Brandon Saad Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

It's been an up and down season for Saad, but he's shown signs of life lately with 8 points in his last 10 games. Unsurprisingly, this has corresponded with an increase in ice time, as he's seen 18+ minutes in 8 of those 10 games as well. A road matchup against the Ducks isn't one to be feared, and Saad had a dominant performance against the Ducks earlier this year when he scored two goals and registered 7 shots on goal. While it's unlikely he'll duplicate that performance tonight, I do expect him to get on the scoresheet.

Two seasons removed from becoming the the first American born player to earn the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP, Patrick Kane continues to be a force offensively for a disappointing Blackhawks team. Aside from his unparalleled playmaking abilities, a major component of Kane's strong offensive output is the fact that he leads all Chicago forwards in ice time despite not factoring into the team's penalty kill. Tonight "Kaner" will have a great opportunity to keep his fantastic overall season going in a game that should feature plenty of scoring between two poor defensive teams. Skating alongside playmakers Schmaltz and Saad on Chicago's top line and top power play unit, look for this trio to breakout on the man advantage against a Vancouver penalty kill that ranks 23rd in the NHL this season.

Two seasons removed from becoming the the first American born player to earn the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP, Patrick Kane continues to be a force offensively for an inconsistent Blackhawks team. Aside from his unparalleled playmaking abilities, a major component of Kane's strong start to this season is the fact that he leads all Chicago forwards in ice time despite not factoring into the team's penalty kill. Tonight "Kaner" will have a great opportunity to keep his fantastic overall season going against a weak Vancouver squad that allows the most scoring chances on tonight's slate. Skating alongside playmakers Nick Schmaltz and Brandon Saad on Chicago's second line and top power play unit, look for this trio to breakout on the man advantage against a Vancouver penalty kill that ranks 25th in the NHL this season.

A 5v5 matchup with John Tavares seems likely for Jonathan Toews and the top Chicago line. That is not a bad thing, exactly, as the Islanders are struggling mightily defensively in all situations. They are allowing a lethal amount of shot attempts, scoring chances, and especially high-danger shot attempts at 5v5. The blood letting continues on the penalty kill, where they struggle with attempts and scoring chances. Toews and his line have pushed play extremely well and have been a high event group all year. With the Tavares line not strong defensively, Toews and Brandon Saad should have a nice night in their first effort out of the bye.

Who has been the most disappointing team in the National Hockey League this season? No doubt -- it's the Edmonton Oilers. After a promising campaign from a season ago, 2017-18 has been a disaster for Edmonton. The Oilers are allowing the second-most goals per game (3.33) in the Western Conference, and it is unlikely to get any better as Cam Talbot has been unable to duplicate his form from last season. It's possible that even career-backup Al Montoya could get the call tonight in Chicago. Either way, enough about Edmonton! Brandon Saad is riding a three-game point streak which has seen him take nine shots on goal in route to a goal and four assists. While Saad is not skating on the team's top power play unit, his chemistry with Jonathan Toews and new-to-the-top-line Vinnie Hinostroza who has potted a goal in his last two games. Hinostroza checks in as a nice punt given his top line role. Still, Saad, who although is a chunk more expensive than Vinnie, emerges as a fantastic mid-tier option in tournaments given the Oilers' woes.

With much of the focus likely on Patrick Kane and Chicago's second line on home ice, the top line for the Blackhawks featuring Jonathan Toews, Brandon Saad, and Richard Panik should not go overlooked tonight. They draw a sneaky good matchup against a banged up Anaheim team that has allowed the most shot attempts among available road teams tonight. This bodes well for Toews and his fellow linemates, who have generated the most scoring chances per game on the slate.

The Chicago Blackhawks have struggled a little bit on offense so far this season, but this is still a very dangerous team, especially on home ice, and I expect them break out with a big game tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. Blackhawks Coach Joel Queneville has shaken up his lines for tonights game, and we will now see Brendan Saad skating alongside Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane on Chicagos second line. Flanking the gifted Patrick Kane, Saad should see plenty of scoring opportunities tonight, and I expect him to bury at least one of those scoring chances as the Blackhawks get back in the win column.

Brandon Saad is off to an incredible start in his second stint with the Chicago Blackhawks. He's playing on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik and looks to have a much bigger offensive role this time around. He's shooting a ton and this line is really taking advantage of the spacing they get as other teams focus on shutting down Patrick Kane. He's averaging over four shots per game and is third among forwards in time on ice. I don't think he'll keep up his more-than-a point per game pace, but his role in this offense will remain prominent.

After being traded back to Chicago in the offseason, Brandon Saad has been dominant to start the year. Playing on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik, he has five goals to go along with two assists in the first five games of the season. Although Panik is separated from the others on the power play, Toews and Saad get to play with Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith which only increases their offensive potential. Tonight they are home to a Predators team that has struggled to keep the puck out of the net, allowing 3.5 goals against per game. On the other side, Chicago is averaging 4.6 goals per game. However, this is extremely inflated due to putting up a 10-spot on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Other than that game, they are averaging 3.25 goals per game - an average total I expect them to surpass tonight.