On Wednesday nights this season the NBC Sports Network is touting their version of “Rivalry Matchups”. How they managed to put Chicago and Minnesota on this week instead of Montreal vs. Ottawa is beyond me, but it turned out to be a better game anyway.
This year on eDraft we will do the same heading into the weekend to put forward the premier matchups of the weekend and the key players to watch. This will help you keep an eye on certain matchups and players by helping you plan your fantasy lineup accordingly.
This weekend features some great matchups that are certainly helped out by the exclusive in-conference games with the shortened schedule. Natural rivalries and geographic rivalries will only get stronger with the nature of the scheduling and the frequency of the matchups.
Guess who wins? We all do. It will be great matchups and great hockey for all to enjoy.
Here’s what to watch for this weekend:
Players
5. Alex Ovechkin-He’s not really this bad, is he?
4. Zach Parise-The Minnesota wing has been better than advertised for a good Minnesota team.
3. Craig Anderson-The Ottawa net minder has been spectacular so far. The Senators head to Montreal on Sunday for a rematch of Wednesday nights game.
2. Sidney Crosby-We’re all waiting for Sid the Kid to dominate….still
1. Patrick Marleau-There’s no way he can keep scoring like this can he?
Games to watch
5. New York Rangers at Tampa Bay-The Lightning get a serious test when the Rangers come to town. New York should provide a real test to see if Tampa is a contender or pretender.
4. Ottawa at Montreal-This Sunday matinee could be as entertaining as their fight-filled match on Wednesday. Could also be the season debut of P.K. Subban.
3. Boston at Toronto-There is always plenty of venom when these two Original Six teams play. If the Leafs don’t win Thursday against the Capitals they could enter the game 0-3 at home.
2. Nashville at San Jose-The Predators look to hand the Sharks their first loss of the season during their west coast tour. Edmonton could beat them to the punch Thursday night with a win in the Shark tank.
1. Pittsburgh at Washington-Crosby vs. Ovechkin doesn’t have the spice it used to, but should still be a great appetizer for the Super Bowl.