sabres team that, while successful early in the season, has not generated a lot of shots on goal, putting up 29 shots per 60 minutes.
Carter Hutton UNDER 29.5 SAVES – Although the Sabres have not been generating shots on goal, they have had success when it comes to shot suppression, allowing 27.8 shots/60, the fourth-lowest rate in the league. If the Sabres can play low-event hockey that should give them a good chance to compete in this road game.
CAROLINA-SAN JOSE
RAPID FIRE
Dougie Hamilton +0.5 shots + blocks vs. Brent Burns – While Burns is the gold standard among defensemen for shot generation, he hasn’t blocked many and that gives Hamilton an edge in this head-to-head matchup.
Tomas Hertl +0.5 points vs. Sebastian Aho – While Aho has strong underlying numbers, he has managed just one empty-net goal in seven games. With a home-ice advantage against a team on the second game of a back-to-back, Hertl is the smart play.
