Joel Dorcas | March 5th, 2020
Tuesday went fairly well as the Penguins and Knights got the job done for the most part. Only the Maple Leafs failed to come up on the winning end. More on them in a bit. Tonight we will tail the Leon Draisatl-led Oilers, the Bruins and yes, again, the Toronto Maple Leafs- (hey they lead the league in offense, my hand is forced). The Ice is ready my friends, time to make our Ice Picks!
Boston Bruins (42-13-12) at Florida Panthers (33-26-7)
My only concern in this matchup is that it represents a possible let down situation for the Bruins. Just this past Tuesday the B’s won a spirited contest agaisnt a way better team in the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1. Having said that, this game is too difficult to pass up. The Panthers have won just three of their past 10 while allowing an average of 3.50 goals agaisnt. The Bruins, meanwhile are cruising along having lost just two out of their last 10 games. Boston ranks in the top 10 in goals per game, shots per game and PP%. Not surprisingly, Florida ranks 29th in goals against per game and shots against per game.
The Panthers defensively are inept but what makes them even worse is their sub-par goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky‘s .900 save% ranks 46th amongst goaltenders who have played in at least 20 games this season.
Boston’s big three of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron are all must-haves if you have the salary for it. If you want just a few pieces of this formidable attack, consider third-line center Charlie Coyle. He is averaging decent minutes in his last five and, according to dailyfaceoff.com, is flanking the wing on the number one PP unit.
Another very affordable player is defensemen, Charlie McAvoy. McAvoy shares the blue line with Zdeno Chara on the number one D pair. He is averaging just over 21 minutes and has chipped in a goal and five assists in his last five games.
Toronto Maple Leafs (35-24-8) at Los Angeles Kings (25-35-6)
The Leafs fell short Tuesday, 5-2 to San Jose Tuesday night, they get another juicy road matchup versus another weak opponent in the L.A, Kings tonight. The Kings have the 28th ranked penalty kill at a 76.7% rate. In the last 10 games, the penalty kill is even murkier, it sits at just 69.2%. The Kings are also allowing 35 shots a game during the stint.
These two teams met only once so far this season with the Leafs winning 3-1 November 5th in Toronto.
Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander are sure to be heavily owned, and for good reason. If you need to pivot off these studs to save some dough take a look at a couple less expensive studs in Tyson Barrie and John Tavares. Both play on PP 1 which ranks 6th best in the league.
Edmonton Oilers (36-23-8) at Chicago Blackhawks (30-28-8)
Is there any team more exciting than the Edmonton Oilers right now? They have put together a 6-2-2 record in their last 10 and have gone 9-5-2 with an average of 3.25 goals for per game since February 1st. The Blackhawks, who are all but out of contention for a playoff spot, are allowing 3.20 goals per game since February 1st and rank 22nd overall in goals allowed per contest at 3.1. Chicago is allowing way too many shots agaisnt in their last 10 with a mark of 37 per game.
Leon Draisaitl is unquestionably the best player on the planet right now. Many rosters will be centered around him tonight, He is on a torrid pace right now and the Hawks likely won’t be able to handle him. 11 goals, seven assists, and 39 shots in his last 10.
Get yourself some Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and James Neal to compliment Draisaitl. They are all a part of the league’s number one powerplay unit which chimes in at 29.9%. Hopkins also plays alongside Draisaitl during five-on-five play. An impressive stat line over the last 10 for the Nuge, 5G, 11A, 30 shots, 10 blocks.
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