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fangirlonfilm · 5 months ago

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“mom said i’m only allowed to go if my siblings can tag along”: are the New Jersey Devils’ and the Vancouver Canucks scoreboards connected by the force of brotherly love?

it goes without saying that this is for FUN, i don’t know how to properly handle data but i tried my best and that’s enough for now and for me. english is not my first language so mistakes are due to be seen, you are welcome to correct me or ask me anything if doubts are presented.

hi. so first things first, let me introduce myself. i’m cassie, 23, a hardcore fangirl for 10+ years now and new to the hockey world (got into it late october). i’m a devils fan first and foremost, but i do occasionally watch some canucks and habs games (and that’s on me being in love with cole caufield and quinn hughes, because even though i love the game (#LGD), i also loOoOove the players <3).

i actually wrote three huge paragraphs explaining how i had this idea but i sound bsc so long story short let’s just say that it’s something that i’ve been noticing since late november:

whenever the devils and the canucks have games on the same day (or night, whatever you call it), they end up having the same outcome (as in W or L) more often than not. fast forward to mid january/2025, this analysis idea came to me in a dream. or, more specifically, that one moment before you go to bed where you start making up fake scenarios in your head but they get progressively worse and unhinged cause you’re tired af and on the brink of hallucinating. so here i am trying to find out if there’s a ‘bro code’ type of trend behind the nhl.

out of their 26 shared game days, eighteen ended with the same result for both teams. they also won and lost an equal number of games: 9 each. coincidence? maybe. entertaining? absolutely. not safe to say that there’s a 69-ish% chance that they’re connected by the force of family in some way.

out of those games:

five were away for both of them - AA;

five were home for both of them - HH;

four were away (njd) and home (van) - AH;

four were home (njd) and away (van) - HA.

pretty consistent i’d say.

on the AA games we had:

oct. 17: NJD x OTT (3-1) & VAN x FLA (3-1)

nov. 23: NJD x WSH (3-2) & VAN x OTT (4-3)

nov. 29: NJD x DET (5-4) & VAN x BUF (4-3 OTW)

dec. 12: NJD x CBJ (4-2 L) & VAN x VGK (3-1 L)

dec. 31: NJD x ANA (3-2 L) & VAN x CGY (3-1 L)

but when it starts to sound like “this our place, we make the rules”, it looks a little like this (HH):

dec. 6: NJD x SEA (3-2) & VAN x CBJ (5-2)

dec. 8: NJD x COL (4-0 L) & VAN x TBL (4-2 L)

dec. 10: NJD x TOR (2-1 OTL) & VAN x STL (4-3 OTL)

dec. 12: NJD x LAK (3-1) & VAN x FLA (4-0)

dec. 23: NJD x NYR (5-0) & VAN x SJS (4-3)

and when your siblings get to travel around the US and Canada, but you’re stuck in Vancouver (AH):

oct. 15: NJD x CAR (4-2) & VAN x TBL (4-1)

nov. 12: NJD x FLA (4-1) & VAN x CGY (3-1)

dec. 28: NJD x CAR (5-2 L) & VAN x SEA (5-4 OTL)

jan. 16: NJD x TOR (4-3 OTL) & VAN x LAK (5-1 L)

but the world moves on and now you’re the one on a plane (HA):

nov. 7: NJD x MTL (5-3) & VAN x LAK (4-2)

nov. 27: NJD x STL (3-0 L) & VAN x PIT (5-4 L)

jan. 11: NJD x TBL (3-2 OTW) & VAN x TOR (3-0)

jan. 14: NJD x FLA (2-1 SO/L) & VAN x WPG (6-1 L)

that being said, when they are both away, their final results are pretty similar. in almost all of the games listed they had the same results or goal difference.

in HH, both teams scored 17 goals each throughout 5 games (3.4 GPG) in december only. happy hanukkah and merry christmas, i guess! also they lost in OT (dec. 10) to teams that are in the same conference as them, irrelevant, but i do feel the need to point it out. if you wanna know my opinion, jack ‘we are addicted to screen time’ hughes might probably be texting the bros gc “how do we feel about a double L tonight for our family?”. they might as well share one brain cell between the three of them

in AH the stats are the same, 17 goals each. when one of them had a OTL and other an L, the former team’s final scoreboard had a 2+ goals difference. and i just realized that dec 28 was a terrible day for both teams (for njd, it was that game where timo got a major penalty against necas and when van blew the 4-1 lead they had till literally the 5 min before the final whistle). YOLO i guess

literally have nothing to analyse on the NJ!home x VAN!away games besides the fact that they need to get their things together and play like professional athletes once again (opsies)

that all being said, you can’t tell me that those three aren’t a little bit sus. they aren’t triplets, but there might be some telepathic, sixth sense type of thing going on. #connected4lyfe #swag.

are there any other teams in the league that have been going through this or something similar in this season? i get too busy and overwhelmed keeping tabs on the devils (and occasionally van and habs) that i don’t really notice all the other 29 teams. or maybe i’m going insane. if so, let me know cause i’d love to dive into it, who knows what other strange parallels we might uncover till mid april?.

again, this literally means nothing, but i, personally, think it's lowkey funny (like giggling and kicking my feet as I write this) that both teams mirror each other’s results. and that's on hughes your daddy !!

xo,

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the-physicality · 9 months ago

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Did You Know The Phoenix Mercury Cannot Play A Normal Game Of Basket Ball ?

Celeste! Taylor!! 3 points, 5 rebounds, FIVE Steals!, One Block! [and maybe the most eventful free throw in a game of basket ball ever]

ppl yap about oh so and so loves their rookie the most da da da da... nobody loves their rookie like the merc love celeste taylor [did you see the hug when kiki made her second 3 between dt and celeste on the sideline? I did . they showed it 3 times. ]

bg getting ejected with rickea jackson? maybe the funniest thing all night/ season... right up there with the mtl/tor fights

bloodgate part 2? help

Tash Cloud with another points assists double double. and 2 steals!

FOUR! blocks from Natasha Mack!

we really can't talk about the DT -> BG plays enough. i know oh they've done it for 10 years with the merc, with usa, in russia, but we simply cannot talk about it enough

BG scored 14 points in 14 minutes, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, shooting 87% on 8 fg attempts [that's 7/8]. All of the in the first half!!

monique 9 points, 3 rep, 1 block!

Kiki!!! 2 Clutch 3s, 60% from the field, 2 Steals

Sophie! filling that stat sheet: 14 points, 3 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

our +/- queens of the evening: Celeste +11, DT, Tash Cloud +9, Monique +8, Sophie +6

ok let me say this: I don't like the conversations and I don't appreciate the chatter about everything [as previously mentioned i am in deep denial] BUT I appreciate the narratives, the conversations, that the commenters are having surrounding the appreciation for DT

and I appreciate that they got her to do the post game interview but You Don't Have to Bring It Up To Her Face Every Time [bring it up to everyone else. get the stories the admiration, etc. but not to her- like this is common sense i fear] and did we have to talk about the first half shots? because they weren't falling for anybody that first half.

that being said, the shots not falling in the first quarter was so funny [not as funny as the ejection but close]

nate won a challenge yay

everybody loves cam brink

overall a lot to improve but also: the defense, the effort, the end result!

#phoenix mercury #i need to take a moment to rant about cbs sports network. it is so inaccessible #like they think oh well everyone has cable so it's fine! not it's not! and it's only if you have cable in your house #but you can't get it through any cbs streaming so you have to get a vpn #and i deleted my old vpn to save space but that was the one that worked and now i can't get it back bc my computer can't update #so i was back and forth on the buffer all night #it got to the point where the replay was up on league pass before i finished the stream so i just watched there #and like i should be willing to pay for a vpn but it's just too much effort #and honestly the only reason i decided to watch this game besides everything is bc the last time we were on cbs sn and i watched #we beat the nyl so that was a good time #and on top of all of that the 10:30 start plus i swear they had an extra 10 minutes of stopped game for reviews on top of regular time outs #i really am thrilled about this result i was clapping my hands together so hard #i also do all the little hand signals like for possession and travel #not thrilled that we're playing minnesota first round but Hopefully Every Will Remember that we h*te Ch*ryl r**v* :)

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Looking Ahead: Perlini, Blackhawks, Look Enticing

All fantasy owners need help in the short term AND the long term. The Looking Ahead feature identifies one player to plug into lineups in the short term, a second to invest in for the long term, a third to bench for the coming week, and a fourth who will struggle to meet expectations for some time. All players discussed are selected based on their upcoming schedule.

Most stats updated through Wednesday, March 13

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Brendan Perlini, W, Chicago Blackhawks (Available in 97 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – With the Blackhawks’ upcoming schedule looking enticing (see below), Perlini makes a great late-season add and should be available in practically every league. Perlini’s found his scoring touch on a third line with Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat, scoring 5G-2A in the four games he’s been on that line. In addition to the points, Perlini has also fired a ton of pucks – 18 in those games, to be specific.

While it would be insane to think that production will continue, his current role is perfect for at least some goal-scoring, as the Hawks’ third line sees very protected minutes against bottom-pair defensemen and third/fourth-lines of opposition forwards which is very conducive to scoring. In his three seasons in the NHL (153 games as a Coyote and 35 games in Chicago) Perlini has consistently shot the puck well, averaging 13.4% for his career with 43 goals on 320 shots, so his current shooting percentage of 16.9% is high but not too far off the mark. He’s also getting second power-play unit time, so those looking for goals and shots should pick him up.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Damon Severson, D, New Jersey Devils (Available in 87 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Although there’s not much in New Jersey that offers much from a fantasy perspective, Severson offers a ton of appeal through the rest of the season. Severson is averaging 21:46/night, but in his past five games he’s seen ice time of 23:51, 21:09, 23:45, 24:02 and 28:16 (a shootout loss). That increase in ice time comes from Severson’s role changing to more of a top-pairing defenseman, and he’s also been moved up to the top power-play unit given the absolute lack of competent forwards on the Devils.

In his past ten games, Severson has picked up 3G-3A on 18 shots and 12 blocks and he continues to increase his career-best season, now with 11G-26A – with ten of those points coming on the PP. He’s a scary add in leagues that track plus-minus, but he’s a strong pick-up if you’re one of the unlucky Chabot owners looking for a body to fill in the gaps.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Ryan Johansen, C, Nashville Predators (Owned in 70 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Nashville has a horrible schedule upcoming (see the Leave ‘Em section) which will hurt Johansen’s value, but in general Nashville’s top centre has been struggling – just three assists in his last ten games. The Predators have been scoring at a low rate in those games (2.6/game) but for Johansen to get just three points out of the Preds’ 26 goals is alarming.

The top line of RyJo-Forsberg-Arvidsson has been shuffled around recently with injuries and line changes, which is always a concern given what it does to Johansen’s value; Johansen has put up only 21 points away from Forsberg/Arvidsson, a measly 37.5% of his point totals this season. While that line is currently back together, it’s a bad sign that they’ve been juggled at all, and with Nashville piling up losses (five in ten games entering Thursday) it wouldn’t take much for coach Peter Laviolette to shuffle the deck again. Leave Johansen on the side until the end of the season – the last three games for Nashville come against Buffalo, Vancouver and Chicago.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Jonathan Drouin, W, Montreal Canadiens (Owned in 50 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – In his past 15 games, Drouin has picked up a paltry four assists – on the surface, that’s pretty bad for a top-power play/top-6 forward, but even worse is that all four assists came in the same game against Detroit.

Since that four-assist night, Drouin has been shifted down to the third line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and has seen small dips in his ice time, playing under 16 minutes in five of his last ten. On the season, Drouin’s been fine with 17G-33A on 171 shots, but with just 12 games to go and Drouin’s role lessening, he can be parked or dropped.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Dallas – They’re no longer just a one-line team – although the studs remain the studs for Dallas – and they’ve only lost three of their past ten, scoring four+ goals five times. While goaltending has played a huge role, Dallas is still getting production from the key players (Seguin, Radulov, etc.) so keep them in the lineup through the fantasy playoffs. Dallas plays seven times through March 27, with five of the seven coming at home; beyond a tough game against the Knights, they’ll play Vancouver, Florida, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg and Calgary – some strong teams, but none stand out defensively.

Calgary – After lighting up Vegas for six goals and New Jersey for NINE, the Flames get home games against some porous Eastern Conference teams (the Rangers, Senators and Blue Jackets) in addition to games against the Kings and Stars (at home), and Jets and Canucks (on the road). Their top-two lines are both contributing now that Johnny Gaudreau has broken his cold streak, so roll out Flames players with impunity.

Chicago – The playoffs are most likely a pipe dream with only twelve games remaining, but the Blackhawks are doing as much as they can to get there – 24 goals in only six games in March. Unlike the Flames and Stars, Chicago only has six games between the 16th and 27th, but they have some appealing matchups in there: home to Vancouver, Philadelphia and Colorado, and road games against Montreal, Colorado and Arizona. Get as much exposure to the Hawks as possible (and probably their opponents) down the stretch.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Nashville – The worst schedule in this period by a country mile, the Predators’ upcoming stretch sees them only play five times and finishes with a three-day break between road games. Their scoring woes as a team were talked about above, but road games against Minnesota and a Sharks team that’s seen better play out of Martin Jones won’t do much to break that pattern. Nashville also plays the Jets (in Winnipeg) as well as Toronto and Pittsburgh at home.

NY Rangers – The Rangers have had a tough season, almost Knicks-like, and closing it out won’t be much easier: back-to-back road games in Calgary and Minnesota kick off this six-game stretch, which also sees them play road games at Boston and Toronto, and home games against the Red Wings and Penguins. Since losing Kevin Hayes at the deadline, NYR has only scored 16 goals in eight games – don’t expect much of anything from these guys.

New Jersey – Injuries have been much of the story of the lost season in East Rutherford, but they’ve hit a fever pitch these days with a roster that now includes Blake Pietila, Colton White, Steven Lucchio, and Joey Anderson*. The Devils have won only two of their past ten, scoring 2.1/game in that time, and have only four or five fantasy-relevant skaters. They play six times through March 27, with road games at Vancouver and Colorado, and home games against the Caps, Bruins, Coyotes and Sabres.

*One of these names is made up, but could you tell which one?

March 15 to March 21

Best Bets

DAL 4.41 – – Home VGK VAN FLA COL

VAN 4.3 – Away DAL CHI – Home NJD OTT

STL 4.1575 – Away PIT BUF – Home EDM DET

CBJ 4.11 – Away BOS CGY EDM- Home CAR

CGY 4.105 – Away WPG – Home NYR CBJ OTT

Steer Clear

WSH 2.7975 – Away TBL NJD – Home TBL

SJS 2.8025 – Away LAK- Home NSH VGK

ARI 2.855 – Away TBL FLA- Home EDM

BOS 2.8875 – Away NYI NJD- Home CBJ

NSH 2.945 – Away SJS – Home TOR PIT

March 16 to March 22

Best Bets

MIN 4.215 – Away WSH- Home NYR NYI COL

STL 4.1575 – Away PIT BUF – Home EDM DET

PIT 4.095 – Away CAR NSH – Home STL PHI

NYI 4.0425 – Away DET MIN MTL – Home BOS

TBL 3.99 – Away WSH CAR – Home WSH ARI

Steer Clear

NYR 2.0625 – Away MIN – Home DET

CBJ 2.85 – Away BOS CGY EDM – Home

ARI 2.855 – Away TBL FLA – Home EDM

BOS 2.8875 – Away NYI NJD – Home CBJ

NSH 2.945 – Away SJS – Home TOR PIT

March 17 to March 23

Best Bets

DAL 4.305 – – Home VAN FLA COL PIT

VAN 4.2475 – Away DAL CHI – Home OTT CGY

STL 4.2475 – Away BUF – Home EDM DET TBL

VGK 4.205 – Away SJS – Home EDM WPG DET

MIN 4.2 – Away WSH CAR- Home NYI COL

Steer Clear

CBJ 1.9 – Away CGY EDM – Home

NYR 2.1575 – Away TOR- Home DET

SJS 2.76 – Away LAK ANH – Home VGK

ARI 2.8025 – Away TBL FLA NJD- Home

CAR 2.835 – Away – Home PIT TBL MIN

March 18 to March 24

Best Bets

CHI 4.3575 – Away COL – Home VAN PHI COL

MTL 4.3475 – Away PHI CAR- Home NYI BUF

PHI 4.1575 – Away CHI WSH- Home MTL NYI

VAN 4.1425 – Away CHI – Home OTT CGY CBJ

NYI 4.095 – Away MTL PHI – Home BOS ARI

Steer Clear

SJS 2.76 – Away LAK ANH – Home VGK

BUF 2.095 – Away MTL – Home TOR

ANH 2.855 – Away LAK – Home WPG SJS

NYR 2.1575 – Away TOR – Home DET

NSH 2.8975 – Away WPG – Home TOR PIT

March 19 to March 25

Best Bets

MTL 4.3475 – Away PHI CAR – Home NYI BUF

NJD 4.2 – Away – Home WSH BOS ARI BUF

PHI 4.1575 – Away CHI WSH – Home MTL NYI

STL 4.2525 – Home EDM DET TBL VGK

TOR 4.105 – Away NSH BUF – Home NYR FLA

Steer Clear

ANH 2.855 – Away LAK – Home WPG SJS

SJS 2.9175 – Away LAK ANH – Home DET

ARI 2.945 – Away FLA NJD NYI – Home

CBJ 2.9925 – Away CGY EDM VAN – Home

OTT 2.9925 – Away VAN CGY EDM – Home

March 20 to March 26

Best Bets

MTL 4.4475 – Away CAR – Home NYI BUF FLA

WSH 4.2 – Home TBL MIN PHI CAR

OTT 4.1475 – Away VAN CGY EDM – Home BUF

BUF 4.1375 – Away MTL NJD OTT- Home TOR

ARI 4.1 – Away FLA NJD NYI – Home CHI

Steer Clear

NYR 1.895 – Away TOR – Home PIT

NSH 2.7025 – Away WPG MIN – Home PIT

BOS 2.8025 – Away NJD FLA TBL – Home

DET 2.85 – Away STL VGK SJS – Home

PIT 2.8975 – Away NSH DAL NYR – Home

March 21 to March 27

Best Bets

MTL 4.4475 – Away CAR – Home NYI BUF FLA

COL 4.2475 – Away DAL CHI – Home CHI VGK

CGY 4.2425 – Away VAN – Home OTT LAK DAL

VGK 4.1525 – Away STL COL- Home WPG DET

ARI 4.1 – Away FLA NJD NYI – Home CHI

Steer Clear

NSH 2.7025 – Away WPG MIN – Home PIT

NYR 2.845 – Away TOR BOS- Home PIT

DET 2.85 – Away STL VGK SJS – Home

PIT 2.8975 – Away NSH DAL NYR – Home

SJS 2.9175 – Away LAK ANH – Home DET

Follow me on Twitter @adalyfrey

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-perlini-blackhawks-look-enticing/

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365footballorg-blog · 7 years ago

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EA Sports reveals the top 30 MLS players in the upcoming FIFA 19

September 15, 201812:29PM EDT

EA Sports FIFA has the immense task of rating and ranking every single player in the world, inciting debate and outrage aplenty. With FIFA 19 nearing its full release, Sept. 28, they have made official their top 30 MLS rated players. Here they are:

No. 30 – No. 26

Kaku | EA Sports FIFA

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 30. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez ATL CB 75 29. Ike Opara SKC CB 75 28. Kaku RBNY CAM 75 27. Alberth Elis HOU RW 75 26. Andre Blake PHI GK 75

A pair of defenders kicks us off, as Opara and Gonzalez Pires are given equal ratings of 75. Their athleticism will make render their cards more useful than the average 75. Dynamo star Elis gets a 75 and ever-important four-star skills while current MLS assists leader Kaku comes in with a 75 as well. Blake is the first – and only – keeper in FIFA’s top 30 MLS players.

No. 25 – No. 21

Darwin Quintero | EA Sports FIFA

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 25. Darwin Quintero MIN CF 75 24. Raul Ruidiaz SEA ST 76 23. Maxi Moralez NYC CAM 76 22. Guram Kashia SJ CB 76 21. Osvaldo Alonso SEA CDM 76

Quintero, with 10 goals and 9 assists in 20 matches, rounds out the 75s with Ruidiaz being the first entrant as a 76 alongside NYCFC’s Moralez. All of Ruidiaz, Quintero and Moralez have four-star skills. Alonso is the first defensive midfielder in the top 30 and Kashia takes the crown of highest rated defender in MLS according to FIFA.

No. 20 – No. 16

Jozy Altidore | EA Sports FIFA

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 20. Haris Medunjanin PHI CM 76 19. Jonathan dos Santos LAG CM 77 18. Jozy Altidore TOR ST 77 17. Nicolas Lodeiro SEA RM 77 16. Giovani dos Santos LAG CF 77

Medunjanin is the highest rated Union player while Altidore gets a slight upgrade with a 77, up from the 76 he started with last year. Both dos Santos brothers are given the same 77 rating, both down from last year. Jona was an 80 and Gio a 79. Lodeiro joins them, crashes the top 20 and is given four-star skills, as does Gio dos Santos.

No. 15 – No. 11

Romain Alessandrini | EA Sports FIFA

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 15. Victor Vazquez TOR CM 77 14. Michael Bradley TOR CDM 77 13. Federico Higuain CLB CAM 77 12. Bradley Wright-Phillips RBNY ST 77 11. Romain Alessandrini LAG RM 77

When Alessandrini got an in-form card in FIFA 18, he immediately became a favorite in the Ultimate Team community. This year, he starts at a 78, keeps his four-star skills and 89 pace but just misses out on top 10 in the league. Behind him, TFC duo Vazquez and Bradley are level at 77, Higuain gets a slight bump from last year and so does Wright-Phillips, who jumps from a 75.

No. 10 – No. 6

Wayne Rooney | EA Sports FIFA

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 10. Miguel Almiron ATL CAM 80 9. Wayne Rooney DC ST 80 8. Diego Valeri POR CAM 80 7. Ignacio Piatti MTL LW 80 6. Bastian Schweinsteiger CHI CM 80

Into the top 10, each player is rated an 80 or above. Almiron gets us started. Like Alessandrini, Almiron may well be one of the more valuable cards with his 89 pace and 80 dribbling. A new entrant to the league, Rooney is no stranger to top-rated FIFA lists and comes in at No. 9 thanks to his balanced 81 shooting and 81 passing. Reigning MVP Valeri hits the top 10 again and is given a boost on last year’s card. Piatti stays at an 80 like last year and Schweinsteiger drops from an 81, though is still the highest rated non-attack-first player in the game.

The Top Five

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 5. Josef Martinez ATL ST 81

Josef Martinez | EA Sports FIFA

MLS’ record breaker, Martinez comes in at fifth in the league to kick off FIFA 19. With 29 goals and counting, Martinez gets a deserved boost from the 76 he started with last season. His card will be a must for any MLS team with his pace, skill moves and weak foot. An added bonus: high work rate.

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 4. Carlos Vela LAFC RW 81

Carlos Vela | EA Sports FIFA

Vela’s card may not be shiny and rare as the others, but it’s still as effective. Four-star skills, workable pace for a winger as well as well-rounded technical ability. Also: expect the finesse shot train.

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 3. Sebastian Giovinco TOR CF 82

Sebastian Giovinco | EA Sports FIFA

Giovinco has been one of the premier players in MLS since joining the league and that has always been reflected in FIFA. Again, Giovinco’s card will be quality with his skill, weak foot, pace, dribbling and shooting.

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 2. David Villa NYC ST 82

David Villa | EA Sports FIFA

Villa, an ageless wonder, retains his 82 overall rating again. His card is nearly identical to last year, as his pace, dribbling, shooting and passing are all the same as last season.

Rank Name Team Pos. Rating 1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic LAG ST 85

Zlatan Ibrahimovic | EA Sports FIFA

Zlatan is king.

The highest rated MLS player, Ibrahimovic’s card is lower than it’s been in years but it’s still a must-have for MLS fans. He doesn’t have much pace, but standing at 6’5″ with a 78 physicality and 86 shot, he doesn’t need to do much sprinting.

Topics:

Stay connected: The all-new, completely redesigned, FREE official MLS app is your best mobile source for scores, news, analysis and highlights. Download: App Store | Google Play

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

MLSsoccer.com News

EA Sports reveals the top 30 MLS players in the upcoming FIFA 19 was originally published on 365 Football

#Fifa #players #reveals #Sports #upcoming

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junker-town · 8 years ago

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Carolina Hurricanes are big winners in 2017 NHL offseason

Scott Darling, Justin Williams, and others should position the Hurricanes for their first playoff appearance in nine years.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been building toward this for a while. The last time the franchise reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs was in 2009, when a team led by an old Ray Whitney and a young Eric Staal reached the Eastern Conference Finals before getting swept by Pittsburgh.

Since then, it’s been a slow process of building the Canes back up. They’ve been unable to land the kind of transformational superstar that others have constructed their rosters around. Most teams start their turnaround with a Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews. Those kinds of talents have eluded GM Ron Francis since he got the gig in 2014.

That hasn’t stopped him from doing his job, though. The Hurricanes have built up one of the most intriguing young cores of talent in the NHL, led by Sebastian Aho, Noah Hanifin, and Jeff Skinner. They seem to be on the cusp of bigger and better things thanks to Francis’ shrewd dealings.

This summer was potentially the final step in getting Carolina back to playoff-contender status. With a series of smart moves that addressed flaws and added experience to the roster, the Hurricanes have finally put together a team that’s ready to be competitive again in the Eastern Conference.

Based on Goals Above Replacement, a statistic that tries to boil down the contributions of each player into a single number, the Hurricanes have had the best offseason of any NHL team by far.

GAR/60 +/- Again, CAR's had the best summer so far. Here, MTL looks much better. COL, TOR, NYR, ARI in good spots too. CHI, WSH suffering. http://pic.twitter.com/5nbhUNSkdo

— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) July 9, 2017

So what did Francis do this summer that’s been so wildly successful, and why such optimism surrounding a team that’s been in the draft lottery for nearly a decade? Let’s run through all of Carolina’s brilliant moves from the best offseason of any team in hockey.

Scott Darling upgrades in goal

Darling hasn’t proven he can be a full-time starter in the NHL yet, but his performance as a backup with the Blackhawks over the past three seasons was fantastic. It suggests he’s ready for a bigger role.

A .923 save percentage would make Darling one of the best starting goalies in the league. Even if his numbers take a slight dip while adjusting to a larger workload, he should be an immediate upgrade upon what Carolina had before.

Last season, the Hurricanes finished with an .899 save percentage (fourth-worst in the league) with Cam Ward and Eddie Lack between the pipes. At 5-on-5, their .913 save percentage was second-worst in the league, ahead of only the Avalanche. This is why Carolina finished 26th in 5-on-5 goals allowed per 60 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick, even though it was 11th in 5-on-5 shots allowed per 60.

So the Hurricanes were already an above-average possession team last season, but they were undone by middling finishing ability and outright terrible goaltending. If Darling can fix the latter, it will go a long way toward turning Carolina into a playoff team.

All of this for a third-round pick and a reasonable four-year contract.

Justin Williams, Marcus Kruger add Stanley Cup experience

The Hurricanes already assembled an exciting group of young forwards, including Aho, Skinner, Teuvo Teravainen, Victor Rask, and Elias Lindholm. This summer, they added a pair of talented, experienced veterans in winger Justin Williams and center Marcus Kruger to the mix.

The costs to acquire both players weren’t high. Williams signed a two-year deal worth $4.5 million annually, which is a no-brainer for a three-time Stanley Cup winner coming off a 24-goal season. He was one of the key players on Carolina’s championship team in 2006, and the reunion was a perfect development 11 years later.

Kruger came over in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights that cost the Hurricanes a fifth-round pick. The defensive-minded center’s cap hit is a bit much at $3.08 million, but it’s only for two years. He also immediately gives the Hurricanes a top-notch fourth-line center who can kill penalties and tilt the ice even with the toughest of assignments.

Theoretically, Kruger should be able to take some defensive pressure off the Hurricanes’ young forwards by eating up defensive zone starts. Combined with Derek Ryan, Carolina has a pair of quality bottom-six options up the middle now.

Jaccob Slavin extension is a good value

This one won’t have a direct impact next season given that Slavin was signed anyway, but his seven-year, $37.1 million extension is precisely what great teams need to keep building: cost certainty on a high-level defenseman at a relatively affordable price.

Slavin may not be the biggest name on Carolina’s defense, which also features Justin Faulk and Hanifin, but he’s just as important. Last season he finished 20th in Norris Trophy voting after recording a career-high 34 points in 82 games.

And despite having a more defensive role than some of his teammates, Slavin still put up a 52.8 percent even strength Corsi and plus-2.5 percent Corsi Relative, according to Hockey-Reference. So he was consistently having a positive impact driving possession in addition to strong offensive production.

The Hurricanes were going to have Slavin in the lineup next season either way, but now they can confidently build the defense around him over the next eight seasons with a $5.3 million cap hit that doesn’t break the bank.

They avoided bad free agency deals

Sometimes the real winners in NHL free agency are the teams that opt not to participate. The open market can be a cruel place to operate with a hard cap hanging over you.

The Hurricanes, to their credit, executed this offseason while almost entirely avoiding free agency. Other than the signing of Williams, they didn’t make a single significant move in that area.

Instead, the Hurricanes targeted good players for trades, specifically from the Blackhawks. A year after hooking up for the Teravainen/Bryan Bickell deal, they acquired Darling directly from Chicago, then added a pair of former Hawks in Kruger and Trevor van Riemsdyk in deals with Vegas.

The Hurricanes didn’t give up much: a third-round pick for Darling, a second-round pick for van Riemsdyk, and a fifth-round pick for Kruger.

In doing so, they acquired three players whose contracts aren’t likely to hurt the team much down the road. Darling’s four-year deal has some risk involved, but the upside is massive. It’s a guarantee that somebody else would’ve given him a similar deal if the Hurricanes didn’t.

Van Riemsdyk remains a bargain at $825,000 as a solid right-handed, third-pairing option. Kruger’s deal might be a tad rich, but the Hurricanes shouldn’t have any issues over the next two years because their fourth-line center is slightly overpaid. It’s a luxury the Blackhawks couldn’t afford, and their trash has often become other teams’ treasures.

The Hurricanes had loads of cap space to go after big names in free agency, but they showed restraint. Now the team has just $44.6 million locked up in 11 players for 2018-19, and $26.6 million locked up in five players for 2019-20. There’s a lot of flexibility to make sure that guys like Aho, Hanifin, Teravainen, and Lindholm can be re-signed over the next two years.

Carolina didn’t need to go shopping in free agency, so it largely didn’t. Other teams could stand to learn lessons from this.

A playoff spot is now possible

The biggest variable seems to be whether Darling can step up as a good NHL starter, but if that happens, the Hurricanes will be in the mix in a deep Eastern Conference next season.

They’ve addressed two of their biggest issues by adding a goal-scorer in Williams and a goalie in Darling. If they can replicate those good possession numbers with improved shooting and goaltending, it may be hard to keep them out of the postseason next spring.

And the Hurricanes did all this for a few picks and short-term deals, while maintaining the ability to continue building their young core for a bright future. Winning in the offseason isn’t as good as winning the actual games, but Carolina has set itself up nicely.

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Looking Ahead: Jared McCann Loving Life In Pittsburgh

Most stats updated through Thursday, March 7th

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Jared McCann, C, Pittsburgh Penguins (Available in 95 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Pittsburgh wasn’t listed in the Love ‘Em section this week (spoiler alert!) although they have a fantastic schedule, and McCann should be able to take advantage of his newfound role over the next couple weeks. That newfound role for those not in the know is the top line wing alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, although he doesn’t collect any power play time (yet).

McCann has been in that spot for the past three games now and has picked up 1G-3A in those games, with seven shots and a +6. He’s played at least 16 minutes in all three games – a huge bump from the 12 minutes he was getting in a third-line role – and has seen in increase in his peripherals: +0.3 shots/game and +0.4 blks & hits/game. The only downside to McCann’s new role is he’s no longer taking faceoffs, so those in faceoff leagues should tread carefully as he’s still listed as a centre. Beyond that, grab him and reap the rewards until he gets bumped back down.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Jakub Vrana, W, Washington Capitals (Available in a nice 69 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – He’s had a fairly inconsistent season, but Vrana’s really solidified his role as a second-line winger and contributor on the second power-play unit for Washington, which is a role rife for production; his average time on ice is relatively low at only 14:12/game, but on the season Vrana has put up 19G-22A (1G/3A on the PP) and has fired 131 shots on goal through his 67 games.

Nobody should expect Vrana to suddenly jump up to 19 minutes/game through the end of the season, but his rate stats are fantastic: of qualified forwards (500+ minutes) at 5v5, Vrana sits 15th with 1.27 Goals/60 and 80th with 1.2 Assists/60, ranking 32nd overall in Points/60. That would reasonably project for an additional 8-9 points over the Caps’ remaining 15 games, but Vrana is also wielding a hot stick these days with 1G-3A in his past five games, so that projection is more of a floor. This late in the season at that ownership and with the Caps’ remaining schedule, he’s a strong consideration for a pickup.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

T.J. Brodie, D, Calgary Flames (Owned in 32 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Brodie has been a top-pair defenseman with Mark Giordano for the past season and a half and before that reaped the benefits of playing with Dougie Hamilton; he’s cleared 30 points every season for the past six, averages 22:52/game for his career, and plays on a current division leader – so why worry?

*dramatic pause*

Rasmus Andersson.

In Brodie’s past five games, he’s seen ice time of 18:33, 22:46, 19:55, 20:32 and 18:06 – four of those well below his career average, but also below his season average of 21:42. He’s lost his top pairing role in three of those five games, with Andersson slipping onto the top pair, and Brodie has also ceded the point on the second power-play unit to Rasmus.

There’s not much in the way of point production to be expected from Brodie, which is why he’s only 32% owned in the first place, but in the 15 games since February 1st (when Andersson started playing more), Brodie has put up only six points which is a significant drop off his average leading up to that mark.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

James van Riemsdyk, W, Philadelphia Flyers (Owned in 52 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – A real disappointment for the bulk of the season, JvR has put up 19G-16A in 51 games and has stopped producing in the peripheral categories: 2.27 SOG/game this year compared to the 3.1/game he averaged in Toronto and 0.58 combined Hits & Blks/game compared to the 1.3/game as a Leaf.

A large part of the disappointing production from JvR this season is the team around him, as he’s carried over the third-line winger/top power play net-front guy role that he had in Toronto, but he’s playing with players like Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl rather than Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau. The biggest concern with van Riemsdyk is that he’s shooting a career-high 16.4%, a full 4.6% higher than his career average, and taking so few shots.

There may be some points in the very near future coming from JvR due to injuries on the Flyers, but as soon as Jakub Voracek returns, van Riemsdyk will slide back into the depths of mediocrity and poor production from whence he came. Drop him soon if not immediately.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Toronto – The Maple Leafs lead the way this week, with seven games upcoming between March 8th and 20th. Not only do they have a great schedule by getting the most games possible, but they get to play some defensive tire fires in Edmonton, Chicago, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Buffalo with their two remaining games coming against Nashville and Tampa Bay. They’ve scored five or more in five of their past ten games, and are loaded with fantasy studs – stock up.

Washington – Like the Leafs, the Caps have a loaded schedule, with seven games in the period; unfortunately their seven games aren’t as enticing as Toronto’s, but the Caps will get to play against the Devils (twice!), Flyers and Pens, as well as the the Jets and Lightning (also twice!) Only three of their games come at home, but they should be filling nets for most of March.

Arizona – Christian Dvorak is back, Vinnie Hinostroza is the hottest player on Earth, and the Coyotes are almost in a playoff position even with all the injuries they’ve suffered this season – absolutely wild to think about. In their past five games they’ve scored 17 times and have won four of five, and their upcoming schedule is both packed (six games) and has great matchups (Kings, Hawks, Ducks, Oilers, Lightning as well as the Blues.)

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Los Angeles – They’re essentially irrelevant from a fantasy perspective at this point in the season anyway, but the Kings’ schedule doesn’t help them any: the Kings play only five times between March 8th and 20th, including tough matchups against Arizona, Nashville and Winnipeg (as well as matches vs. the Ducks and Panthers.)

Colorado – The Avs went back to a loaded top line/three non-scoring lines which hurt their fantasy appeal outside of the big 3, and like the Kings have a short schedule with only five games in this period. On the plus side, four of the five games Colorado play will be at home, and they face some soft competition in Anaheim, Buffalo and the Binghamton New Jersey Devils. Their other two games are against Carolina and Minnesota, with the game against the Wild coming on the road.

Montreal – The start of Montreal’s next stretch comes in the worst way, with the second half of a road back-to-back (against Anaheim) kicking off their period. Because the Habs’ California road trip comes to an end Friday night, Montreal has a few extra days off this week, not playing again until the 12th (at home vs. Detroit.) They only have three games beyond that, playing the Islanders, Blackhawks and Flyers.

March 8 to March 14

Best Bets

WPG 4.095 – Away CAR WSH – Home SJS BOS

ANH 3.9425 – Away ARI- Home MTL LAK NSH

WSH 3.905 – Away PIT PHI- Home NJD WPG

ARI 3.885 – Away CHI STL – Home LAK ANH

SJS 3.8575 – Away MIN WPG – Home STL FLA

Steer Clear

VGK 2.0425 – Away VAN CGY – Home

CGY 2.1525 – Away – Home VGK NJD

VAN 2.205 – Away – Home VGK NYR

COL 2.415 – Away – Home BUF CAR

LAK 2.7975 – Away ARI ANH – Home NSH

March 9 to March 15

Best Bets

CBJ 4.2525 – Away NYI – Home PIT BOS CAR

DAL 4.105 – Away BUF MIN – Home CHI VGK

TOR 4.1 – Away EDM – Home TBL CHI PHI

NYR 4.095 – Away EDM VAN CGY- Home NJD

PHI 4.0475 – Away NYI TOR- Home OTT WSH

Steer Clear

MIN 2.1525 – Away – Home SJS DAL

FLA 2.1575 – Away SJS – Home DET

MTL 2.205 – Away NYI – Home DET

CAR 2.66 – Away NSH COL CBJ- Home

LAK 2.7975 – Away ARI ANH – Home NSH

March 10 to March 16

Best Bets

CBJ 4.2575 – Away NYI BOS- Home BOS CAR

CGY 4.21 – Away WPG- Home VGK NJD NYR

TOR 4.195 – Away OTT- Home TBL CHI PHI

PIT 4.09 – Away BUF – Home BOS WSH STL

ARI 4.0425 – Away CHI STL – Home ANH EDM

Steer Clear

VGK 1.9475 – Away CGY DAL – Home

COL 2.2575 – Away – Home CAR ANH

VAN 2.2575 – Away – Home NYR NJD

NSH 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS- Home

LAK 2.8975 – Away ANH – Home NSH FLA

March 11 to March 17

Best Bets

MIN 4.41 – – Home SJS DAL NYR NYI

CBJ 4.2575 – Away NYI BOS – Home BOS CAR

BUF 4.2375 – Away CAR – Home DAL PIT STL

TOR 4.195 – Away OTT – Home TBL CHI PHI

EDM 4.1575 – Away ARI VGK- Home NYR NJD

Steer Clear

BOS 2.6025 – Away CBJ WPG – Home CBJ

LAK 1.995 – Away – Home NSH FLA

FLA 2.66 – Away SJS LAK ANH- Home

VGK 2.0475 – Away DAL – Home EDM

NSH 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS – Home

March 12 to March 18

Best Bets

VAN 4.3 – Away DAL CHI- Home NYR NJD

DAL 4.1575 – Away BUF MIN – Home VGK VAN

PIT 4.09 – Away BUF – Home WSH STL PHI

BUF 4.2375 – Away CAR – Home DAL PIT STL

STL 3.995 – Away OTT PIT BUF – Home ARI

Steer Clear

CAR 1.9625 – Away CBJ – Home BUF

COL 2.1 – Away – Home ANH NJD

OTT 2.1 – Away – Home STL TOR

BOS 2.6025 – Away CBJ WPG – Home CBJ

FLA 2.66 – Away SJS LAK ANH – Home

March 13 to March 19

Best Bets

MIN 4.4625 – – Home DAL NYR NYI COL

VAN 4.3 – Away DAL CHI – Home NYR NJD

PIT 4.285 – Away BUF CAR- Home STL PHI

DAL 4.1625 – Away MIN – Home VGK VAN FLA

NYI 4.1525 – Away DET MIN – Home MTL BOS

Steer Clear

OTT 2.1 – Away – Home STL TOR

BOS 2.7925 – Away WPG NYI- Home CBJ

WSH 2.8025 – Away PHI TBL NJD- Home

NSH 2.8075 – Away LAK SJS – Home TOR

ARI 2.9025 – Away TBL – Home ANH EDM

March 14 to March 20

Best Bets

MIN 4.4625 – – Home DAL NYR NYI COL

VAN 4.3 – Away DAL CHI – Home NJD OTT

PIT 4.285 – Away BUF CAR – Home STL PHI

BUF 4.185 – Away CAR – Home PIT STL TOR

DAL 4.1625 – Away MIN – Home VGK VAN FLA

Steer Clear

CHI 2.2525 – Away MTL – Home VAN

BOS 2.7925 – Away WPG NYI – Home CBJ

NSH 2.8075 – Away LAK SJS – Home TOR

EDM 2.85 – Away ARI VGK STL – Home

ARI 2.9025 – Away TBL – Home ANH EDM

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-jared-mccann-loving-life-in-pittsburgh/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Looking Ahead: Kerfoot Moves To Top Line

Most stats updated through Wednesday, February 27

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Alex Kerfoot, W, Colorado Avalanche (Available in 95 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – With the Avs’ great schedule over the next two weeks, Alex Kerfoot is in a great position to contribute as a fill-in, and should be available in most leagues as he’s only 5% owned.

Kerfoot has been the beneficiary of Colorado splitting up “the Big 3”, as Kerfoot has slid into Gabriel Landeskog’s spot on the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. In his past four games (since the switch), Kerfoot has put up 1G-3A with five shots on net, and has played two full minutes above his season average in those games. While it’s a small sample, Colorado grabbing points in all of those games bodes well for keeping the lines as they are, which means Kerfoot should hold value over the next few games. Beyond the top-line duties, he also slots into the second power-play unit.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Ryan Donato, W, Minnesota Wild (Available in 83 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – His ownership has already jumped 12% this week on the back of his six points (1G/5A in four games since getting traded to the Wild, but he’s still not owned nearly as much as he should be.

Donato’s playing top power-play minutes with Minnesota although only third line minutes at even strength, but he’s averaging 15:19 since the move, and he’s firing the puck a ton: 23 shot attempts already (5.75/game) with 11 getting to the net (2.75). While Donato’s true shooting talent probably isn’t the 20.1% he hit last year in his rookie campaign with Boston, it’s probably closer to the 12-15% he shot in college and the AHL than the 8.1% he’s hit in his 38 combined games this season.

He’s a prospect with a ton of pedigree given a great opportunity in Minnesota, and is a must-add in keeper leagues, and he should contribute greatly in one-year leagues (especially salary cap ones).

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings (Owned in 85 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Shooting 13.6% on the year – a full 1% higher than his career average – hasn’t been enough to make Kopitar relevant this season. He’s put up only 17G-27A on the year and is on pace for the second-worst season of his career after his best season last year.

Kopitar’s normally a possession darling but this season has a dismal 46.63% CorsiFor% and has been even worse at home at 44.91%, which is a decent signpost of the slow erosion in the quality of his play – this is a 10% drop over last season. At 31, Kopitar’s best years are behind him, but on a dismal Los Angeles team that’s got nowhere near the star power of earlier seasons, that degradation has happened a lot quicker than expected. He’s still a fantasy asset, but keeper owners should definitely be rid of him and season-long owners should keep him to the side with the light schedule the Kings have upcoming.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Alex Tuch, W, Vegas Golden Knights (Owned in 35 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – The addition of Mark Stone to the Golden Knights is a great hockey move, but it’s a heavy price for Alex Tuch owners as Tuch’s value has plummeted post-trade. Tuch went from playing on a second line with Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty (or Brandon Pirri) and top power-play minutes, to the second PP unit and the third line with Cody Eakin and a revolving door of wingers.

In his time away from Stastny at 5v5 (433m without vs. 339m with), Tuch sees a noticeable drop in his shot attempt rate, shot on goal rate, scoring chance rate, and high-danger chance rate – although the on-ice shooting percentage goes up, so his actual GF/60 rate drops slightly. With 24 of Tuch’s 43 points coming with one of Stastny or Pacioretty, his role change is more impactful than for most players. With so many of Vegas’ wingers signed long-term, consider moving Tuch in keepers if you have a late trade deadline.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Florida – In their past ten games, Florida has scored a whopping 37 goals, and that includes getting shutout by Dallas. Their top-six have been clicking extremely well, and their power play has scored in two of their past three games. The Cats will get to play Carolina, Ottawa, Minnesota and Detroit at home, and Pittsburgh and Boston on the road.

NY Islanders – After dealing with the return of John Tavares, the Islanders get a whack of home games to start off March: Washington, Philadelphia (twice!), Ottawa and Columbus all visit Brooklyn and Long Island, which means four very enticing home games against bad defensive teams. Beyond those five games, the Islanders also take a quick trip to Ottawa, which is another scheduling gift. Lock in the Isles’ big guns and don’t look back.

Colorado – The Avs have scored 23 goals in their past five games since breaking up the big 3. With four wins and an OT loss in those games, and get to face some of the dregs of the NHL. Home games against Detroit and Buffalo are the real highlights, but the Avs will also play Anaheim and Dallas on the road. Beyond those easy pickin’ games, Colorado will also play a road game against San Jose and home to Carolina.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Los Angeles – In their past five games, the Kings have scored just eight goals, and brought their losing streak to NINE games. Beyond the lack of scoring, which is vaguely expected on a team of Anze Kopitar and a bucket of pucks, the Kings have had trouble defensively as well with 21 goals allowed in those same five games – which rules out any value Jonathan Quick or Jack Campbell would have.

Nashville – The Preds made some strong moves at the deadline in shipping out Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman to bring in Mikael Granlund and Wayne Simmonds, but they won’t be seeing much ice time to kick off March. Nashville plays road games at Minnesota, Winnipeg and Anaheim, and home games against Carolina and Minnesota. Wait for some clarity on their line combinations, and wait for their light schedule to clear up.

New Jersey – This is breaking the typical rule of “volume makes a difference”, as the Devils play seven times through the first two weeks of March – this is the most games teams can see in a two-week stretch – but with so many injuries, New Jersey is a glorified AHL team and has next-to-no value. They’re missing Miles Wood, Taylor Hall, Jesper Bratt and Kyle Palmieri and have traded away Brian Boyle and Marcus Johansson, so the only remaining values are Nico Hischier and…Travis Zajac? Blake Coleman? It’s barren. Skip them.

March 1 to March 7

Best Bets

FLA 4.22 – Away PIT BOS- Home CAR OTT

NYI 4.195 – Away OTT- Home WSH PHI OTT

NYR 4.19 – Away DAL DET- Home MTL WSH

ANH 4.1525 – Away ARI – Home VGK COL STL

COL 4.0575 – Away SJS ANH DAL- Home DET

Steer Clear

WPG 2.6075 – Away CBJ TBL – Home NSH

NSH 2.7025 – Away WPG MIN – Home MIN

NJD 2.8925 – Away BOS – Home PHI CBJ

CHI 2.9125 – Away LAK SJS – Home BUF

PHI 2.94 – Away NJD NYI – Home WSH

March 2 to March 8

Best Bets

FLA 5.165 – Away PIT BOS – Home CAR OTT MIN

MIN 4.555 – Away CGY NSH TBL FLA- Home NSH

ANH 4.2575 – Away ARI – Home COL STL MTL

OTT 3.905 – Away TBL FLA NYI – Home NYI

CBJ 3.9 – Away NJD PIT – Home EDM WPG

Steer Clear

NSH 1.8 – Away MIN – Home MIN

PHI 1.9425 – Away NYI – Home WSH

VGK 2.2575 – Away – Home VAN CGY

SJS 2.31 – Away – Home CHI MTL

NJD 2.6975 – Away BOS WSH- Home CBJ

March 3 to March 9

Best Bets

NYI 4.3 – Away OTT – Home PHI OTT PHI

COL 4.2625 – Away ANH DAL – Home DET BUF

ANH 4.2575 – Away ARI – Home COL STL MTL

NYR 4.1375 – Away DAL DET – Home WSH NJD

VAN 4 – Away VGK EDM – Home TOR VGK

Steer Clear

MTL 2.66 – Away LAK SJS ANH – Home

STL 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS- Home

PIT 2.75 – Away CBJ- Home FLA CBJ

NJD 2.7925 – Away WSH NYR- Home CBJ

CAR 2.8025 – Away BOS NSH- Home WPG

March 4 to March 10

Best Bets

BOS 4.32 – Away PIT- Home CAR FLA OTT

LAK 4.0575 – Away ARI ANH- Home MTL STL

ANH 4.0475 – Away ARI – Home STL MTL LAK

CGY 4 – Away VGK ARI – Home TOR VGK

FLA 3.9575 – Away PIT BOS – Home MIN DET

Steer Clear

NSH 2.205 – Away – Home MIN CAR

PHI 1.9425 – Away NYI – Home WSH

SJS 2.205 – Away – Home MTL STL

CHI 2.1525 – Away DAL – Home BUF

MIN 2.66 – Away NSH TBL FLA – Home

March 5 to March 11

Best Bets

COL 4.62 – Away DAL – Home DET BUF CAR

NYR 4.1425 – Away DAL DET EDM- Home NJD

NYI 4.1425 – Away OTT – Home OTT PHI CBJ

BOS 4.32 – Away PIT – Home CAR FLA OTT

TBL 4.1 – Away TOR- Home WPG MIN DET

Steer Clear

BUF 2.0425 – Away CHI COL – Home

NSH 2.205 – Away – Home MIN CAR

MTL 2.66 – Away LAK SJS ANH – Home

STL 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS – Home

NJD 2.7925 – Away WSH NYR – Home CBJ

March 6 to March 12

Best Bets

CGY 4.0525 – Away VGK ARI – Home VGK NJD

ANH 4.0425 – Home STL MTL LAK NSH

DET 4.005 – Away TBL FLA MTL- Home NYR

SJS 3.9625 – Away MIN WPG- Home MTL STL

ARI 3.9375 – Away CHI STL- Home CGY LAK

Steer Clear

NSH 2.1625 – Away ANH- Home CAR

CAR 2.85 – Away NSH COL – Home WPG

NJD 2.85 – Away WSH NYR CGY- Home

MIN 2.855 – Away TBL FLA – Home SJS

LAK 2.9025 – Away ARI ANH – Home STL

March 7 to March 13

Best Bets

EDM 4.515 – – Home VAN TOR NYR NJD

NYR 4.2375 – Away DET EDM VAN- Home NJD

CHI 4.1525 – Away DAL TOR- Home BUF ARI

DET 4.005 – Away TBL FLA MTL – Home NYR

SJS 3.9625 – Away MIN WPG – Home MTL STL

Steer Clear

VGK 2.0425 – Away VAN CGY – Home

PHI 2.1525 – Away NYI – Home OTT

NSH 2.1625 – Away ANH – Home CAR

STL 2.8075 – Away LAK SJS – Home ARI

CAR 2.85 – Away NSH COL – Home WPG

Follow me on Twitter @adalyfrey

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-kerfoot-moves-to-top-line/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Looking Ahead: Heiskanen Not Ideal In Single-Season Formats

Stats updated through Wednesday, January 31

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Oskar Lindblom, W, Philadelphia Flyers (Available in 99 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – The Flyers’ schedule isn’t as ideal as some other teams, but they still play six times during this period (Feb 1-13) and Lindblom offers a lot of upside as an available fill-in.

Lindblom spends his 5v5 time playing the wing opposite Jakub Voracek, with Sean Couturier as his centre, and that’s proven fruitful over his past five games: three goals (including a PPG) and two assists, with 12 SOG. His season ice time average has been a paltry 11:58/game, but Lindblom has seen a big increase in ice time recently, playing 16 or more in four of his past five games and is solidified on the second power play unit.

Don’t expect any five-point performances, but Lindblom is a great replacement for Boone Jenner/Tyler Bertuzzi owners, and a solid speculative bench stash.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Oscar Klefbom, D, Edmonton Oilers (Available in 69 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – After getting injured and going on IR, Klefbom was dropped in far too many leagues (as shown by his current ownership of just 31% on Yahoo). Although his season hasn’t been rosy, Klefbom is still taking three shots per game (as a defenseman!) and was seeing 25 minutes per night prior to the injury.

Klefbom should be expected to pick his PP1 spot back up from Darnell Nurse, which will be a boon for Klefbom’s fantasy production, as six of his 15 points this season have come with the man advantage. He should jump right back into his top-pair role when he comes off IR, and should be expected to see his regular 25 minutes/game within the first few games he’s back.

Klefbom is only shooting 3.2% this season, which is 0.9% below his career average and a large drop from his 6.0% in 82 games in 16-17, and is an excellent pickup for essentially free. He’s a must-add in leagues that track shots on goal, and he’s also solid if your league tracks peripherals such as blocks and hits.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Keith Kinkaid, G, New Jersey Devils (Owned in 34 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – As Mackenzie Blackwood has returned from the AHL and Cory Schneider is finishing up a conditioning stint in the AHL, Keith Kinkaid’s days of seeing the ice in Newark are numbered.

While goaltending hasn’t been the major issue in New Jersey this year – Kinkaid has a .900 SV% but a brutal 3.10 GAA – there isn’t much help defensively, and Kinkaid has been a major step down to Blackwood (0.924 SV%) so far.

The reason Kinkaid is a “short-term” concern is on the slight possibility that he gets traded for; Kinkaid is an upcoming UFA with a great salary cap hit (1.25MM on the year, only 443k remaining) and is a more appealing stopgap to playoff-contending teams than what else is on the market. Given Kinkaid’s been at least as good as league average in the past (career .909 with 50% of his starts being Quality Starts), he’s worth keeping on the bench in case he gets moved to a better team.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars (Owned in 33 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – This is important to note off the hop: do *not* drop Heiskanen if you’re in a keeper league. He’s 19 years old, he’s put up 20 points in 50 games, he’s an All-Star and will be a top-3 Calder Trophy finisher, and he’s playing 23 minutes per game.

All that being said though, Heiskanen has lost essentially all of his upside that made him such a crucial pickup earlier in the season. In his last 20 games he’s picked up only four goals and one assist, and two of those goals came in the same game. With John Klingberg healthy, Heiskanen has seen much less time with the Seguin/Radulov/Benn combo, and Dallas has been a one-line team for essentially the entire season. As the Stars sit 29th in goals for and don’t have any secondary scoring coming any time soon, Heiskanen can safely be moved or dropped altogether in one-year leagues.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Washington – Although they’ll be missing Alex Ovechkin for one game thanks to suspension, the Capitals are in a great spot through the first two weeks of February: between the 1st and 13th the Caps play seven times, with six of the seven coming at home and only the last game coming on a back-to-back. Columbus is their opponent in that last game, and their home games come against Calgary, Boston, Vancouver, Colorado, Florida and Los Angeles.

Nashville – The Preds’ games in this period are very intriguing fantasy-wise, but they’re also strange – of their seven games in this stretch, they’ll play Dallas twice (both at home) as well as two games against St. Louis (road/home split.) Their other opponents are Florida (road), Arizona and Detroit (home), so they should be in position to pop some goals against lesser competition.

Florida – Six of the Panthers’ seven games come at home, but the Panthers don’t jump off the page as much as the Caps and Preds do thanks to some tougher competition. Florida will play Nashville, Vegas, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Washington and Tampa Bay, which isn’t the easiest schedule. At the same time, Florida’s healthy and have scored 13 times in three games since Vincent Trocheck came back from injury, so roll out any Panthers you have.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Columbus – The Blue Jackets are a team with “only one centre” according to John Tortorella after Boone Jenner was lost for the next few weeks, and their schedule doesn’t seem to offer much help either as they only play five times between the 1st and 13th. Between injury (Jenner), poor play (Wennberg, Foligno, Anderson, etc.) and possibly getting moved (Panarin), there’s not much to like coming out of Columbus these days. Avoid at all costs.

Dallas – Another weird bit of scheduling sees the Stars play Nashville and Arizona twice each over the next two weeks, as well as games against Minnesota and Florida. Their only home games will be against Minnesota and one of the Arizona games, and the first game against Nashville is the second half of a back-to-back. Given the Stars have averaged a paltry 1.9 goals for in their past ten games, it’s not a stretch to call them a struggling team.

Montreal – The Habs get to stay in Montreal for a good stretch coming out of their bye week, with five straight home games between February 1 and 13 – their last game comes on the 9th and they have a second, mini-bye week as they don’t play again until the 14th in Nashville. Their competition is relatively easy, but there’s also a matinee back-to-back which is never good for players’ rhythms. Their opponents are the Devils, Oilers, Ducks, Jets and Maple Leafs.

February 1 to February 7

Best Bets

WSH 4.41 – – Home CGY BOS VAN COL

PIT 4.315 – Away TOR FLA- Home OTT CAR

MIN 4.2475 – Away DAL BUF – Home CHI EDM

NSH 4.205 – Away FLA – Home DAL ARI DAL

TOR 4.19 – Away DET – Home PIT ANH OTT

Steer Clear

STL 2.6125 – Away CBJ FLA TBL- Home

NYR 2.8875 – Away – Home TBL LAK BOS

SJS 2.9025 – Away WPG CGY- Home ARI

COL 2.955 – Away WSH- Home VAN CBJ

CBJ 2.9975 – Away COL ARI- Home STL

February 2 to February 8

Best Bets

NYR 4.1475 – – Home TBL LAK BOS CAR

MTL 4.1475 – Home NJD EDM ANH WPG

EDM 4.005 – Away PHI MTL MIN – Home CHI

CAR 3.995 – Away PIT BUF NYR- Home CGY

LAK 3.99 – Away NYI NYR NJD PHI – Home

Steer Clear

DET 2.095 – Away OTT – Home VGK

CGY 2.19 – Away CAR – Home SJS

BUF 2.205 – Away – Home MIN CAR

STL 2.6125 – Away CBJ FLA TBL – Home

DAL 2.76 – Away NSH NSH – Home ARI

February 3 to February 9

Best Bets

WSH 4.41 – – Home BOS VAN COL FLA

EDM 4.105 – Away MTL MIN – Home CHI SJS

MTL 4.095 – Away – Home EDM ANH WPG TOR

CAR 3.995 – Away PIT BUF NYR – Home CGY

ANH 3.99 – Away TOR MTL OTT PHI- Home

Steer Clear

DET 2.095 – Away BUF- Home VGK

CHI 2.1575 – Away EDM – Home VAN

COL 2.745 – Away WSH NYI- Home CBJ

STL 2.75 – Away FLA TBL – Home NSH

SJS 2.8025 – Away WPG CGY EDM- Home

February 4 to February 10

Best Bets

BUF 4.41 – – Home MIN CAR DET WPG

NYR 4.2525 – Home LAK BOS CAR TOR

TOR 4.2425 – Away MTL NYR- Home ANH OTT

NJD 4.2 – Away – Home LAK NYI MIN CAR

WPG 4.185 – Away MTL OTT BUF- Home SJS

Steer Clear

VGK 2.84 – Away TBL DET – Home CBJ

CGY 2.1425 – Away VAN – Home SJS

DAL 2.855 – Away NSH ARI – Home ARI

SJS 2.8025 – Away WPG CGY EDM – Home

CBJ 2.8975 – Away COL ARI VGK – Home

February 5 to February 11

Best Bets

BUF 4.41 – – Home MIN CAR DET WPG

NJD 4.2 – Away – Home LAK NYI MIN CAR

WPG 4.185 – Away MTL OTT BUF – Home SJS

WSH 4.2525 – Home VAN COL FLA LAK

NSH 4.1525 – Away STL – Home ARI DAL STL

Steer Clear

DAL 1.805 – Away NSH ARI – Home

CGY 2.1425 – Away VAN – Home SJS

PHI 2.835 – Away – Home LAK ANH PIT

VGK 2.84 – Away TBL DET – Home CBJ

ARI 2.85 – Away NSH – Home CBJ DAL

February 6 to February 12

Best Bets

BUF 4.5675 – – Home CAR DET WPG NYI

NSH 4.31 – Away STL – Home DAL STL DET

WPG 4.29 – Away MTL OTT BUF – Home NYR

NYR 4.2625 – Away WPG- Home BOS CAR TOR

NJD 4.2575 – Away STL- Home NYI MIN CAR

Steer Clear

EDM 1.905 – Away MIN – Home SJS

ANH 1.995 – Away OTT PHI – Home

MTL 2.0475 – Away – Home WPG TOR

DAL 2.755 – Away NSH ARI FLA- Home

LAK 2.755 – Away PHI BOS WSH – Home

February 7 to February 13

Best Bets

BUF 4.5675 – – Home CAR DET WPG NYI

NSH 4.31 – Away STL – Home DAL STL DET

WPG 4.29 – Away MTL OTT BUF – Home NYR

NJD 4.2575 – Away STL – Home NYI MIN CAR

CAR 4.1325 – Away BUF NYR NJD OTT – Home

Steer Clear

MTL 2.0475 – Away – Home WPG TOR

DAL 2.755 – Away NSH ARI FLA – Home

LAK 2.755 – Away PHI BOS WSH – Home

EDM 2.76 – Away MIN PIT- Home SJS

CBJ 2.845 – Away ARI VGK – Home WSH

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-heiskanen-not-ideal-in-single-season-formats/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Ramblings: Chiarelli Fired; OEL Update; All-Star Game; Datsyuk, and More – January 24

Arizona defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is set to have an MRI Thursday which should help determine the nature and extent of the injury he sustained Tuesday night. We’ll have a better idea of what’s going on in the next couple of days.

As a small aside: can we mention how good the Coyotes have been this year? Sure, they’re not currently in a playoff spot, but they’re also just two points out of a wild card position (as of Wednesday afternoon). They’ve done this with significant (and in some cases, season-ending) injuries to the likes of Alex Galchneyuk, Antti Raanta, Jason Demers, Jakob Chychrun, Christian Dvorak, Michael Grabner, more recently Nick Schmaltz, and now Ekman-Larsson. That’s their top-line centre, third-line centre, a top-6 winger, a top-9 winger and penalty killer, two top-4 defencemen, and their starting goalie. Each of those names (save for OEL) has missed at least 10 games, and some will miss much, much more than that. And yet, they’re two points outside of a playoff spot. John Chayka has put together a very solid roster. They absolutely need more top-end talent up front, but this is a team to watch in 2019-20.

Some bad news for the Ducks and their fans:

Ondrej Kase out 5-6 months with a torn labrum. Will have surgery — this comes from Ducks GM Bob Murray …

— Josh Cooper (@JoshuaCooper) January 24, 2019

Kase had been playing extremely well since returning from his early-season injury and then this. He's an invaluable part of the roster, being the team's second-best (possibly even best) winger on a team with very few scorers on the wing. His defensive game is extremely solid as well. There's no replacing him if you're Anaheim. If you're a fantasy owner, he was likely a late pick or a waiver addition so it's not as big of a deal.

On the bright side, they could be getting Corey Perry back sooner rather than later.

Don’t forget to grab your copy of the 2019 Dobber Hockey Midseason Guide! With the All-Star break here, it’s the perfect chance for those in striking distance of a championship to get the edge they need to push for that title. There is also many pages covering prospects and potential call-ups, so even those out of the running for a league win can put their keeper/dynasty teams in a better situation for 2019-20. Get the Dobber Midseason Guide in the Dobber Shop today!

The Leafs re-configured their PP units to put Auston Matthews back with their big guns. The last change (thankfully) didn’t last very long. Now, please just put William Nylander on that PP unit as well.

Erik Johnson seems to be fine for the Avalanche. He didn't play Wednesday night, his second in a row, but was skating at the game-day skate. We'll circle back after the All-Star break.

Reilly Smith was back skating with the team but in a non-contact jersey. He obviously didn’t play in Wednesday night’s game, but it sure does bode well for him returning after the All-Star break.

Not immediately fantasy relevant but it appears that Pavel Datsyuk may be eyeing a return to the NHL? There’s a lot of time between now and October so who knows what he ultimately decides. With his style of play, simply being a bit slower probably wouldn’t be the biggest impediment to playing in today’s game. It’s whether his body could hold up. Surely some team could use him for 14-15 minutes a night on the third line and power play?

Both Tyler Bozak and Zach Sanford were activated from the injured reserve and played in Wednesday night’s contest. The result was Jordan Kyrou (and Jordan Nolan) being sent to the AHL. It doesn’t appear that this will be the year for Kyrou to break out, but he’s definitely a player to remember for next season.

I don’t really have a lot to say on the topic of Peter Chiarelli getting fired. Everything I’ve ever had to say about him as a GM has been said in these Ramblings or on my Twitter feed (and you can read Cam’s take here). I’m kind of stunned they actually did this a month before the trade deadline (Edmonton is generally known for picking the worst of all the bad options) but that might be the saving grace for the team.

Until they give up the 200 Hockey Men mentality, the franchise won't improve fundamentally, and fans of both the team and the game in general will have been done a disservice.

Although, on the other hand, maybe another rebuild isn’t on the way:

“We’re not into a rebuild. I truly believe we’re not into a rebuild.”—#Oilers Bob Nicholson

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) January 23, 2019

All they need is intangibles:

Nicholson touched on the need for character. A primary focus will be on bringing in secondary leadership to help McDavid.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) January 23, 2019

Light a candle for Edmonton Oilers fans tonight. If Nicholson means what he says, there is a lot more darkness ahead.

While all the talk was about Auston Matthews getting Mitch Marner as a winger for Wedneday’s home game against Washington, it was Nazem Kadri and William Nylander who did the damage. In fact, that whole line did as they combined for nine points: Kadri had a hat trick and one assist, William Nylaner had three assists, and Connor Brown chipped in a pair of helpers as the Leafs defeated the Caps 5-3.

For Nylander, it was his first three-assist game of his career, and he added three shots on goal for good measure. He and Kadri have been a very good duo on the third line, if a bit unlucky. It appears that fortune is (predictably) starting to turn in their favour.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 37th goal of the year in the loss.

Alex Galchenyuk had a goal taken away late in his return to Montreal as the Coyotes lost 2-1. Charles Hudon drew in on the third line and assisted on Mike Reilly’s game-winner.

With Oliver Ekman-Larsson out of the lineup, Alex Goligoski played just under 25 minutes. It was his third-highest mark of the season and his highest in a month. He also skated on what would be called their top PP unit with Galchenyuk and Clayton Keller. Something to keep in mind. Check your waiver wires if you need some depth on defence. If the OEL injury is serious, Goligoski stands to be the immediate beneficiary (as morbid as that is, let’s hope OEL is ok).

More in the morning.

With the NHL All-Star Game nearly upon us, I wanted to do something a little fun. What would All-Star teams look like if they were chosen for fantasy production? Let’s take a look at that. A quick rundown of the qualifications:

Assuming standard Yahoo! scoring (goals, assists, +/-, shots, PPPs, hits for skaters; wins, goals against average, save percentage, shutouts for goalies).

Four rosters, one for each division.

Each roster will include six forwards, three defencemen, and two goalies.

Each team needs to be represented.

It’s a fun exercise about how hard it is to actually pick teams in this format. All stats as of Wednesday afternoon and either from Dobber Tools, Natural Stat Trick, or Corsica. I’ll do the East today and talk about a few of the players. We’ll touch on the West tomorrow.

Atlantic

F – Nikita Kucherov (TB)

F – John Tavares (TOR)

F – Jeff Skinner (BUF)

F – David Pastrnak (BOS)

F – Dylan Larkin (DET)

F – Aleksander Barkov (FLA)

D – Thomas Chabot (OTT)

D – Morgan Rielly (TOR)

D – Jeff Petry (MTL)

G – Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)

G – Jaroslav Halak (BOS)

This is why it’s so hard. Say you want to remove Dylan Larkin for someone like Mitch Marner. Ok, fine. You still need someone from Detroit, so you need to take a player whose team is represented by multiple players off the list. Let’s say we remove Halak and add Jimmy Howard (he’s actually going to the real one). Howard isn’t even a top-25 fantasy goalie at the moment, but is now on his way to a fantasy All-Star Game because we wanted Marner over Larkin. Not so easy, is it?

People might laugh at Jeff Petry, but let’s break this down. He has 34 total points, 12th among all defencemen, and one more than Victor Hedman. Among all defencemen with at least 500 minutes at five-on-five this year, he’s 15th in points/60 minutes. The two defencemen directly above him are Roman Josi and Tyson Barrie. At all strengths, he’s 17th, just behind Matt Dumba. He’s also in the top-20 for defenceman shot share at five-on-five. He’s averaging over 2.5 hits and over 2.25 shots per game. Why wouldn’t he be a fantasy all-star?

Here’s something I want to bring up: when are we going to start the Thomas Chabot For Norris Trophy campaign? I’m not kidding, either: his point production is elite, his play-driving is elite, and his goal-driving is elite; among d-men, he’s top-10 in points/game, top-10 in relative shot share, and top-10 in expected goal share. Even for actual goals, he’s top-25 among all defencemen in the league in relative goal share (all of this relative to his team). I imagine guys like Mark Giordano, Brent Burns, and John Carlson will all get heavy consideration, being established stalwarts on playoff teams. And maybe Chabot will get his due someday, but he’s been outstanding this year and it’s not just because of his point total.

Metropolitan

F – Alex Ovechkin (WSH)

F – Sidney Crosby (PIT)

F – Cam Atkinson (CBJ)

F – Kyle Palmieri (NJD)

F – Chris Kreider (NYR)

F – Jake Guentzel (PIT)

D – Kris Letang (PIT)

D – John Carlson (WSH)

D – Justin Faulk (CAR)

G – Robin Lehner (NYI)

G – Carter Hart (PHI)

This was a lot harder than you’d expect for this reason: the Metro has been mostly devoid of top-end fantasy talent this year. For example, only Ovechkin, Crosby, and Sebastian Aho are top-25 skaters so far this season, while Letang, Carlson, Faulk, and Radko Gudas (yes, really) are the only top-25 defencemen. It gets even worse in net as the Islanders goaltending tandem of Lehner and Thomas Greiss are the only Metro goalies in the top-15 fantasy netminders. MacKenzie Blackwood is also there but he’s not even in the league at the moment.

I suppose one change we could make would be having Henrik Lundqvist instead of Hart, taking out Kreider, and adding Claude Giroux. But this is my list and I’m a big Krieder fan so I’m going to do what I want. Get Carter to the All-Star Game!

Justin Faulk is a favourite punching bag for some, and that’s fair given his calamitous fall in fantasy over the last couple seasons, namely in the goals department. All the same, his hit and shot totals are very stout (he’s on pace for his most hits in four years) and a 30-point season with his level of peripherals (he’ll fly past 200 shots as well) has a lot of value. Imagine if his shooting percentage ever reverts to what it was a couple years ago?

Can I just say that despite Faulk having more value than Jaccob Slavin in fantasy so far this year (at least in this format), that Slavin is probably the most under-appreciated defenceman in the NHL, and I wanted to put him in the All-Star Game for that reason. He drives the play exceptionally well, defends his blue line about as good as anyone, and is really an engine for the team on the blue line. He reminds me a lot of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, minus the shot-happiness. There are some areas the ‘Canes still need improvement, but their defence is certainly not one of them.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-chiarelli-fired-oel-update-all-star-game-datsyuk-and-more-january-24/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Looking Ahead: Look Out For Bye Weeks

Stats updated through Wednesday, January 17

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Jordan Weal, C, Arizona Coyotes (Available in 100 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – So much of Weal’s value is in opportunity: with the injuries to Nick Schmaltz (season) and Brad Richardson (a month, approximately), the center depth in Arizona will have Weal lining up alongside a strong group of young wingers like Clayton Keller and Christian Fischer. While coach Rick Tocchet likes to mix up his forward lines, expect to see Weal get some PP1 time and an increase in ice time (current average of 13:56) over the next few days and especially after the All-Star break.

In his three games with Arizona, Weal has only put up one assist and one shot on goal, but started in the offensive zone 68% of the time (albeit this is a tiny sample) and got some power play time. He’s definitely worth a speculative add at no cost, and should be held through the break as Arizona also has a great schedule.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Nino Niederreiter, W, Carolina Hurricanes (Available in 77 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – The first round pick has found yet another new home after getting shipped out of Minnesota for Victor Rask, and Niederreiter is in a prime position to put some points up on a Carolina team that’s crushed possession but has struggled scoring for most of the season.

Niederreiter’s career high remains 57 points in 2016-17 so his ceiling isn’t massive. However, he’s a strong power play performer – 49 of his 228 points have come with the man advantage – that attempts a ton of shots (~13 shot attempts/60 at 5v5 over his career) and creates high-danger chances at a strong rate as well while being a plus possession player. He should slot into a top-9 role in Carolina while joining a strong power play, and he is a lock to improve his scoring pace given what his role had diminished to in Minnesota. He’s a strong buy in trades – even after the trade he should be cheap if you act now.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Logan Couture, C, San Jose Sharks (Owned in 88 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – To preface: NO, do not drop Logan Couture. Be concerned? Yes, a little.

Since the Sharks have gone to three very balanced lines – almost four balanced lines given the chances Barclay Goodrow and company get some nights – Logan Couture’s ice time has taken a tumble, as has his production. In his last five games, Couture has seen ice time of 15:39, 17:23, 14:57, 18:12 and 17:03; all five of those games are below his season average (18:40) and all but one are below his career average (18:10). As the calendar turned to 2019, which is around when the new Sharks lines started to form, Couture has managed only 2G-2A in eight games while taking 11 shots on goal.

Losing Tomas Hertl as a linemate has hurt Couture in a big way, probably more than the ice time, as he’s been a part of ~30% of Couture’s points over the past two seasons. The advice on Logan would be to continue playing him – he’s obviously talented and shouldn’t be benched – but maybe start making in-roads on trade avenues. With 43 points in 49 games, Couture looks great on paper and should garner a strong return.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Duncan Keith, D, Chicago Blackhawks (Owned in 45 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – He’s on pace to just beat out last year’s poor showing – 2G and 30A in 82 games last season – with a 1G-19A season so far. Unlike last year when Keith was still averaging 23.5+ minutes a game, his role on the Hawks has diminished with Joel Quenneville gone.

Keith is down to 22:40 – which is still a lot – but has lost his role on the top power play to Erik Gustafsson (available in 56% of leagues). Given 29% of Keith’s career points have come on the power play, the fact that he’s only put up two assists with the man advantage this year (10% of his total points) is a bad sign, as is the fact that he’s lost a full minute per game of PP time and is playing with lower-quality teammates.

He can be safely dropped in most formats, and should definitely not be owned in cap or keeper leagues. There’s an argument to be made for keeping him around if your league tracks blocks and hits – Keith is at ~4 combined hits/blocks/shots per game which makes him valuable in those leagues, just don’t expect point production.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Washington – One of three teams with four games between the 18th and 30th of January, the Caps have struggled to score recently – 13 goals in their past five games which is almost a full goal less than their season average – but have two high-tempo games upcoming, facing Toronto and Chicago on the road. The Capitals will also play home games against the Sharks and Islanders, with the Islanders game coming as the second half of a back-to-back for New York.

Carolina – The Hurricanes addressed some of their secondary scoring issues by grabbing Nino Niederreiter from the Wild on Thursday – for the dirt cheap price of Victor Rask – and have a very strong schedule heading into the break: a home game against Ottawa and a trip out west to face the Oilers, Flames and Canucks. After scoring 17 in their past five and 34 in their past ten, they seem to have figured the scoring out.

Arizona – Arizona makes this list almost by default, as no other teams (beyond the Caps and ‘Canes) have as many games; at the same time, the Coyotes lead both the Canes and Caps in scoring over the past five, with Arizona scoring 19 goals in that time. The addition of Jordan Weal and emergence of Conor Garland have helped the Coyotes immensely, and Arizona will look to continue that against Pittsburgh at home before going on the road against Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

With ten teams starting their bye weeks near the end of this period, there are lots of areas of concern. Bye weeks start on the 20th, and the affected teams are Boston, Buffalo, Columbus, Dallas, New Jersey, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg.

Between the byes and the All-Star break, look away from all of those teams. The Leave ‘Em will look much the same next week with the rest of the bye teams, but will come back to normal sooner than later.

January 18 to January 24

Best Bets

WSH 4.1475 – Away CHI TOR – Home NYI SJS

CAR 4.1475 – Away EDM CGY VAN – Home OTT

ARI 3.985 – Away TOR OTT MTL – Home PIT

VAN 3.6225 – Away – Home BUF DET CAR

EDM 3.5175 – Away – Home CGY CAR DET

Steer Clear

NYR 0.95 – Away BOS – Home

DAL 0.9975 – Away – Home WPG

NJD 0.9975 – Away – Home ANH

WPG 0.9975 – Away DAL – Home

PHI 1.045 – Away MTL – Home

January 19 to January 25

Best Bets

EDM 3.5175 – – Home CGY CAR DET

WSH 3.045 – Away CHI TOR – Home SJS

ANH 3.045 – Away NJD NYI – Home STL

ARI 3.04 – Away TOR OTT MTL – Home

NSH 2.9975 – Away COL VGK – Home FLA

Steer Clear

BUF 0 – Away – Home

CBJ 0.855 – Away MIN – Home

NYR 0.95 – Away BOS – Home

PIT 0.95 – Away VGK – Home

DAL 0.9975 – Away – Home WPG

January 20 to January 26

Best Bets

WSH 3.045 – Away CHI TOR – Home SJS

ARI 3.04 – Away TOR OTT MTL – Home

CAR 2.9925 – Away EDM CGY VAN – Home

VAN 2.4675 – Away – Home DET CAR

EDM 2.4675 – Away – Home CAR DET

Steer Clear

BOS 0 – Away – Home

BUF 0 – Away – Home

CBJ 0 – Away – Home

DAL 0 – Away – Home

NJD 0 – Away – Home

January 21 to January 27

Best Bets

ARI 2.09 – Away OTT MTL – Home

CAR 2.0425 – Away CGY VAN – Home

WSH 2 – Away TOR – Home SJS

NSH 1.9475 – Away COL VGK – Home

MIN 1.9475 – Away VGK COL – Home

Steer Clear

CBJ 0 – Away – Home

BOS 0 – Away – Home

DAL 0 – Away – Home

BUF 0 – Away – Home

NJD 0 – Away – Home

January 22 to January 28

Best Bets

ARI 2.09 – Away OTT MTL – Home

WSH 2 – Away TOR – Home SJS

VAN 1.26 – Away – Home CAR

CAR 2.0425 – Away CGY VAN – Home

CGY 1.26 – Away – Home CAR

Steer Clear

BOS 0 – Away – Home

BUF 0 – Away – Home

CBJ 0 – Away – Home

DAL 0 – Away – Home

FLA 0 – Away – Home

January 23 to January 29

Best Bets

PHI 2.0425 – Away NYR- Home WPG

WPG 1.9 – Away PHI BOS- Home

VAN 1.26 – Away – Home CAR

CBJ 1.155 – Away – Home BUF

PIT 1.1025 – Away – Home NJD

Steer Clear

CGY 0 – Away – Home

CHI 0 – Away – Home

DAL 0 – Away – Home

DET 0 – Away – Home

EDM 0 – Away – Home

January 24 to January 30

Best Bets

PIT 2.0475 – – Home NJD TBL

PHI 2.0425 – Away NYR – Home WPG

WPG 1.9 – Away PHI BOS – Home

BUF 1.805 – Away CBJ DAL- Home

DAL 1.155 – Away – Home BUF

Steer Clear

ANH 0 – Away – Home

CGY 0 – Away – Home

CAR 0 – Away – Home

CHI 0 – Away – Home

COL 0 – Away – Home

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-look-out-for-bye-weeks/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Looking Ahead: St. Louis Won’t Give You The Blues

Stats updated through Wednesday, January 2

Don’t forget that the Midseason Guide will be available one week from now (January 11). Inside you’ll find second-half projections, sleepers, advanced stats, historical trends, prospects you need to know, and more!

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, New Jersey Devils (Available in 55 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – The cat’s already out of the bag when it comes to Blackwood thanks to his back-to-back shutouts heading into the New Year; Blackwood’s jumped 33% on Yahoo! in a week and will soon pass the 50% threshold, but the former OHL Goalie of the Year has taken the starting job in Jersey while Cory Schneider is on the mend and Keith Kinkaid holds a 3.02 GAA and 0.901SV%.

Expectations should be kept in check for Blackwood as he’s still just 22 years old and has only 83 AHL games and seven NHL games in his career, but his numbers have been strong if not sparkling: in the small NHL sample, Blackwood’s picked up the aforementioned two shutouts, but he’s also sitting on a 1.91 GAA and 0.945 SV% and has picked up four quality starts. Even his last game, a five goal-loss to the Stars, Blackwood had to make 35 saves and ended up with an 0.875 on the game. Pick him up if he’s available and roll with him.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Sven Baertschi, W, Vancouver Canucks (Available in 96 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Since coming back from a concussion that took him out of the lineup near the end of October, Baertschi has picked up three points in three games (1G-2A) while getting six shots on net, but more important is his plum role on the Canucks; Baertschi gets to play his even-strength minutes alongside Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, and plays with them (as well as Bo Horvat and Alex Edler) on the top power play unit.

Although his career numbers don’t jump out as being anything special – his career high is 35 points in 68 games although he put up 29 in 53 last season – Baertschi lit up the WHL when he was younger and has always had a scoring pedigree. Given his top-six role on the Canucks who lack scoring wingers outside of Boeser, you can count of Baertschi to produce above-average numbers the rest of the way.

Honourable mention since the Canucks have a light schedule in January: David Perron (Available in 79% of Yahoo! Leagues)

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Jason Zucker, W, Minnesota Wild (Owned in 55 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – This is extremely painful to write as a Zucker owner in my main league, but coming off a year where he put up 33G-31A for the Wild, Zucker has been a major disappointment to date: through 37 games, he’s put up 10G-10A while seeing his ice time increase on the Wild’s top line. A large reason for Zucker’s big year last season was the resurgence of Eric Staal, who was in on 37% of Zucker’s points last year and has been in on 45% of Zucker’s points this year; as Staal goes, so too goes Zucker.

There are some reasons to lessen concern though which is why he’s not an anchor, such as his role on the Wild as well as the fact that Zucker is shooting 3% less than his career average. With his ice time sitting around 17 minutes a game and getting play on the top power play unit, Zucker should be able to pick up more points in the second half but he shouldn’t be counted on at the moment.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Neal Pionk, D, NY Rangers (Owned in 52 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – His scoring line on the season looks good, as he’s got a 5G-14A line over 37 games – which is great for a second-year defenseman, but that can be expected to dry up as David Quinn continues to roll out a five-forward power play unit. Given 12 of Pionk’s 19 points have come on the power play (2G-10A), so much of his value is tied into getting key time with the Rangers’ top power play; beyond the five-forward setup, the Rangers have also plopped Kevin Shattenkirk on the top unit a couple times since Shattenkirk has returned from injury, which also hurts Pionk’s value.

Because he’s so young and his line looks so inviting, the value in a return for Pionk should be fairly high – especially for fantasy players that think they know the league, but don’t read Dobber. He could be flipped easily for a solid asset (Shea Weber, perhaps) in one-year leagues; don’t just dump him back on waivers, but do look to move him.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

St. Louis – The Blues have a packed schedule between January 4 and 16, and have some extremely good opportunities to get pucks in the net given their competition: they play the Islanders and Stars twice each (both home and road), as well as games against Montreal, Washington and Philadelphia.

Winnipeg – Although missing Dustin Byfuglien, the Jets shouldn’t hurt too much (they immediately scored four goals in their next game without him), and have a cupcake schedule with seven games between the 4th and 16th. All but two of their seven games are at home – against the Stars, Avs, Wings and Ducks – and their two road games are against the Wild and Penguins.

NY Islanders – With six games during this stretch, the Islanders don’t have the most games, but they do have one of the easiest; the Isles have a cupcake schedule with games against the Blues and Rangers (twice each, home/road), but also play Carolina and the Lightning. The Islanders have been scoring well – 18 goals in their last five – and should keep that up as Mat Barzal lights up the league.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Vancouver – Nobody has a worse upcoming schedule than the Canucks – expect to see them back here next week – with only four games between the 4th and 16th, although three of the four are at home against easy opposition (the fourth is in Toronto.) Vancouver will play Arizona, Florida and Edmonton.

Florida – The Cats get to play Columbus at home on Saturday night, but then spend the next five games on the road against the Penguins, Oilers, Flames, Canucks and Canadiens. They’ll play the Flames on the second half of a back-to-back, and although their top line has been producing, don’t expect miracles from Florida players (beyond Frank Vatrano who is #TheTruth.)

Los Angeles – As if sitting dead last in goals for wasn’t bad enough, the Kings have only five games during this upcoming period, although home games vs. Ottawa and Edmonton will help anyone score. Unfortunately, their other three games are against the Sharks, Pens and Wild which aren’t easy games. The Kings have only scored five goals twice this season, don’t expect miracles.

January 4 to January 10

Best Bets

NSH 4.94 – Away DET MTL TOR CHI CBJ- Home

STL 4.31 – Away PHI – Home NYI DAL MTL

VGK 4.21 – Away ANH – Home NJD NYR SJS

WSH 4.09 – Away DAL DET BOS- Home PHI

PHI 4.0575 – Away WSH – Home CGY STL DAL

Steer Clear

VAN 2 – Away TOR – Home ARI

BUF 2.0525 – Away BOS – Home NJD

FLA 2.6975 – Away PIT EDM- Home CBJ

CHI 2.85 – Away PIT – Home CGY NSH

COL 3.0075 – Away WPG CGY – Home NYR

January 5 to January 11

Best Bets

STL 4.31 – Away PHI – Home NYI DAL MTL

WPG 4.2675 – Away MIN – Home DAL COL DET

CGY 4.1475 – Away PHI CHI – Home COL FLA

PHI 4.0575 – Away WSH – Home CGY STL DAL

CAR 4.0525 – Away OTT NYI TBL – Home BUF

Steer Clear

COL 1.8525 – Away WPG CGY – Home

VAN 2 – Away TOR – Home ARI

ARI 2.2475 – Away VAN – Home NYR

CBJ 2.75 – Away FLA TBL – Home NSH

DAL 2.8025 – Away WPG STL PHI – Home

January 6 to January 12

Best Bets

VGK 4.3525 – Away CHI- Home NJD NYR SJS

WPG 4.2675 – Away MIN – Home DAL COL DET

STL 4.205 – Away PHI DAL- Home DAL MTL

MIN 4.2 – Away MTL BOS – Home WPG DET

NJD 4.095 – Away VGK BUF – Home TOR PHI

Steer Clear

VAN 1.05 – Away – Home ARI

CBJ 2.655 – Away TBL WSH- Home NSH

FLA 2.755 – Away PIT EDM CGY – Home

NSH 2.8025 – Away TOR CHI CBJ – Home

BOS 2.84 – Away TOR- Home MIN WSH

January 7 to January 13

Best Bets

NYI 4.405 – Away NYR – Home CAR NYR TBL

CGY 4.2475 – Away CHI – Home COL FLA ARI

STL 4.205 – Away PHI DAL – Home DAL MTL

MIN 4.2 – Away MTL BOS – Home WPG DET

TBL 4.195 – Away BUF NYI- Home CBJ CAR

Steer Clear

PIT 2.76 – Away ANH LAK – Home FLA

VAN 2.1 – Away – Home ARI FLA

BOS 2.84 – Away TOR – Home MIN WSH

OTT 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS – Home

WSH 2.8925 – Away BOS – Home PHI CBJ

January 8 to January 14

Best Bets

NYI 4.405 – Away NYR – Home CAR NYR TBL

EDM 4.205 – Away SJS – Home FLA ARI BUF

TBL 4.195 – Away BUF NYI – Home CBJ CAR

NJD 4.3 – Away BUF – Home TOR PHI CHI

WPG 4.1625 – Away MIN – Home COL DET ANH

Steer Clear

LAK 2.1 – Away – Home OTT PIT

VAN 2.1 – Away – Home ARI FLA

OTT 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS – Home

PIT 2.76 – Away ANH LAK – Home FLA

DET 2.9125 – Away WPG MIN – Home MTL

January 9 to January 15

Best Bets

TBL 4.3 – Away BUF NYI DAL- Home CAR

NYI 4.195 – Away NYR – Home NYR TBL STL

NYR 4.1675 – Away NYI CBJ – Home NYI CAR

WPG 4.11 – Away MIN – Home DET ANH VGK

ANH 4.095 – Away WPG DET- Home OTT PIT

Steer Clear

VAN 2.1 – Away – Home ARI FLA

OTT 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS – Home

PIT 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS- Home

DET 2.755 – Away WPG MIN – Home ANH

COL 2.945 – Away CGY MTL TOR – Home

January 10 to January 16

Best Bets

EDM 4.3475 – Away VAN- Home FLA ARI BUF

TBL 4.3 – Away BUF NYI DAL – Home CAR

NYI 4.195 – Away NYR – Home NYR TBL STL

NYR 4.1675 – Away NYI CBJ – Home NYI CAR

WPG 4.11 – Away MIN – Home DET ANH VGK

Steer Clear

CHI 2.0475 – Away NJD – Home VGK

PIT 2.66 – Away ANH LAK SJS – Home

DET 2.755 – Away WPG MIN – Home ANH

OTT 2.86 – Away LAK SJS – Home COL

NSH 2.8925 – Away CBJ CAR – Home WSH

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-st-louis-wont-give-you-the-blues/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Looking Ahead: Navigating the Holiday Break

Stats updated through Wednesday, December 19

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Cam Ward, G, Chicago Blackhawks (Available in 85 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Nothing about Ward’s stat line this year screams “GRAB HIM” – Ward has a dismal 0.888 SV%, 3.95 GAA and only five wins in 13 starts – but with another concussion to Corey Crawford, it’ll be Ward’s net for the foreseeable future. The interesting thing about the ugly GAA is that Ward has been peppered with pucks (good for leagues that track raw saves) and has only had two “really bad starts” where his save percentage was below 85%.

He’s proven in the past to be a competent starter, and is a fine stop-gap for Crawford owners or fantasy owners in deep leagues where goalies are as scarce as hen’s teeth.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Ryan Pulock, D, New York Islanders (Available in 64 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – The way this section of the article usually gets written is sorting all players on Yahoo! by ownership, and then scrolling down until everyone is below 50%; the reason that’s mentioned is because of the absolute shock when I saw Ryan Pulock only 36% owned. While his 14 points (2G-12A) aren’t jaw-dropping, Pulock’s ownership is half of Aaron Ekblad’s, which is absurd – Pulock is playing 22:54 per game, and is picking up 3.4 combined hits/blocks per game, 2.15 shots per game and getting PP2 time. If you’re in a league where Pulock is available, jump on that now and right this wrong.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

David Krejci, C, Boston Bruins (Owned in 38 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – If you picked up Krejci while Patrice Bergeron was injured, job well done, congratulations! Unfortunately, he can be benched for the next little while, as Patrice Bergeron is due back this week and Krejci’s role as first-line centre between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak will come to an end. A total of 14 of Krejci’s 29 points this season have been attached to either Marchand or Pastrnak, and he plays the bulk of his minutes away from those two when Bergeron is in the lineup.

If you can shop him in a 2-for-1 trade, now would be the time to do it, but otherwise he can sit on the bench until Jake DeBrusk gets back or get dropped entirely.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Mikhail Sergachev, D, Tampa Bay Lightning (Owned in 56 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Sergachev has been a big disappointment this year as he’s picked up zero goals and twelve assists in 35 games so far, and Thursday night found himself in the press box. There’s no question that Sergachev is an offensive talent and will produce closer to the 9G-31A in 79 games that he put up last year, but behind Victor Hedman and now Ryan McDonagh in both ice time and special teams roles, it may not be for a while yet.

His name still has value and Tampa Bay is a very good team, so he could probably fetch a strong return in keeper leagues or leagues that track plus/minus (although he’s sitting at only +6 on the season.)

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Colorado – If you’re lucky enough to own one or more of MacKinnon / Rantanen / Landeskog, you’re licking your lips at the Avs’ upcoming games: Colorado plays six times between December 21 and January 2, including Chicago twice, Los Angeles and San Jose (all at home) as well as playing Vegas and Arizona on the road. Colorado continues to be a one-line team, but the depth scoring in Tyson Jost/JT Compher can knock in the odd goal as well.

Arizona – Their scoring has dried up over the past couple games, but Arizona will squeeze in six games in this period, and get to face some woeful defensive opponents in Edmonton, Los Angeles and Anaheim. The ‘Yotes are at home for the game against the Oilers as well as facing Vegas and Colorado at home, and will do the California road trip against the Kings, Ducks and Sharks.

Boston – There are teams with more games in this stretch than the Bruins have, but Boston gets the advantage of playing against Carolina, Buffalo and Chicago – all on the road – as well as home games against Nashville and New Jersey. Boston should be back to almost full strength, with the return of Patrice Bergeron imminent and Zdeno Chara not too far behind.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Minnesota – The Wild will be without the services of Matt Dumba for a while, and have a tough schedule ahead with only four games going to January 2. Minnesota’s had a lot of trouble scoring of late: in their last ten games, the Wild scored three or less eight times, but exploded for games of seven goals and five goals, which makes their overall rank of 17th feel a bit fraudulent. The Wild will split two road games (Chicago, Winnipeg) and two home games (Dallas, Pittsburgh.)

NY Islanders – A major surprise defensively – the Islanders rank fourth in goals against on the season – but a major disappointment offensively, don’t look for much out of the Islanders over the holidays; while a home game against Ottawa is always good for offensive production, road games against Dallas, Toronto, and Buffalo aren’t as appealing.

Montreal – Montreal’s schedule is as bleak as the Wild and Islanders, but even worse for the Habs is that all four games come on the road. The Habs get to spend New Year’s Eve in Dallas, and also face Vegas, Florida and Tampa – with the game against the Lightning the second half of a back-to-back.

(Editor’s note: No games are scheduled between Monday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 26)

December 21 to December 27

Best Bets

WSH 3.46 – Away OTT – Home BUF CAR

BOS 3.1875 – Away CAR – Home NSH NJD

VGK 3.15 – Away – Home MTL LAK COL

COL 3.055 – Away ARI VGK- Home CHI

NJD 2.9975 – Away BOS- Home OTT CBJ

Steer Clear

MTL 0.95 – Away VGK – Home

NYI 0.9975 – Away DAL – Home

OTT 1.9425 – Away NJD – Home WSH

VAN 1.9475 – Away EDM- Home WPG

CGY 1.9525 – Away WPG- Home STL

December 22 to December 28

Best Bets

CBJ 4.0425 – Away PHI NJD NYR – Home TOR

FLA 3.2925 – Away DET CHI – Home MTL

BOS 3.1875 – Away CAR – Home NSH NJD

TOR 3.17 – Away CBJ- Home NYR DET

VGK 3.15 – Away – Home MTL LAK COL

Steer Clear

NJD 1.8425 – Away BOS – Home CBJ

COL 1.9 – Away ARI VGK – Home

MTL 1.9 – Away VGK FLA- Home

OTT 1.9425 – Away NYI- Home WSH

BUF 1.9475 – Away STL – Home ANH

December 23 to December 29

Best Bets

BOS 3.2875 – Away CAR BUF- Home NJD

FLA 3.25 – Away CHI – Home MTL PHI

DAL 3.165 – Away NSH – Home NYI DET

TOR 3.1175 – Away CBJ – Home DET NYI

NYI 3.1025 – Away DAL TOR- Home OTT

Steer Clear

MTL 1.805 – Away FLA TBL- Home

VAN 1.9 – Away EDM CGY- Home

OTT 1.9425 – Away NYI – Home WSH

MIN 1.9475 – Away CHI WPG- Home

WPG 1.995 – Away – Home CGY MIN

December 24 to December 30

Best Bets

VGK 2.86 – Away LAK ARI- Home COL

ARI 2.76 – Away LAK ANH – Home VGK

WSH 2.305 – Away OTT – Home CAR

NSH 2.2575 – Away – Home DAL NYR

EDM 2.2575 – Away – Home VAN SJS

Steer Clear

PHI 1.805 – Away TBL FLA – Home

NYR 1.7475 – Away NSH – Home CBJ

CAR 1.8525 – Away WSH NJD – Home

MTL 1.805 – Away FLA TBL – Home

DET 1.8525 – Away PIT DAL – Home

December 25 to December 31

Best Bets

NJD 3.4175 – Away BOS – Home CAR VAN

STL 3.255 – Away – Home BUF PIT NYR

EDM 3.255 – Away – Home VAN SJS WPG

FLA 3.2975 – Away DET- Home MTL PHI

WSH 3.25 – Away OTT – Home CAR NSH

Steer Clear

TOR 1.91 – Away CBJ – Home NYI

CHI 1.9425 – Away COL – Home MIN

BOS 2.1475 – Away BUF – Home NJD

NYR 2.6975 – Away NSH STL- Home CBJ

OTT 2.75 – Away NYI CBJ- Home WSH

December 26 to January 1

Best Bets

NSH 4.1625 – Away WSH – Home DAL NYR PHI

LAK 4.0475 – Away COL VGK- Home ARI VGK

PHI 3.8 – Away TBL FLA CAR NSH- Home

VGK 3.7525 – Away LAK ARI – Home COL LAK

NJD 3.4175 – Away BOS – Home CAR VAN

Steer Clear

TOR 1.91 – Away CBJ – Home NYI

NYR 2.6975 – Away NSH STL – Home CBJ

OTT 2.75 – Away NYI CBJ – Home WSH

ARI 2.76 – Away LAK ANH – Home VGK

MTL 2.8025 – Away FLA TBL DAL – Home

December 27 to January 2

Best Bets

NJD 4.415 – Away BOS DAL- Home CAR VAN

DAL 4.32 – Away NSH – Home DET MTL NJD

CGY 4.2525 – Away WPG DET- Home VAN SJS

EDM 4.205 – Away ARI- Home VAN SJS WPG

NSH 4.1625 – Away WSH – Home DAL NYR PHI

Steer Clear

TOR 1.91 – Away CBJ – Home NYI

MTL 2.8025 – Away FLA TBL DAL – Home

MIN 2.8925 – Away CHI WPG – Home PIT

CAR 2.9025 – Away WSH NJD – Home PHI

ANH 2.945 – Away SJS – Home ARI TBL

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-navigating-the-holiday-break/

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thrashermaxey · 7 years ago

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The Journey: A Look at WJC Preliminary Rosters

Welcome back, avid prospect fans!

I know most of you are still just getting to know me as a writer here on the main site, so this is something you should know about me: More than the draft day, more than free-agent frenzy, and more than basically any other time of year, I love World Junior season. The tournament has always been a bit of a sentimental past-time for my friends and I, much like I’m sure it has been for many of you.

A long before I ever became involved with the Dobber brand, something a group of friends and I would do around this time of year was make friendly bets on which of Canada’s players we thought would make a name for himself at the tournament. It always seemed like there was at least one player, sometimes one from each team that separates himself from the pack or detach themselves from what might have been a lesser assessment. Today I thought we would tie this old idea into a slightly more fantasy related column, and look at which players from five of the camp rosters have are trending in a direction to impress. We’ll also have a look at each roster to get a better idea of what to expect from the tournament come Boxing Day.

Canada

The first team on our list is the host country and defending gold medalists, Canada. This year’s edition of the tournament will be held by the cities of Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Both cities are home to their own WHL franchises, although neither are represented on Canada’s final camp roster.

So far, the group is comprised of 34 players, with a portion hailing from each of the three CHL leagues, as well as the NCAA. Gabriel Vilardi, who was also named to the camp roster has played three conditioning games with the Ontario Reign after returning from a nagging back injury – his status remains unknown for the remainder of the year, however the Kings have agreed to loan the 19-year-old to Canada for the tournament.

The Ontario Hockey League is heavily represented at the final camp which begins Monday in Calgary. Notable OHLers include Evan Bouchard, Michael DiPietro, and Morgan Frost.

The WHL and QMJHL despite being more sparsely represented, will likely be sending two extremely valuable players to BC, in Cody Glass and Alexis Lafreniere. The latter who will remain ineligible for the NHL draft until 2020, stands a good chance of being the youngest player to represent Canada at the tournament.

Perhaps the most unrecognized name on the list is Brett Leason. The Prince Albert Raiders’ forward is the only player on the list to have gone through an entire NHL draft in which he was eligible without being selected. His 2.2 points-per-game scoring rate in the WHL exceeds the season-ending rate of any player in recent history including last year’s leader, Alexi Heponiemi.

Of the entire group of 34, only two have prior World Junior experience. Both Alex Formenton (OTT) and Max Comtois (ANA) began the season with their respective NHL clubs, only to be returned to their junior teams after nine and ten games respectively. Both should be considered locks for the final Canadain roster.

The Canadians last line of defense should also prove to be a formidable one. The two favorites to start in goal, Ian Scott (TOR) and Michael DiPietro (VAN) are both highly credible netminders who have begun the year with outstanding results.

My pick to impress: Joe Veleno (DET) – After a less than impressive draft year for the former Exceptional Status pivot, the 18-year-old is off to somewhat of a rebound. He might not lead the Canadian offense, but this should be an opportunity for him to revive some of his former glory.

Russia

Keeping things in Group A, The Red Machine is up next.

The Russians invited a full squad of 33 players leading up to the final roster selection. While much of the roster has been outlined by tournaments earlier in the year including the CIBC Canada-Russia series, and the U20 Four Nations tournament there are a few other interesting candidates for the roster.

The final roster will be highlighted by the Ranger’s 2018 first round pick, Vitali Kravstov, who also stands a good chance to wear the “C” for Russia. His recent surge in scoring has him leading the KHL charts among U21 skaters. Of the 33 named to the list, Kravstov will be joined by ten other players who’ve been competing primarily in the KHL this season.

The remainder of the group is comprised of players from two other Russian leagues – the MHL (Minor Hockey League), and the VHL (Supreme Hockey League), as well as the CHL and AHL.

Like Canada, this year’s Russian squad will feature a maximum of two returning players – Blues forward prospect Klim Kostin, and Oilers defense prospect Dmitri Samorukov. Both players have struggled for offensive consistency since coming to North America, but could provide the Russians with a size and strength advantage to alleviate the pressure from other players.

Despite almost the entire camp roster having passed through a year of NHL draft eligibility, only 14 of the 33 are currently claimed by an NHL organization. Besides the three aforementioned players, some of the most interesting drafted players who could be part of the team include defense prospects, Alexander Alexyev (WSH), Alex Romanov (MTL), and forward prospects Grigori Denisenko (FLA), and Pavel Shen (BOS). Each of the four have a relatively solid track record and stand a good chance of making the final cuts. Shen was the focus of recent success when led all players in goals through the six CIBC series games in November. His success, however, wasn’t without the help of undrafted wingman, Stepan Starkov who wrapped up the series with six points in six games. Also a part of the group hailing from the KHL, Starkov showed an immense amount of skill against his Canadian counterparts and should join the Russians in Vancouver.

Just couple of weeks ago Stepan Starkov finished the CAN/RUS Series with one of the best performances in Team Russia history and now he is back in the KHL and is scoring there. Someone to watch out for in terms of the WJC and #2019NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/WZTf9x6quE

— Russian Prospects (@RUSProspects) December 3, 2018

My pick to impress: Stepan Starkov – see above.

Finland

When it comes to the Scandanavian countries, a smaller, more select group of players were named to the preliminary rosters. Finland in particular listed only 25 players to their initial group, headlined by six draft eligible players between 2019 and 2020.

With a smaller preliminary roster, less cuts will be necessary for the Finns who’ve drawn heavily from their native professional Liiga, however, there are also several notable players not named to the roster that could sneak in on a later date. Winnipeg prospect Kristian Vesalainen who is currently playing for Jokerit in the KHL has not been confirmed as available for the tournament and would be an excellent addition to the Suomi squad. Predators’ top prospect, Eeli Tolvanen who has been competing with the farm club in Miluwakee until recently would have also been an excellent addition were it not for his emergency recall to Nashville. The two omissions from camp do not necessarily dictate whether or not they will be a part of the final roster, simply that their participation is not mandatory.

As mentioned above, this group is comprised by a majority of Liiga players, which are highlighted by names such as Alexi Heponiemi (FLA), Rasmus Kupari (LA), and Niklas Nordgren (CHI).

They’ve also recruited from a small group of players competing overseas in several NCAA conferences, as well as the WHL and OHL. The most notable of players whose primary competition has come on North American ice is goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) who will be joining Heponiemi and Kupari as the only returning players from the 2018 tournament.

In addition to the experience that the Young Lions will likely bring to the tournament, they will also likely roster one of the youngest overall groups in Vancouver. 2019 top-prospect, Kappo Kakko headlines the under-agers, and will bring an immense amount of speed and skill to the team… and yes, he will be on the team.

My pick to impress: Rasmus Kupari (LA) – As much as I’d love to have Nordgren in this spot (I’ve been a big fan of him for a while), I don’t think he’ll receive the same kind of opportunity that Kupari will. Kupari is bound to stick with his Karpat linemate, Alexi Heponiemi throughout the tournament, which will provide him with the appropriate stage to demonstrate their success, and bring his name to another level of recognition.

Sweden

The Swedes stuck with a similar sized roster as their neighbors to the east, inviting a total of 25 players to their preliminary camp.

Perhaps the most formidable looking defensive group heading into the tournament, Sweden’s top-6 will almost certainly feature a pair of Leafs prospects, in addition to some combination of three other former first round picks. Timothy Liljegren (TOR) and Rasmus Sandin (TOR) have both been competing with Toronto’s AHL affiliate, the Marlies and are likely to join the team as a pair. Neither have had a great opportunity to focus on offense since becoming professionals, but this tournament should be a great opportunity for us to gauge their development in peer-to-peer competition. Besides the Leafs duo, the group of Erik Brannstrom (VGK), Adam Boqvist (CHI), and Nils Lundkvist (NYR) will make the team’s blueline a force to be reckoned with.

As with the Finns, Sweden has drawn a high percentage of their roster from the local top and second tier leagues, the Swedish Hockey League and the Allsvenskan.

Besides the talented defense group that the Swedes are likely to put forth, the roster selection appears to be quite wide open. Several B+ type prospects such as Filip Hallander (PIT), Emil Bemstrom (CBJ) and Lucas Elvenes (VGK) are likely to be a part of the group which don the three crowns, with the remainder being left to a critical camp selection.

That group consists of two 2019 draft eligible players who have both spent the majority of their seasons competing in the SHL. Nils Hoglander and Samuel Fagemo could each make a significant impact on their draft stock if they find success in Vancouver, which, given the lack of forward depth is a reality.

My pick to impress: Emil Bemstrom (CBJ) – A former fourth round selection, Bemstrom has brought his game to a new level as a rookie in the Swedish Hockey League. Until recently, his name wouldn’t have been recognized outside of hyper-focused prospect circles, but there is a high probability that is about to change.

USA

For today, last but not least, and only because they were last to announce their preliminary roster, the Americans!

Led by 17-year-old Jack Hughes, the American preliminary roster appears to be relatively top-heavy across the board. A formidable forward corps will likely be what the Americans rely on if they hope to have success at the tournament, however the selection of their role players will also be important. They’ll be drawing from a group of 29 familiar faces, 17 of which have participated in some form of the USNDP. Aside from Jack Hughes, only one other current member of the Program was invited to camp – goaltender, Spencer Knight.

The Yanks are likely to have upwards of six former first round NHL draft selections on their roster including Jack’s older brother, Quinn (VAN). The pair are sure to have a high level of chemistry on the transition, which could make the Americans all the more dangerous.

The elder of the Hughes boys is likely to be joined by K’Andre Miller (NYR), Joey Keane (NYR), and Dylan Samberg (WPG) to form a strong top-4 on the American’s blueline.

Up front, the former USNDP dynamic duo of Oliver Wahlstrom and Joel Farabee should link up again to rekindle their old magic. While Wahlstrom’s 2018 hasn’t exactly been kind to him, Farabee has been excellent for Boston University, and could wind up being one of the States’ most relied upon players. From north of the border, the Niagara Ice Dogs forward, Jason Robertson (DAL) should prove to be another offensive catalyst for the red, white and blue. Since being traded to Niagara from Kingston, the 19-year-old has contributed on 14 goals in his first five contests.

My pick to impress: Sammy Walker (TBL) – Shortly after I started writing on the Tampa page for Dobber Prospects, the Lightning selected Walker in the 7th round of the draft. He’s on the smaller side, and until recently had only competed against a vastly different competition than his peers. He’s contributed consistently at the University of Minnesota as a freshman, but an opportunity to translate that to the World Junior level would certainly elevate his status.

As a bonus, here’s the NHL ownership distribution of all players participating in the five camps of the countries listed above. Undrafted players who have not been eligible for a draft are not included.

That’s all I have for this week! Let me know what you think of my picks, as well as what yours are on Twitter @olaf1393

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/the-journey/the-journey-a-look-at-wjc-preliminary-rosters/

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thrashermaxey · 7 years ago

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Looking Ahead: Add Schmaltz While He’s Available

Stats updated through Wednesday, December 5

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Kevin Hayes, C, New York Rangers (Available in 86 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Now that the Rangers schedule has improved slightly – it’s still light (see below) but the end of the month is loaded – Hayes should have some value. With Vladislav Namestnikov expected back, the Rangers should reform their “second” line of Hayes between Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil, who have been dynamite together: in 81 minutes together, they’re putting up a Goals For rate of 3.67/60, firing 30+ shots/60, and generating a ton (16/60) of high-danger chances. Hayes has gone cold if you only look at game logs – three assists in his last five games – but that was with constantly changing line combinations and a cut in ice time. When he plays with Chytil and Kreider, Hayes typically sees 20+ minutes of ice time, and should have a ton of value the rest of this month.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Nick Schmaltz, C, Arizona Coyotes (Available in 80 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Since getting traded to Arizona, Schmaltz has played in four games for the Coyotes, and he’s put up 2G-3A while playing just under 17 minutes a night. More importantly, Schmaltz has increased his iCF from 9/60 to 13/60 – which was always the big issue with Schmaltz, that he wouldn’t shoot. He’s managed to get 11 shots on goal since the move playing alongside Clayton Keller and Alex Galchenyuk, but it’s the increase in power-play time that will really make him stand apart. Add him now before everyone else catches up.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Philadelphia Flyers (Owned in 90 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – It’s okay to be worried about the fourth-year stud, as he’s having an incredibly disappointing start to the season: 3G-8A in 25 games so far, while seeing about half a minute of ice time less than last year and well on his way to win Mike Commodore’s Masters Championship with a -15. In points-only leagues he’s worth stashing on the bench until he gets right, but in leagues that track plus/minus, he could be dangled with something else in a 2-for-1 upgrade situation. He should get on track eventually, but if someone makes an offer or you can improve other areas, jump on it.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Kasperi Kapanen, W, Toronto Maple Leafs (Owned in 50 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – There’s no question that Kasperi Kapanen has had a great start to the year, with 10G-9A in 28 games, but so much of his production has come with Auston Matthews – nine of his 19 points so far have either been assists on Matthews goals or goals assisted by Matthews. With the return of William Nylander, Kapanen will find himself for most of the rest of season on the third or fourth lines, and Kapanen isn’t in line to get any power play time. He’s a strong player and would be an asset to hang onto in keeper leagues, but Kapanen should be shopped to the Leafs fans in your league for something of value.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Winnipeg – The Jets have an incredible schedule upcoming: seven games between the 7th and 19th, with all but two coming at home where they’re averaging 3.84 goals per game (0.7 more than on the road.) Jets players and fantasy owners should both be salivating at the sight of Winnipeg’s opponents in December, with games against the Blues, Flyers, Blackhawks (twice,) Oilers and Kings looking extremely inviting. They have one tough game against the Lightning.

Edmonton – Just a few games into the Hitchcock regime, the Oilers look like they’re playing Hitchcock hockey – after the first game under Hitch (4-3 win,) Edmonton has scored two or less in five of seven games, and only managed three in the other two games. That being said, they have seven games in this stretch with four at home – the Wild, Flames, Flyers and Blues – with the remainder coming against Vancouver, Winnipeg and Colorado.

Arizona – Most of their games in this period come on the road – only two of the six coming at home – but the Coyotes still have a strong schedule upcoming. They’ll get to face the Sabres, Rangers, Hurricanes and Islanders as well as games against San Jose and Boston, with only one back-to-back on the docket.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Vancouver – The Canucks have struggled to score – they sit 17th in Goals For but have scored three or less in 73% of their games so far – and have a fairly tough schedule even with six games: they’ll be on the road against the Blues, Blue Jackets and Predators, and home against Philadelphia, Edmonton and Tampa Bay.

New Jersey – With only five games between the 7th and 19th, the Devils have a very light schedule, but even worse is that they have a game against Vegas at home on the 14th, followed immediately by a game in Nashville on the 15th. Beyond that, the Devils play the Ducks and Sharks in California, and finish this period back at home against Toronto – no easy competition here.

NY Rangers – The Rags also suffer from a light schedule during this stretch, but on the plus side they’ve got games against the Ducks and Panthers to look forward to. Their three other games aren’t appealing though, as the Original Six team will have to face Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vegas.

December 7 to December 13

Best Bets

WPG 4.305 – – Home STL PHI CHI EDM

SJS 4.1525 – Away DAL ARI – Home NJD DAL

LAK 3.995 – Away DET BUF CBJ- Home VGK

EDM 3.895 – Away COL WPG- Home MIN CGY

DAL 3.8525 – Away VGK ANH SJS- Home SJS

Steer Clear

NYR 1.805 – Away FLA TBL – Home

NJD 1.8525 – Away ANH SJS – Home

COL 1.905 – Away TBL – Home EDM

WSH 2.015 – Away CBJ – Home DET

VAN 2.6125 – Away STL CBJ NSH- Home

December 8 to December 14

Best Bets

WPG 4.3 – Away CHI- Home PHI CHI EDM

PIT 4.1375 – Away OTT NYI CHI – Home BOS

ARI 4.09 – Away BOS BUF NYR- Home SJS

DET 4.005 – Away WSH – Home NYI LAK OTT

EDM 4 – Away COL WPG – Home CGY PHI

Steer Clear

ANH 2.205 – Away – Home NJD DAL

MIN 2.205 – Away – Home MTL FLA

VAN 2.6125 – Away STL CBJ NSH – Home

DAL 2.8025 – Away VGK ANH SJS – Home

COL 2.855 – Away TBL STL- Home EDM

December 9 to December 15

Best Bets

MTL 4.315 – Away CHI MIN – Home CAR OTT

WPG 4.3 – Away CHI – Home PHI CHI EDM

OTT 4.0425 – Away NSH DET MTL- Home BOS

EDM 4 – Away COL WPG – Home CGY PHI

CHI 4 – Away WPG – Home MTL PIT WPG

Steer Clear

NYR 1.905 – Away TBL – Home ARI

SJS 2.205 – Away – Home NJD DAL

TBL 2.205 – Away – Home NYR TOR

BUF 2.7975 – Away WSH- Home LAK ARI

CGY 2.855 – Away EDM MIN- Home PHI

December 10 to December 16

Best Bets

WPG 4.195 – Away CHI – Home CHI EDM TBL

ARI 4.18 – Away BOS BUF NYR CAR- Home

CAR 4.09 – Away MTL – Home TOR WSH ARI

EDM 4.0425 – Away COL WPG VAN- Home PHI

PIT 3.985 – Away NYI CHI – Home BOS LAK

Steer Clear

CGY 2.855 – Away MIN STL- Home PHI

ANH 1.91 – Away CBJ – Home DAL

FLA 2.855 – Away STL MIN – Home TOR

DAL 2.85 – Away ANH SJS COL – Home

NJD 2.855 – Away SJS NSH – Home VGK

December 11 to December 17

Best Bets

NSH 4.51 – Away OTT- Home OTT VAN NJD

COL 4.205 – Away STL – Home EDM DAL NYI

WPG 4.195 – Away CHI – Home CHI EDM TBL

MTL 4.32 – Away MIN – Home CAR OTT BOS

ARI 4.18 – Away BOS BUF NYR CAR – Home

Steer Clear

NJD 1.905 – Away NSH – Home VGK

TBL 1.9525 – Away WPG – Home TOR

NYR 2.1 – Away – Home ARI VGK

SJS 2.1475 – Away CHI – Home DAL

LAK 2.7075 – Away BUF CBJ PIT – Home

December 12 to December 18

Best Bets

NSH 4.4 – Away OTT CHI- Home VAN NJD

ARI 4.3325 – Away BUF NYR CAR – Home NYI

NYI 4.205 – Away COL ARI- Home VGK DET

PHI 4.2 – Away CGY EDM VAN – Home DET

EDM 4.095 – Away WPG VAN – Home PHI STL

Steer Clear

WSH 2.295 – Away CAR – Home BUF

LAK 2.66 – Away CBJ PIT – Home WPG

TOR 2.8025 – Away TBL FLA NJD- Home

CBJ 2.94 – Away – Home LAK ANH VGK

FLA 2.95 – Away MIN BUF- Home TOR

December 13 to December 19

Best Bets

MTL 4.4625 – Away COL- Home CAR OTT BOS

NSH 4.4 – Away OTT CHI – Home VAN NJD

ARI 4.3325 – Away BUF NYR CAR – Home NYI

COL 4.31 – Away STL – Home DAL NYI MTL

EDM 4.095 – Away WPG VAN – Home PHI STL

Steer Clear

LAK 2.66 – Away CBJ PIT – Home WPG

ANH 2.7075 – Away CBJ PIT NYR – Home

CGY 2.8025 – Away MIN STL DAL – Home

TOR 2.8025 – Away TBL FLA NJD – Home

VGK 2.85 – Away NJD NYR CBJ – Home

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-add-schmaltz-while-hes-available/

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thrashermaxey · 7 years ago

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Looking Ahead: The Cats Will Claw Ahead

Stats updated through Thursday, November 22

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Jared McCann, C, Florida Panthers (Available in 100 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – After an awful, awful injury to Vincent Trocheck – don’t watch it if you haven’t seen it – there’s a gaping hole in the middle of the Panthers’ top-6, and McCann can more than capably fill that hole and get production while doing so. He’s typically been used in a checking role in the past, but when given the opportunity to produce, McCann has been a capable centre: at 5v5 over the past two seasons, McCann is taking 8.48 shots per 60, which is comparable to Trocheck’s 8.60, and he’s had Individual Point Percentages of 86% and 75% through those seasons. For leagues that track peripherals, McCann is picking up 1.5 combined blocks/hits per game – the best rate of his career – and with a bump in his ice time and playing with better players in Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad, McCann should find some value until the Cats call up Henrik Borgstrom.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

David Krejci, C, Boston Bruins (Available in 78 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Another injury-related pickup, Krejci has value even beyond the four-plus weeks that Patrice Bergeron is gone, but his value should be close to its peak over the next month. Krejci is currently sporting a shooting percentage of 8.7 – not a career-low, but 4% below his career average – and should see an uptick in TOI with Bergeron gone, but more importantly Krejci will get to play with David Pastrnak. Last year when Pastrnak played with Krejci, the duo combined for 3.37GF/60 at 5v5, and they should continue to pile pucks in the net; the Czech centre should retain some value after Bergeron returns thanks to a cushy spot on a Bruins second-line that sees soft competition and starts in the O-zone 60% of the time, playing with Jake DeBrusk. Krejci’s not much in the way of peripherals, but in points-only leagues or leagues that count faceoffs, he should be picked up.

Honourable mention: Joonas Donskoi (available in 92 percent of Yahoo! Leagues)

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Jaden Schwartz, W, St. Louis Blues (Owned in 41 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – It’s not quite fair to Schwartz – who’s currently injured – to be worried about his value due to being a Band-Aid Boy, but it’s a quarter of the way through the way through the season and Schwartz has already missed five games and has only put up 2G-7A playing most of his time beside Vladimir Tarasenko. Not only is the production a disappointment, but the injuries are a major concern. Last year, Schwartz missed 20 games due to injury, and he missed 49 in 2015-16. While he’s not at the level of his bad luck-ridden teammate Robby Fabbri, the lack of production and possibility he misses more time means you should be very concerned about Schwartz.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Ilya Kovalchuk, W, Los Angeles Kings (Owned in 78 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Since John Stevens was fired eight games ago, Kovalchuk has put up 1G-2A, and seen his ice time cut drastically; in his first 13 games, the Russian sniper played 18 minutes or more 10 times – topping 20 minutes five times – and in the eight games since, has done that only twice. He’s been relegated to the third line, and new coach Willie Desjardins has been referring to him as a “power play specialist,” which means his low ice time will continue.

Oh, and that 1G-2A in eight games? Those came in the first game after Stevens was fired, and Kovalchuk has gone pointless ever since.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Tampa Bay – From November 23 to December 5, the Lightning play seven times – with only one back-to-back – and have some extremely promising opponents. The highlights for the team that leads the league in goals so far include: home to Chicago, Anaheim and Buffalo, and on the road at Florida and Detroit. The Lightning also face New Jersey twice, at home and on the road.

Florida – All but one of Florida’s games during this period come at home, after playing six straight on the road once the Cats play at Carolina tonight. The Panthers are a middle-of-the road team both offensively and defensively so far, but like Tampa they have some pretty easy scheduling: Chicago, Anaheim, Buffalo and the injured Bruins are the highlights, as well as games against New Jersey and Tampa Bay.

Los Angeles – The Kings remain #actuallybad, but have an appealing schedule and Kopitar/Brown/Carter and Toffoli are still decent fantasy options. LA sees a lot of the Western Canadian teams during their next seven games (all in this period,) with home & road games against both Vancouver and Edmonton and a road game against Calgary. The Kings will also play Carolina and Arizona.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Minnesota – The Wild only have five games between the 23 and December 5, and three of those games come against top-5 defensive opponents (Arizona, Winnipeg and Toronto.) They do get to face Columbus and Vancouver, but both of those games come on the road.

Arizona – Even with six games during this stretch, the Coyotes are in tough and should continue to struggle to score (30th in Goals For.) They’ll face some above-average defensive teams in Minnesota (9th in goals against,) Colorado (10th,) Nashville (1st) and St. Louis (12th) as well as games against Calgary and Los Angeles. They have no back-to-backs and have an even split with three home games and three road games.

Philadelphia – “Gritty’s Team” have the worst schedule of any team after Thanksgiving, with only four games in this period: home to the Rangers, at Toronto (on the second half of a back-to-back,) back home to Ottawa and at Pittsburgh. While the games against three of the four (all but the Leafs) are appealing for offensive production from the Flyers, they’re a one-line team these days and have scored two or less in three of their last five

November 23 to November 29

Best Bets

TBL 4.41 – – Home CHI NJD ANH BUF

FLA 4.395 – Away CAR – Home CHI NJD ANH

LAK 4.3 – Away VAN EDM- Home VAN EDM

VGK 4.2375 – Away CHI VAN- Home CGY SJS

SJS 4.1525 – Away VGK BUF TOR – Home VAN

Steer Clear

MIN 2.855 – Away CBJ- Home WPG ARI

NJD 2.9075 – Away TBL FLA – Home NYI

CGY 3.0025 – Away VGK ARI – Home DAL

STL 3.035 – Away DET – Home NSH WPG

CAR 3.0925 – Away NYI MTL – Home FLA

November 24 to November 30

Best Bets

LAK 5.25 – Away VAN EDM CGY- Home VAN EDM

FLA 4.41 – Home CHI NJD ANH BUF

COL 3.9525 – Away NSH – Home DAL PIT STL

BUF 3.9475 – Away DET TBL FLA- Home SJS

ANH 3.8 – Away NSH TBL FLA CAR- Home

Steer Clear

MIN 1.8575 – Away CBJ – Home ARI

PHI 2.105 – Away TOR – Home OTT

MTL 2.31 – Away – Home BOS CAR

NJD 2.66 – Away TBL FLA WSH- Home

VAN 2.75 – Away LAK – Home LAK VGK

November 25 to December 1

Best Bets

NSH 4.305 – – Home ANH COL ARI CHI

TBL 4.205 – Away FLA- Home NJD ANH BUF

OTT 4.2 – Away NYR PHI – Home NYR SJS

FLA 4.2 – Away – Home NJD ANH BUF TBL

LAK 4.0425 – Away VAN EDM CGY – Home EDM

Steer Clear

PHI 2.01 – Away PIT- Home OTT

CAR 2.0425 – Away MTL – Home ANH

WSH 2.1 – Away NYI – Home NJD

MTL 2.415 – Away – Home CAR NYR

NYI 2.7875 – Away BOS – Home WSH CBJ

November 26 to December 2

Best Bets

LAK 4.2525 – Away VAN EDM CGY – Home CAR

NYR 4.2425 – Away OTT MTL – Home OTT WPG

OTT 4.2 – Away NYR PHI – Home NYR SJS

FLA 4.2 – Away – Home NJD ANH BUF TBL

WPG 4.1425 – Away NJD NYR- Home PIT CHI

Steer Clear

NYI 2.7875 – Away BOS – Home WSH CBJ

PHI 2.01 – Away PIT – Home OTT

NJD 2.8025 – Away FLA WSH – Home WPG

ARI 2.76 – Away MIN NSH – Home STL

CAR 2.85 – Away MTL LAK- Home ANH

November 27 to December 3

Best Bets

NSH 4.4625 – – Home COL ARI CHI BUF

WPG 4.1425 – Away NJD NYR – Home PIT CHI

TBL 4.1 – Away FLA NJD- Home ANH BUF

LAK 4.2525 – Away VAN EDM CGY – Home CAR

SJS 4.085 – Away BUF TOR OTT MTL – Home

Steer Clear

NYI 1.8425 – Away BOS – Home CBJ

TOR 1.905 – Away MIN – Home SJS

CBJ 1.9425 – Away NYI – Home MIN

PHI 2.01 – Away PIT – Home OTT

WSH 2.1 – Away – Home NJD ANH

November 28 to December 4

Best Bets

LAK 4.21 – Away EDM CGY – Home CAR ARI

WPG 4.195 – Away NJD NYR NYI- Home CHI

TBL 4.195 – Away FLA NJD DET- Home BUF

FLA 4.1475 – Away – Home ANH BUF TBL BOS

DET 4.0475 – Away BOS – Home STL COL TBL

Steer Clear

PHI 0.855 – Away PIT – Home

CAR 1.805 – Away LAK – Home ANH

ARI 2.7125 – Away NSH LAK- Home STL

NJD 2.7975 – Away WSH – Home WPG TBL

CHI 2.8075 – Away WPG NSH – Home CGY

November 29 to December 5

Best Bets

LAK 4.21 – Away EDM CGY – Home CAR ARI

WPG 4.195 – Away NJD NYR NYI – Home CHI

TBL 4.195 – Away FLA NJD DET – Home BUF

EDM 3.89 – Away DAL STL- Home LAK VGK

CHI 3.71 – Away WPG NSH ANH- Home CGY

Steer Clear

PHI 0.855 – Away PIT – Home

TOR 1.9 – Away MIN BUF – Home

DAL 2.1425 – Away VAN – Home EDM

PIT 2.1525 – Away – Home PHI COL

ARI 2.7125 – Away NSH LAK – Home STL

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/looking-ahead/looking-ahead-the-cats-will-claw-ahead/

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