NHL Grind Down: Thursday, December 22nd - Page Two
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Minnesota Wild at Montréal Canadiens
| Minnesota Wild | Montréal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 19-8-4 | 21-7-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.90 | 1.87 | 17.20% | 85.10% | Team Stats | 3.13 | 2.16 | 20.20% | 81.20% |
Tonight’s clash between two of the best teams in the NHL should be entertaining to watch, but with both Minnesota and Montreal also happening to be amongst the best defensive teams in the league, this doesn’t figure to be the most fantasy friendly game on this slate. Minnesota will invade the Bell Centre having won each of their last eight games and a solid road trip would put them in the drivers seat of the Central Division. Bruce Boudreau has plenty of depth through his lineup and while that’s been a key to their recent success, it does complicate things a little bit from a fantasy perspective. Up-front, Eric Staal leads the team with 25 points in 31 games and joins Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise on the top line that is sure to receive plenty of attention from the Canadiens bench. Meanwhile, Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund seem to be often overlooked on the second forward line, but they’ve been playing very well lately and combined for six goals and eight assists over the last nine games. On defense, Ryan Suter is the definition of a work-horse defenseman and is averaging nearly 27 minutes of ice-time per game. He’s facilitates things from the point of their #1 power-play unit and is easily their top option. Behind him, Mathew Dumba, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon also all see a healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage and do a fine job racking up enough of the peripheral stats to be fine fantasy options if you’re looking for some cost savings. Now, with all of that said, Carey Price is arguably the best goaltender on the planet and it’s rarely a wise idea to pick players opposing him. Tread carefully.
In what some are predicting to be a potential preview of the Stanley Cup Finals this spring, Montreal will look to continue their home dominance tonight in what should be one of their toughest assignments to date this season. The Canadiens have cruised to 15-2-2 record at the Bell Centre this season and are fresh off of a decisive 5-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. Montreal has averaged 3.13 goals per game this season and that number shoots all the way up to 3.68 goals per game at the Bell Centre. However, the Minnesota Wild own the best defense in the entire league as evidenced by their 1.87 goals against per game and NHL low 5.99 scoring chances against per 60 minutes (at 5 on 5). Throw in the fact that Devan Dubnyk is playing as well as any goalie in the NHL and that Montreal will be missing several key offensive contributors tonight, this game figures to be a hard-fought defensive battle that does not look to be a nice source for many fantasy points. If you’re going to target the Montreal forwards, you search has to start with Max Pacioretty. He leads the team with 26 points and joins forces with Alexander Radulov both on the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. Former first-round pick Phillip Danault plays the third wheel between those two in both situations and that makes him a fine value option from an opportunity standpoint alone. On defense, Shea Weber has silenced the critics of the blockbuster offseason trade just slightly with his fine play thus far. He’s still armed with the hardest shot in the entire NHL and unloads it as often as possible from the point of the top power-play unit. Alternatively, Andrei Markov has proven to be quiet useful as somewhat of a power-play specialist over the past several seasons, but you’ll need to monitor his status after the morning skate. If he’s unable to suit up, Jeff Petry should see some extended playing time and he’s shown plenty of offensive upside this season.
Minnesota Wild
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 48.3 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 22, 111.38 CP60
Elite Options
None
Secondary Options
Zach Parise ($7,000 FD, $6,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.73 CF60, 2.68 xGF60, 99.49 PDO
Charlie Coyle ($5,100 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.06 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 101.7 PDO
Eric Staal ($5,800 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.19 CF60, 2.91 xGF60, 102.25 PDO
Mikko Koivu ($4,700 FD, $5,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.42 CF60, 2.27 xGF60, 103.86 PDO
Ryan Suter ($5,500 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 49.5 CF60, 2.4 xGF60, 106.73 PDO
Expected Netminder
Devan Dubnyk – My Ratings (out of 10): 7.5 Cash, 9 GPP
Montreal Canadiens
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 52.54 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 27, 116.52 CP60
Elite Options
None
Secondary Options
Max Pacioretty ($7,200 FD, $6,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 68.25 CF60, 3.01 xGF60, 101.97 PDO
Alexander Radulov ($6,400 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.73 CF60, 3.06 xGF60, 101.83 PDO
Shea Weber ($6,300 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.15 CF60, 2.69 xGF60, 103.5 PDO
Expected Netminder
Carey Price – My Ratings (out of 10): 8 Cash, 8.5 GPP
St. Louis Blues at Tampa Bay Lightning
| St. Louis Blues | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Jake Allen |  | Andrei Vasilevskiy | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-11-5 | 16-14-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.85 | 21.50% | 88.00% | Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.73 | 23.30% | 79.10% |
From a talent perspective, the St. Louis Blues should be a legit Stanley Cup contender this season, but Coach Hitchcock simply can’t get much consistency out of his hockey club this season. After a couple of disappointing performances to start out the week, St. Louis did pick up a very important win over the rival Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. They’ll finish up this short two-game road trip tonight in Tampa hoping to finally gain some traction towards a hot streak as well as looking to put an end to their struggles away from the Scottrade Center (5-9-1 road record). With all of that said, none of their inconsistencies or road struggles can be attributed to Vladimir Tarasenko as he’s been sensational all season and is almost single handedly carrying this offense. He trails only Connor McDavid with 38 points on the season and has been scorching hot down the stretch; posting six goals and nine assists in just 11 games this month. The talented Robby Fabbri joins him on the top scoring line and #1 power-play unit, with Alex Steen and Jaden Schwartz also getting to play alongside Fabbri and Tarasenko on the #1 power-play unit. Coach Hitchcock has been shuffling his forwards up recently in an effort to manufacture a capable third line, but that doesn’t really benefit anyone from a fantasy perspective and is reason enough to keep your exposure limited to the St. Louis power-play especially when factoring in Tampa’s very mediocre 79.1% penalty kill. Things haven’t really changed on the St. Louis Blue’s defense all season (with the exception of Brad Hunt slowly emerging as a potential value play) as the trio of Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko are the players to target. Shattenkirk offers the most upside, but Pietrangelo has potted two goals in the last three games and should return to the lineup tonight after being out on Tuesday with an illness. Colton Parayko hasn’t put up overly impressive offensive numbers, but no other play in the NHL has fired more shots on goal this season without finding the back of the net and that simply can’t last much longer as Parayko has an absolute cannon slap shot (and scored nine goals as a rookie last season).
After making a deep run into the playoff last season without Steven Stamkos, John Cooper hasn’t been able to get the 2016-17 version of this Tampa team going without their captain. They did cruise to a rather easy 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, but own just a 4-8-2 record over their last 14 games and dropped a 5-4 decision against this St. Louis team when these two teams met under the shadows of the Gateway Arch earlier this season. To make matters worse for the Lightning, they’re now also without their leading scored Nikita Kucherov, two key forwards in Ondrej Palat and Ryan Callahan and now even their starting net minder Ben Bishop. Replacing the offense left-behind by that group is an impossible task for John Cooper, and he’ll have no choice but to lean heavily on Jonathan Drouin, Valtteri Filppula and Tyler Johnson. In would normally be a situation I’d look to avoid, but with Jake Allen resembling swiss cheese on the road this season (5-6-1 record with a 3.22 GAA and .887 SV%), it’s hard to completely overlook the Lightning in this matchup. While the forward choices all seem like a bit of a “wildcard”, Tampa does have two strong fantasy options to safely target from their blue-line. Victor Hedman has emerged as one of the top defensemen in the league his 26 points is the highest total among all active players on this team. He’s already racked up 12 points as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit and picked up an assists in that first meeting against St. Louis. Alternatively, Anton Stralman is now back to full health and has topped 30 points in each of the last two seasons.
St. Louis Blues
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.64 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -3, 104.95 CP60
Elite Options
Vladimir Tarasenko ($8,800 FD, $7,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.69 CF60, 3.05 xGF60, 102.04 PDO
Kevin Shattenkirk ($6,600 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.98 CF60, 2.37 xGF60, 99.34 PDO
Secondary Options
Robby Fabbri ($5,200 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.39 CF60, 2.27 xGF60, 101.53 PDO
Jaden Schwartz ($6,300 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.97 CF60, 2.71 xGF60, 102.89 PDO
Alex Steen ($6,300 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 47.18 CF60, 1.88 xGF60, 96.16 PDO
Alex Pietrangelo ($5,700 FD, $5,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.3 CF60, 2.37 xGF60, 100.52 PDO
Colton Parayko ($5,500 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.59 CF60, 2.28 xGF60, 99.6 PDO
Expected Netminder
Jake Allen – My Ratings (out of 10): 5.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Tampa Bay Lightning
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 49.82 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 0, 107.36 CP60
Elite Options
None
Secondary Options
Tyler Johnson ($5,500 FD, $5,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 49.69 CF60, 2.24 xGF60, 99.39 PDO
Valtteri Filppula ($4,500 FD, $4,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.97 CF60, 2.42 xGF60, 101.06 PDO
Jonathan Drouin ($5,800 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.32 CF60, 2.63 xGF60, 99.19 PDO
Victor Hedman ($6,700 FD, $5,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.54 CF60, 2.26 xGF60, 102.2 PDO
Anton Stralman ($4,000 FD, $4,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.47 CF60, 2.74 xGF60, 102.02 PDO
Expected Netminder
Andrei Vasilevskiy – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators
| Los Angeles Kings | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Peter Budaj |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-13-3 | 15-12-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.50 | 2.44 | 15.80% | 83.80% | Team Stats | 2.91 | 2.72 | 20.20% | 81.40% |
If the playoffs were to start today, these two teams would be sitting tied for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Kings sneaking in thanks to the ROW tie-breaker. Obviously, both of these teams are not pleased to be in that position as we approach the half-way point of the season and therefore this game takes on some extra importance. Los Angeles is in the midst of an absolutely brutal nine game road trip and have now dropped each of their last two games. This game doesn’t set up particularly well for them considering their mediocre 6-9-2 road record combined with Nashville’s success at the Bridgestone Arena and therefore I won’t be targeting them too heavily. The Kings are your prototypical two-headed attack with Anze Kopitar leading Marian Gaborik and Trevor Lewis on one line and Jeff Carter centering Tyler Toffoli and Dwight King on another. Both lines are very capable offensively, however with the Dallas Stars owning an ugly 77.6% penalty kill, it seem prudent to narrow your focus to the Los Angeles power-play. Kopitar and Carter both headline the #1 power-play unit alongside Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli with Drew Doughty orchestrating it all from the point. While Doughty is the top all-around option on their blue-line, both Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez are also fine plays this evening as they see a healthy dose of playing time with the second power-play unit.
On the heels of two huge back-to-back road victories, Nashville will be eager to keep their momentum rolling as they host the Los Angeles Kings this evening in the first game of a crucial three game home-stand (with Chicago and St. Louis coming to town next). The Predators are still trying to dig themselves out of the hole from their early season struggles, but definitely have the pieces in place to make some noise in the Western Conference this season. Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg are slated to join forces on the top forward line (along with Kevin Fiala) and will certainly draw plenty of attention from Darryl Sutter and likely be shadowed as much as possible by Anze Kopitar. Those two are too talented for that to be a death sentence this evening, but it does likely mean their next two scoring lines should see a bit more open ice. James Neal is Nashville’s top goal scored (14) and was recently moved down to play alongside Mike Fisher and the impressive Viktor Arvidsson. Fisher has quietly thrived at the Bridgestone Arena as he’s amassed seven goals and seven assists in just 13 home games. Arvidsson has somehow flown completely under the radar up to this point in the season despite nine goals, 14 assists and 103 shots on goal in just 32 games. With P.K. Subban likely out once again this evening, Roman Josi will see all the minutes he can possibly handle on the Predators blue-line. He picked up two assists in Tuesday’s win over the New Jersey Devils and his high floor makes him a terrific target in cash games. Subban’s absence also means a much bigger role for Ryan Ellis tonight and he’ll also see plenty of run on the point of the second power-play unit. He has a limited upside, but the new opportunities do make him look like a fine value play.
Los Angeles Kings
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 54.02 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 2, 107.83 CP60
Elite Options
Anze Kopitar ($7,000 FD, $5,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.56 CF60, 2.8 xGF60, 98.29 PDO
Jeff Carter ($7,400 FD, $6,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.32 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 101.32 PDO
Drew Doughty ($6,200 FD, $5,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.38 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 101.38 PDO
Secondary Options
Marian Gaborik ($4,900 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 67.86 CF60, 3.88 xGF60, 99.31 PDO
Tyler Toffoli ($6,100 FD, $5,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.98 CF60, 2.61 xGF60, 101.54 PDO
Alec Martinez ($4,600 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.8 CF60, 2.62 xGF60, 95.55 PDO
Jake Muzzin ($4,800 FD, $4,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.49 CF60, 2.6 xGF60, 94.18 PDO
Expected Netminder
Peter Budaj – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 6 GPP
Nashville Predators
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 52.99 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 8, 115.69 CP60
Elite Options
Ryan Johansen ($6,600 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 70.1 CF60, 2.69 xGF60, 99.75 PDO
Roman Josi ($6,600 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.13 CF60, 2.69 xGF60, 99.76 PDO
Secondary Options
Filip Forsberg ($6,600 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.2 CF60, 2.57 xGF60, 100.05 PDO
James Neal ($7,100 FD, $6,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.99 CF60, 2.56 xGF60, 99.55 PDO
Mike Fisher ($4,700 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.42 CF60, 2.38 xGF60, 97.87 PDO
Viktor Arvidsson ($5,800 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 72.49 CF60, 2.94 xGF60, 100.76 PDO
Ryan Ellis ($4,600 FD, $4,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.76 CF60, 2.63 xGF60, 102.43 PDO
Expected Netminder
Pekka Rinne – My Ratings (out of 10): 7.5 Cash, 7.5 GPP
Toronto Maple Leafs at Colorado Avalanche
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-12-7 | 11-19-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.81 | 2.87 | 17.70% | 82.00% | Team Stats | 2.10 | 3.16 | 15.70% | 80.00% |
Toronto may be in the cellar of the Atlantic Division, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t a terrific source for fantasy goodness. The Maple Leafs are the fastest paced team in the NHL (122.76 CP60) which has also led to an NHL best 11.32 SC/60. With Colorado having surrendered a league high 3.16 goals against per game this season, there’s certainly a lot to like from Toronto this evening and they should very popular selections in all game formats. Rookie Auston Matthews has been extremely impressive all season and his advanced metrics (notably 3.4 xGF60) all point to continued success down the stretch. He’s racked up 24 points and unloaded 115 shots on goal in 31 games this season and still comes at a very reasonable price-point on most sites. Mike Babcock hasn’t done DFSers any favors with his line combinations, but there’s still plenty of dangerous weapons sprinkled in behind Matthews. James van Riemsdyk, William Nylander and Mitchell Marner have each already surpassed the 20-point plateau this season and join forces on a very dangerous “secondary” scoring line. All four guys mentioned above hold prominent on the Toronto power-play as well and can be used with confidence in what is a terrific matchup for the Maple Leafs. On defense, both Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner soak up nearly all of the available playing time with the man-advantage. Both defensemen are off to fine offensive seasons and shoot up my rankings on the blue-line this evening.
Colorado has been an absolute train-wreck this season. Not only have they allowed a league worst 3.16 goals per game, but they’re also the lowest scoring team in the entire league for good measure. Tonight’s matchup against Toronto is at least a favorable one as the Maple Leafs will push the pace and aren’t going to be bringing home and defensive hardware this offseason. While it’s tough to trust the lowest scoring team in the league, both Nathan Mackinnon and Matt Duchene are simply too talented to ignore in this matchup. Duchene has posted 12 goals and ten assists in just 27 games this season while MacKinnon is the only other member of the Avalanche to top 15 points (he has 21). On defense, the Erik Johnson injury has resulted in a very heavy workload for Tyson Barrie. The play-making defenseman has sees all the time he can handle on the point of the #1 power-play and has averaged over 50 points in the last two seasons. Colorado’s NHL low 97.13 PDO does suggest they’ve been unlucky at times thus far this season and perhaps tonight’s fine matchup is the night the finally breakout a bit which makes them very compelling GPP targets.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.11 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 0, 122.76 CP60
Elite Options
Auston Matthews ($6,800 FD, $7,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.36 CF60, 3.4 xGF60, 99.06 PDO
James van Riemsdyk ($7,100 FD, $6,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.95 CF60, 3.28 xGF60, 99.78 PDO
Mitchell Marner ($5,600 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.86 CF60, 3.25 xGF60, 100.62 PDO
Jake Gardiner ($4,400 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 66.43 CF60, 3.59 xGF60, 99.92 PDO
Secondary Options
Nazem Kadri ($6,500 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.5 CF60, 2.91 xGF60, 98.01 PDO
William Nylander ($5,400 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.39 CF60, 3.33 xGF60, 98.32 PDO
Morgan Rielly ($4,800 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 66.65 CF60, 3.08 xGF60, 96.62 PDO
Expected Netminder
Frederik Andersen – My Ratings (out of 10): 7 Cash, 7.5 GPP
Colorado Avalanche
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 46.46 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -29, 109.35 CP60
Elite Options
Matt Duchene ($7,000 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 50.07 CF60, 2.09 xGF60, 98.04 PDO
Nathan MacKinnon ($7,100 FD, $6,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.87 CF60, 2.31 xGF60, 95.07 PDO
Secondary Options
Gabriel Landeskog ($5,700 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 50.68 CF60, 1.79 xGF60, 95.06 PDO
Mikko Rantanen ($4,600 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.84 CF60, 2.1 xGF60, 97.98 PDO
Tyson Barrie ($4,800 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 48.17 CF60, 1.79 xGF60, 96.71 PDO
Francois Beauchemin ($3,700 FD, $4,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.87 CF60, 1.95 xGF60, 99.1 PDO
Expected Netminder
Semyon Varlamov – My Ratings (out of 10): 5.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Winnipeg Jets at Vancouver Canucks
| Winnipeg Jets | Vancouver Canucks | ||||||||
 | Connor Hellebuyck |  | Ryan Miller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-17-3 | 14-16-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.94 | 14.90% | 76.00% | Team Stats | 2.45 | 3.03 | 14.30% | 80.20% |
In a battle between two of the slowest paced teams in the NHL this season, the Winnipeg Jets will invade the Rogers Arena tonight to battle the Vancouver Canucks. Winnipeg has really struggled their way to a 5-11-2 record on the road this season and are averaging just 2.06 goals per game in the process. While that’s a big red flag that needs to be kept in mind, the Canucks are not the most formidable of opponents. Mark Scheifele has emerged as Winnipeg’s top scoring threat and he’s posted 30 points in just 32 games this season. He’ll be flanked by sensation rookie Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers on the top line, leaving Blake Wheeler to headline the second line alongside Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault. Wheeler potted the only Winnipeg goal of the game when these two teams squared off earlier this week and now has points in three straight games. Dustin Byfuglien is the top option on the blue-line for the Jets as the converted forward continues to be very aggressive in the offensive end. He’s posted 22 points already this season and his 102 shots on goal if the fourth highest total among all defenseman in the NHL.
There’s no need to beat around the bush; the Canucks are in desperate need of a rebuild and targeting them in DFS has rarely been a profitable endeavor. However, there is one area of tonight’s matchup that does look exploitable to some degree and that’s the Winnipeg Penalty kill. The Jets are not only one of the most penalized teams in the entire league, but they also happen to own an ugly 76.0% penalty kill. The result? They’ve given up more power-play goals than any other team in the NHL this season. With that in mind, the Sedin twins remain very much fantasy relevant this evening. Both brothers sit tied for the team lead with 22 points and headline their top power-play unit. Joining them up-front are Brandon Sutter and Sven Baertschi with Troy Stecher as the point-man. Stecher has quietly been a solid fantasy option this season as he’s tallied nine points in 24 games and is averaging nearly three shots per game thus far in his rookie season.
Winnipeg Jets
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 48.94 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -9, 103.19 CP60
Elite Options
Mark Scheifele ($7,600 FD, $7,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.18 CF60, 2.46 xGF60, 101.79 PDO
Dustin Byfuglien ($6,600 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.21 CF60, 2.51 xGF60, 98.52 PDO
Secondary Options
Blake Wheeler ($7,400 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.82 CF60, 2.7 xGF60, 96.98 PDO
Patrik Laine ($7,300 FD, $7,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 49.54 CF60, 2.39 xGF60, 104.15 PDO
Bryan Little ($5,800 FD, $5,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.32 CF60, 2.88 xGF60, 100.3 PDO
Tobias Enstrom ( FD, DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 50.7 CF60, 2.34 xGF60, 98.89 PDO
Expected Netminder
Connor Hellebuyck – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Vancouver Canucks
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 49.09 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -13, 105.86 CP60
Elite Options
Daniel Sedin ($6,700 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.76 CF60, 2.17 xGF60, 101.38 PDO
Secondary Options
Henrik Sedin ($5,300 FD, $4,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.84 CF60, 2.04 xGF60, 100.34 PDO
Brandon Sutter ($5,500 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 47.94 CF60, 2.15 xGF60, 95.55 PDO
Bo Horvat ($5,000 FD, $4,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.03 CF60, 2.55 xGF60, 99.5 PDO
Troy Stecher ($4,700 FD, $4,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.97 CF60, 2.11 xGF60, 100.12 PDO
Expected Netminder
Ryan Miller – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 6 GPP