Here in the environmental study we’re going to identify the games with the best fantasy scoring environments for everyday of the NHL season. To do this we’re going to look at teams’ scoring chances for (SCF), scoring chances against (SCA), high danger chances for (HDF), high danger chances against (HDA), power play opportunities (PPO) and power play opportunities against (PPOA). The reason for applying those stats to this particular exercise is because they are the best indicator of a team’s scoring opportunities and we want to identify games with teams that possess the best combination of quality and quantity of scoring opportunities.
Vegas Golden Knights @ Boston Bruins
- Totals: Highest 6 DK 5.5 FD 6
After going 2-0-1 on their road trip the Boston Bruins (14-8-2) are home to host the Vegas Golden Knights (16-11-0). The Bruins have seen 5 or more goals in three of their last four games.
The Bruins per game averages are good despite their overall rankings appearing lowly due to only playing twenty-four games, ranking 23rd in SCF (526, 21.91/game) and 18th in HDF (164, 6.83/game). Their amount of PPO (72, 3/game) and juicy shot volume (864, 36/game) offer up plenty of potential even though their shooting percentage (5.6% 32nd) is hideous.
The amount of shots against (722, 30.08/game) that Boston contends with is a positive sign but overall their defense limits their opponents chances. Ranking 32nd in SCA (458, 19.08/game) and 32nd in HDA (130, 5.41/game). But they do have to deal with a decent amount of PPOA (73, 3.04/game).
Vegas kicks of a four game road trip tonight and they’ve been hot lately. Winning four of their last seven games with plenty of scoring in all of their recent games, the Knights have seen 7+ goals in five of their last six and all six games have featured at least 5 goals.
The Knights bring with them one of the best offenses at generating scoring opportunities, ranking 8th in SCF (631, 23.37/game) and 2nd in HDF (225, 8.33/game). Their combination of excellent shot volume (912, 33.77/game) and elite shooting efficiency (8.9% 4th) give their offense a high ceiling every night. Their lack of PPO (69, 2.55/game) is the only negative for this team.
It’s a good thing Vegas’ offense is so impressive because their defense allows their opponents to do whatever they want. Contending with plenty of PPOA (80, 2.96/game) in addition to a healthy amount of shots against (862, 31.92/game) the Knights couldn’t stop a nose bleed. They also rank top ten in the scoring chance categories, 6th in SCA (633, 23.44/game) and 2nd in HDA (212, 7.85/game).
As has been the case all year the Knights are providing a fertile fantasy environment for tonight’s slate and the Bruins bring a talented roster into this matchup that will take advantage of their opportunities.
Dave Leonard is our Lead Fantasy Writer at HW Hockey
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