NHL All-Star Weekend is here! This year’s festivities are being held in Las Vegas, and the action gets started tonight. One of the marquee events of the weekend is the Fastest Skater competition. Eight skaters take the ice tonight at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN hoping to officially become the league’s fastest skater.
The premise is simple: one lap around the ice as fast as you can go. What better way to spice things up than with a little betting action? Let’s take a closer look at the odds for tonight’s Fastest Skater competition.
Fastest Skater Odds (FanDuel)
Connor McDavid (+150)
McDavid has dominated this competition in recent years. The Edmonton superstar was the winner of three consecutive competitions from 2017-19. His fastest time in that stretch was 13.310 in 2017. He was upset by Matt Barzal in 2020, as Barzal registered a time of 13.175. McDavid looks for his revenge this year as the odds-on favorite.
Cale Makar (+450)
Makar is the only defenseman in tonight’s competition. He has never participated in a Fastest Skater competition, yet he has the second-best odds for tonight at +450.
Dylan Larkin (+550)
Aside from McDavid, Larkin is the only other former winner of this competition in tonight’s field. Larkin won this competition as a rookie in 2016 with a record time of 13.172. He presents tremendous value at +550.
Chris Kreider (+900)
Not only does Kreider lead the league in goals with 33, but he is one of the most elite skaters in the league. In last year’s competition, Kreider posted a time of 13.509, which placed him 3rd. Will his magical season continue tonight?
Kyle Connor (+1000)
Connor will be attending his first career All-Star Game this weekend. He leads the Jets in goals (25), assists (20), and points (45), while logging 21:34 minutes of ice-time per game.
Jordan Kyrou (+1000)
In 2019, Kyrou competed in the AHL’s Fastest Skater challenge as a member of the San Antonio Rampage. He placed second with a time of 13.520. That time would have placed 4th at the NHL contest that season. He could be considered a dark horse to win tonight’s competition.
Adrian Kempe (+1500)
Kempe is having a breakout season for the Kings, and he is making his first All-Star Weekend appearance. He has tallied 19 goals and 9 assists through 44 games. As a first-timer, he may be dealing with some nerves in tonight’s competition.
Evgeny Kuznetsov (+1500)
Kuztensov is aiming to become the second Capital to win the Fastest Skater competition after Peter Bondra won the award in 1997. He and Kempe have the longest odds to win at +1500.
Best Bet
While there is value in guys like Larkin (+550) and Kreider (+900), it’s tough to go against a 3-time champ. McDavid is just on another planet as a skater. He will also be hungry to avenge the loss to Barzal in 2020, and he has a chance to make history. McDavid can pass Hall of Famer Mike Gartner in career Fastest Skater wins, as Gartner also won the event 3 times (1990, 1993, 1996). Back McDavid at +150.
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