RADIO
There are six games on the NHL schedule tonight, and with basketball still on the All-Star break, that’s the slate that offers props to play on Monkey Knife Fight.
The New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks are in the national TV spotlight but both are, to be kind, on the very outer fringes of the playoff race. The Florida Panthers are pushing for a playoff spot, which is more than can be said for tonight’s opposition, the Anaheim Ducks.
So those two matchups aren’t great, but the other four games of the night hold some more meaning for teams competing for playoff spots.
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The Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars are both in the Western Conference playoff mix, the Boston Bruins take a league-leading 86 points to Edmonton to take on the McDavid-less Oilers. The New York Islanders visit a Colorado Avalanche team that is dealing with injuries, missing Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen, and starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer. The Minnesota Wild are still trying to cling to playoff hopes and face a Vancouver Canucks team that is battling for top spot in the Pacific Division.
Here are some angles to keep in mind when making Wednesday’s hockey prop picks on Monkey Knife Fight.
N.Y. RANGERS-CHICAGO
MORE OR LESS
Artemi Panarin MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS – Back to where it all began (at least in the NHL) for the Rangers star. He has 21 assists in 27 road games, counting assists in 16 of those 27 games and goes up against a Blackhawks team that is a bit below average defensively at home, allowing 2.98 goals per 60.
Patrick Kane MORE THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – He’s a dynamic offensive player but Kane is averaging 4.1 shots plus blocks at home this season. However, the Rangers are allowing 34.8 shots against per 60 on the road, the second-highest rate in the league (behind only the Blackhawks!), so the Blueshirts’ suspect defensive play may be enough to push Kane over.
RAPID FIRE
Robin Lehner -1.5 saves vs. Henrik Lundqvist – The Rangers don’t generate a lot of offense, averaging 29.0 shots per 60 on the road, but Lehner is averaging 33.9 saves per 60 on home ice. Lundqvist is putting up 29.1 save per 60 on the road and faces a Blackhawks team that is a bit below average in terms of generating shots (31.7 shots per 60 on home ice), so this looks like a slight edge to Lehner.
ARIZONA-DALLAS
MORE OR LESS
Taylor Hall LESS THAN 0.5 ASSISTS – Hall has just 12 assists in 28 road games, counting assists in just four of 14 road contests since joining the Coyotes. Dallas has one of the best defensive records in the league, ranking third with 2.15 goals against per 60 on home ice.
Tyler Seguin LESS THAN 4.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – Seguin is averaging 4.1 shots plus blocks per game on home ice and the Coyotes are a little above average defensively, so not the easiest mark for him to go over.
RAPID FIRE
Jamie Benn -0.5 points vs. Nick Schmaltz – A couple of players heading in opposite directions. Benn has 15 points in the past 20 games while Schmaltz has six points in his past 20. On the overall record, it should be closer but Benn is moving up while Schmaltz is moving down.
BOSTON-EDMONTON
MORE OR LESS
David Pastrnak LESS THAN 0.5 GOALS – He has 42 goals, but Pasta has 16 in 28 road games, finding the scoresheet in 12 of those 28 games.
Leon Draisaitl MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS – The league’s leading scorer has 30 assists in 28 home games, counting helpers in 19 of those 28 games. The challenge facing him is that the Bruins have the best defensive record in the league on the road, allowing 2.40 goals against per 60 away from home.
FLORIDA-ANAHEIM
MORE OR LESS
Sergei Bobrovsky LESS THAN 30.5 SAVES – As brutal as Bobrovsky has been this season, it’s been especially bad on the road, where he has a .889 save percentage and is averaging 27.3 saves per 60 on the road.
John Gibson LESS THAN 29.5 SAVES – It’s been a disappointing year for Gibson, too, and he has managed 27.5 saves per 60 on home ice. The Panthers are a bit above average in terms of generating shots but maybe not enough for Gibson to stop 30 or more.
RAPID FIRE
Jonathan Huberdeau +0.5 points vs. Aleksander Barkov – It’s hard to justify Huberdeau as an underdog here. He has 26 points in 29 road games while Barkov has 22 points in 27 road games. Those numbers are close enough to definitely like Huberdeau getting the extra half point.
N.Y. ISLANDERS-COLORADO
MORE OR LESS
Pavel Francouz LESS THAN 28.5 SAVES – The Islanders don’t generate a lot of offense, averaging 27.6 shots per 60 on the road. Tough to make 29 or more saves if the opposition doesn’t even generate that many shots.
Cale Makar MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS – This is close, considering that Makar has 15 assists in 24 home games and has counted assists in 12 of those 24 contests.
RAPID FIRE
Nathan MacKinnon -0.5 points vs. Mathew Barzal – Two great offensive performers with outstanding speed but this particular matchup is a mismatch. MacKinnon has 1.59 points per game at home this season – he’s dominant – while Barzal has struggled on the road, with 0.59 points per game – a full point per game below MacKinnon’s average at home.
MINNESOTA-VANCOUVER
MORE OR LESS
Mathew Dumba LESS THAN 3.5 SHOTS + BLOCKS – This is bit of a challenge for a defenseman who has gone three straight games without a blocked shot and those blocked shots can really help push a defenseman over the top.
Jacob Markstrom LESS THAN 30.5 SAVES – The Wild struggle to create offense, ranking 25th in the league with 28.7 shots per 60 on the road. Again, tough to bank on the over if the road team isn’t able to generate that many shots.
RAPID FIRE
Mats Zuccarello +0.5 points vs. Zach Parise – Zuccarello has gone six straight games without a point but his road production this year (19 points in 24 games) is straight-up better than Parise (16 points in 27 road games).
