Written by Hunter Skoczylas of DraftKings Network
This article originally appeared on DraftKingsNetwork.com!
Things have taken a turn for the worse for the Boston Bruins in December, as the club enters the new week riding a six-game losing streak. Boston dropped all three of its matchups last week to the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and Calgary Flames, and now finds itself in sixth place in the Atlantic Division and 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 20-18-2 record, 42 points and -8 goal differential.
The Atlantic Division race grows tighter by the week, and the Bruins must not lose focus for this upcoming week's slate of games, which includes two Pacific Division teams –– the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
Bruins' upcoming schedule for the week of December 30
- Wednesday, December 30 at Edmonton Oilers
- Saturday, January 3 vs. Vancouver Canucks
Bruins' DraftKings Fantasy Preview
Wednesday, December 30 at Edmonton Oilers
- The Edmonton Oilers are in first place in the Pacific Division and fourth place in the Western Conference with a 20-14-6 record, 46 points, and a +3 goal differential.
- Edmonton enters the new week having won seven of its past 10 games, while scoring 3.6 goals and allowing 2.6 goals per game. While the Oilers rank third in the NHL in goals for per 60, a significant portion of that has come via the power play, with the club ranking first in both power-play percentage and power-play goals scored. The club ranks 20th in both 5v5 goals for per 60 and 5v5 xGoals%, and it will be interesting to see if this play style can be sustainable for an entire season. Additionally, the Oilers have allowed the 10th-most goals against per 60 and rank 20th in PK%.
- Edmonton's success in the month of December directly stems from Connor McDavid (24G, 45A), who has totaled a whopping 33 points in his past 14 games, which has propelled him ahead of Nathan MacKinnon for the league leader in points. McDavid has averaged 16.8 DraftKings fantasy points (DK FPTS) this season, which ranks second only behind MacKinnon. Leon Draisaitl (20G, 36A) has been McDavid's sidekick during this recent surge, and he finds himself ranked fourth in the NHL in points. The Oilers recently lost Tristan Jarry (2.73 GAA, .906 SV%) to a multi-week injury, and the club will now depend on both Calvin Pickard (3.69 GAA, .874 SV%) and Connor Ingram (2.35 GAA, .915 SV%) between the pipes moving forward.
Saturday, January 3 vs. Vancouver Canucks
- The Vancouver Canucks are in eighth place in the Pacific Division and 14th place in the Western Conference with a 16-19-3 record, 35 points, and a -21 goal differential.
- Vancouver enters this week having won five of its past seven games. The Canucks have left the basement of the NHL standings, but they are still struggling to score more goals than they allow. The club ranks 25th in goals for per 60, third in goals against per 60, and 31st in xGoals%. Things aren’t working, and the defense and special teams could use plenty of improvement, too. While the Canucks rank 12th in PP%, they rank 30th in PK%, while taking the 11th-most penalties per 60.
- Elias Pettersson (9G, 14A) is the club's leading point-getter, but considering he has totaled just 23 points in 30 games, it suggests that there have been some major issues brewing in Vancouver. Just 10 skaters have eclipsed 15 points, and Kiefer Sherwood (16G, 4A) is the only one to eclipse double-digit goals on the season. The Canucks have flipped back and forth between Kevin Lankinen (3.41 GAA, .885 SV%) and Thatcher Demko (2.63 GAA, .909 SV%) for the majority of the season, with Demko playing much better. Among 84 eligible goaltenders, Lankinen and Demko rank 52nd and 18th, respectively, in goals saved above expected. Demko has averaged 11.9 DK FPTS this season, despite sporting an 8-7- 0 record.
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