NHL Betting Odds and Prediction: Will Matt Rempe and Ryan Reaves fight?

New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe isn’t afraid to fight tough players. The Rempire State Building has already fought the New York Islanders’ Matt Martin, Philadelphia’s Nicolas Deslauriers and Columbus’ Mathieu Oliver. But, will Rempe take on the heavyweight of the NHL, Ryan Reaves?

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Matt Rempe

Rempe is proving the old school way of playing hockey isn’t totally dead. The 21-year-old has already made a name for himself since his NHL debut at the Stadium Series on Feb. 17. In six career NHL games, Rempe has three fights, a match penalty and a game-winning goal. He also has a plus-2 rating and 32 penalty minutes. That’s an average of over five penalty minutes per game for a player who averages less than five minutes of playing time per game. Say what you will about Rempe’s style, but he’s doing everything he can to stay in the NHL.

Ryan Reaves

Ryan Reaves started his first season with Toronto as advertised. The reigning heavyweight of the NHL fought in each of the Leafs’ first two games of the season, but he quieted down after that. Reaves missed a good chunk of time with a knee injury and he has struggled to stay in the lineup when healthy. Things look like they’re turning around for the 37-year-old, however, as he’s regularly dressed all month. Reaves even got back in the fight-game against Arizona’s Liam O’Brien on Thursday, scoring a takedown of the ‘Yotes’ enforcer.

Rempe vs. Reaves?

So, will Rempe and Reaves square off in Toronto on Saturday night? Absolutely, they will.

If these two players are both in the lineup, it’s a matter of when they will fight, not if they will fight. Rempe is trying to make a name for himself and taking on the toughest player in the NHL on Hockey Night in Canada is as high profile as you can get.

And let’s not forget how much Reaves likes the spotlight. That fight against O’Brien was Reaves warming up for the main event on Saturday as he reminds the NHL he’s still the heavyweight champ.

Bonus prediction: Reaves will beat the wheels off Rempe and humble the kid. It’s great to see how hard Rempe is trying to stay in the NHL, but he has no defence and he leads with his face. An experienced heavyweight like Reaves will dismantle Rempe.