The Shot Dude: Captains of Crunch
Today is another day I get to write about hockey.
For your favorite Shot Dude, it doesn't get much better than that!
Everyone should have a passion, and if you don't already know, pucks are mine.
With 18 NHL teams going through morning skate in preparation to take the ice tonight, you can bet we'll see our share of captains and crunching during these contests. You can get your fill of the matchups with the help of the Bovada data tool on our Home page:
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Forwards
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington ($9500) ... has scored a goal in two straight games and 7 total in his last 10. Dude has clearly put his lower body injury behind him and now has 31 goals on 251 shots in 50 games. The closest skater is 37 shots behind Ovechkin, which is why I could't exclude him in an article with captain in the title! The Caps face the Wild, the team with the fifth-worst penalty kill in the league at just 78.1% and the NHL's longest current losing streak of 6 games.
Brad Marchand, Boston ($7800) ... has been crunching right along on a four-game goal-scoring streak. This was preceded by a five-game goal-scoring streak after being shut out for just one game. Dude's on fire with 10 goals on 41 shots in his last 10 games after starting the season with 15 goals on 120 shots. Marchand has a great chance to keep his streak alive against the generous Winnipeg defense that's allowed 74 goals in just 26 home games.
Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia ($7300) ... is an alternate captain for the Flyers who's sniped 7 goals in his last 7 contests. I love that his shot frequency has increased recently with 31 shots in his last 7 contests. After only 12 goals in 45 games to start this season, Simmonds was thought to be slowing down. He's just 27, so let's not give up on this dude yet! Philadelphia will enjoy home ice against Buffalo with both teams looking to snap a three-game losing streak.
Defensemen
Erik Karlsson, Ottawa ($7700) ... is the Senators' captain and is playing like it with an incredible 14 points in his last 10 games. Dude's far and away Ottawa's point leader, with 60 in 55 games, and also leads the team in shots with 159 so far. Tonight's game against Colorado should feature high scoring, and Karlsson is most likely going to be a part of it. The Avalanche own a respectable 15-12 road record, despite losing four straight games.
François Beauchemin, Colorado ($3400) ... is a 35-year old defensive cruncher on a two-game point streak, which now gives him 26 for the season. This is the highest total he's achieved since his days with Toronto six seasons ago. I think Beauchemin's point streak continues tonight in a scorefest in Ottawa, and your salary cap won't take much of a hit, either. After all, the Sens have surrendered the second-highest total of goals this season, with 169 in 55 games.
Goaltender
Cam Talbot, Edmonton ($7200) ... plays for one of the two NHL teams that currently does not have a captain. One little known rule from 1948 and still used today is that goaltenders are not permitted to serve as captains, so Talbot will have to stick to puck grabbing. Dude had two very impressive wins to start the month of February and his matchup is favorable tonight against the punchless Maple Leafs, a team that has only 3 victories in 10 contests.
Your favorite Shot Dude hopes you Captain your ship to the harbor of winning, and hear the crunching of newly-earned cash.
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