Allan Fabrykant Welcome back to the last Friday Night WinDaily NHL Between the Benches Article of the year! Only two slates left til 2023, so we gotta get those takedowns just in time for New Year! Tonight, we have a small 3-game slate tonight, but there will still be lots to enjoy this evening! Tonight’s 12/30 NHL slate begins at 7:00 pm ET. Don’t forget to lock your lines and check the discord for any updates! Let’s get right into it!
12/30 NHL Stack Report
1. Edmonton Oilers 1 (Hyman-McDavid-Puljajarvi)
— Unlike the last article, there really aren’t any crystal clear mismatches on tonight’s slate, but like last week’s article, Connor McDavid is, in fact, on the slate and this season, he has been a particularly dangerous offensive presence, and I don’t see the Kraken slowing him down. Especially when these two division rivals are literally neck and neck in the Pacific Division standings, with both teams sitting on 40 points with the Kraken holding three games in hand, putting them in the second Wild Card slot over the Oilers. We can definitely expect a lot of goals in this matchup as both teams hold high implied totals (the Oilers hold a 3.4 implied goal total to the Kraken’s 3.3), and the O/U is currently set at 6.5. Both projected starting goalies tonight have had shaky seasons, especially Jones, who, despite holding a positive 14-5-3 record, has a shocking 2.99 goals against average and a save percentage below .900. The Kraken have also not been able to keep up with their form at the beginning of the season as they have dropped four of their last six games. Back to McDavid for a minute, he is the current leader in goals with a 10-goal cushion over the next highest goalscorer, his teammate Leon Draisaitl, and McDavid is currently tied for third in assists, only two behind the league leader Nikita Kucherov. It has been incredible to watch McDavid’s playmaking ability this season and his game-breaking speed that can change the course of a game. Regarding McDavid’s linemates, Hyman has also been electric this season with 37 goal contributions, while Puljajarvi has been less clinical in front of goal with only two goals and six assists this season. However, all three members of the Oilers’ top line see Power Play time, with McDavid and Hyman on the first unit and Puljajarvi on the second unit. I would recommend pairing McDavid with either Hyman or Barrie for tonight’s NHL Slate.
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Tyson Barrie
2. Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (Zucker-Malkin-Rust)
— I was hesitating between the Penguins’ first and second lines but honestly, the Penguins’ second line has really been in form as of late. For example, before a bit of a cool down, he registered a nine-game point streak and has registered three goals and ten assists over the month of December, giving him more than a point per game this month. Not to mention, both Zucker and Rust are coming off multi-point games against the Red Wings, and the Pens’ top line has just not been at that same level of consistency as we head into the New Year. Also of note is that all three members of the Pens’ second line see power-play time, with Malkin on the top unit and Rust and Zucker appearing on the second power-play unit. The Penguins are also favoured in tonight’s game against the Devils and hold a high implied total (3.4) against one of the better defensive teams in the league. The Penguins’ second line is definitely a strong option for a secondary line to support the Oilers’ top line.
Ideal Defensive Partner(s): Pierre-Oliver Joseph (Ty Smith is a good value option here too)
Honorable Mention(s): Carolina Hurricanes 1 (Svechnikov-Stastny-Necas), Florida Panthers 1 (Verhaeghe-Barkov-White)
12/30 NHL Goalie Tracker
Best (Goalies to Roster)
- Tristan Jarry
- Pyotr Kochetkov
Honorable Mention(s): Stuart Skinner
Worst (Goalies to Target)
1. Martin Jones
Honorable Mention(s): N/A
12/30 NHL Wild Card Targets
Jordan Staal
– With an assist in his last game, his point streak currently sits at five games, and although at 34 years old, his best days of hockey are behind him, there is definitely some value while he is still producing points like this. I honestly don’t see him being an exciting player down the stretch this season, but on a small three-game slate without a ton of value options, I can get behind a guy like Jordan Staal. He has also been seeing a generous increase in ice time, getting up above 18 minutes twice during his 5-game point streak and on the top Penalty Kill for the Canes; there’s always the chance he gets a short-handed point as well!
Honorable Mention(s): Adam Larsson, Carter Verhaeghe, Jordan Martinook, Eetu Luostarinen
Core Four: (ALWAYS BE STACKIN’)
Center – Connor McDavid
Winger – Jason Zucker
Defenseman – Tyson Barrie (Ty Smith value)
Goalie – Tristan Jarry
12/30 NHL Monkey Knife Fight NHL Prop Picks – Win With These Picks Here and Get a 100 Percent Bonus!
All Day Slate (5pm Start): Putting up Points 3/3
Honorable Mention(s): RapidFire 2/2 Main Slate (7pm Start)
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