NHL Grind Down: Thursday, December 29th - Page Two
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Columbus Blue Jackets at Winnipeg Jets
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 24-5-4 | 17-17-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.39 | 2.03 | 27.10% | 82.80% | Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.84 | 15.10% | 77.30% |
“One of the biggest stories of the young NHL season has been the emergence of this Columbus Blue Jackets hockey club. For two seasons in a row they were unable to dig themselves out of an early season hole, but they now find themselves owning an NHL best 24-5-4 record and are quickly narrowing in on the ’92-93 Pittsburgh Penguins record of 17 straight victories. They’ll put their 13 game winning streak on the line tonight in Winnipeg looking to remain perfect during the month of December. Columbus’ success can be at least partially attributed to their balanced scoring attack, but it’s each of the top two forward lines that deserve the bulk of the fantasy attention. The top trio of Brandon Saad, Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno have gelled together all season and have combined for 30 goals and 56 assists in 33 games this season. Meanwhile, it’s actually Cam Atkinson that leads the team with 35 points (15 goals and 20 assists) in 33 games this season and he’s clearly thriving alongside Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky on the second line. Each of those six forwards also sees a healthy dose of playing time on the power-play which bodes well for all of them considering Winnipeg has allowed more power-play goals against (30) than any other team in the NHL this season. This fact also shoots Zach Werenski way up my rankings on the blue-line. The 19-year old has been a force thus far in his rookie season and owns 22 points in 33 games and has earned his spot as the quarterback of the #1 power-play unit. Alternatively, Seth Jones is another very talented young defenseman and picked up his pace offensively with three goals and three assists over the last nine games. Sam Gagner seems like the odd man left-out at even strength, but he’s taking advantage of every opportunity possible and has poured in six goals and eight assists in his last ten games. That hot streak has earned him a spot on the top power-play unit and he becomes a very nice target in GPPs (cash games too) as he’s still flying a bit under-the-radar. “
Winnipeg seems unlikely to be a true threat for a playoff spot in the Western Conference this season, but it’s not due to a lack of offensive talent. The Jets picked up a big win over the Blackhawks at the United Center on Tuesday and will return home for tonight’s clash with the smoking hot Columbus Blue Jackets having won four of their last five games. With that said, facing a team riding a 13 game winning streak that has allowed just 2.03 goals per game this season really doesn’t seem like the spot to pull the trigger on these Jets players in cash games. However, with the hockey world well aware of Columbus’ recent play, Winnipeg should be widely overlooked this evening. Given their numerous weapons on offense, this does give them some nice GPP appeal. Mark Scheifele leads the way with 32 points in 34 games and he’ll be flanked by a pair of young offensive talents in Nicolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine who have each also added 30 points of their own this season. It’s worth noting that Laine has been an absolute force on home ice; posting 15 goals and six assists in just 17 games at the MTS Centre. Meanwhile veterans Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler join forces on a second line that can make Columbus pay in a hurry if they focus too heavily on slowing down Scheifele and company. On defense, Dustin Byfuglien just jeeps on doing as you’d expect. He’s extremely aggressive offensively (often too aggressive) and has racked up 22 points and a team-high 108 shots on goal through 37 games.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 49.95 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 27, 112.96 CP60
Elite Options
Brandon Saad ($6,700 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.73 CF60, 2.86 xGF60, 106.87 PDO
Cam Atkinson ($7,100 FD, $7,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.13 CF60, 2.58 xGF60, 102.39 PDO
Zach Werenski ($5,400 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.1 CF60, 2.39 xGF60, 101.61 PDO
Secondary Options
Alexander Wennberg ($6,200 FD, $5,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.77 CF60, 2.29 xGF60, 103.91 PDO
Nick Foligno ($6,400 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.83 CF60, 2.64 xGF60, 104.09 PDO
Boone Jenner ($5,100 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.82 CF60, 2.42 xGF60, 101.06 PDO
Sam Gagner ($5,000 FD, $5,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.96 CF60, 2.86 xGF60, 102.93 PDO
Seth Jones ($5,500 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.56 CF60, 2.4 xGF60, 102.72 PDO
Expected Netminder
Sergei Bobrovsky – My Ratings (out of 10): 8.5 Cash, 8.5 GPP
Winnipeg Jets
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 49.11 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -5, 103.23 CP60
Elite Options
Mark Scheifele ($7,600 FD, $6,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.04 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 103.18 PDO
Secondary Options
Patrik Laine ($7,400 FD, $6,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 48.83 CF60, 2.38 xGF60, 104.96 PDO
Nikolaj Ehlers ($6,700 FD, $5,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.62 CF60, 2.44 xGF60, 101.88 PDO
Blake Wheeler ($7,200 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.46 CF60, 2.76 xGF60, 97.28 PDO
Dustin Byfuglien ($6,500 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.8 CF60, 2.5 xGF60, 98.61 PDO
Expected Netminder
Connor Hellebuyck – My Ratings (out of 10): 5 Cash, 7 GPP
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators
| Chicago Blackhawks | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 22-10-5 | 15-13-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.38 | 18.30% | 74.70% | Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.76 | 19.50% | 81.50% |
The Blackhawks came out flat on Tuesday night and the Winnipeg Jets made them pay with two quick goals and proceeded to hold on for a 3-1 victory at the United Center. That pushes the Chicago losing streak to three games and they’ll now be tasked with trying to regroup on a very quick three game road trip that concludes on Monday afternoon in St. Louis for the Winter Classic. The first stop of the trip is not an easy one as the Nashville Predators have been a far better team in the Music City and own a 10-4-4 record at the Bridgestone Arena. Patrick Kane remains the focal point of the Chicago offense and he should be thrilled to be back alongside Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov on the Hawk’s top forward line and #1 power-play unit. While Kane draws most of the headlines, it’s actually Panarin that leads the team with 37 points in 37 games this season and the young Russian has now picked up at least one point in eight straight games (5 goals and 9 assists in that span). With the Predators usually content playing an up-tempo game (115.49 CP60), this line should make some noise this evening. Captain Jonathan Toews hasn’t gotten off to a terrific start to the season offensively and his fantasy outlook would take a hit if Marian Hossa is still unable to suit up this evening. On defense, both Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith continue to be very steady options on a nightly basis. Both blue-liners have already eclipsed the 20 point mark on the young season and rack up the peripheral stats that lock them in as fine cash game options. Both players share the duties on the point of the #1 power-play unit where they’ll get a crack at Nashville’s middling 81.5% penalty kill.
After dropping back-to-back important conference games, the Nashville Predators really need to find their groove soon or they’ll quickly be fighting for their playoff lives in the very competitive Western Conference. Nashville enters tonight’s game currently two points out of a playoff spot and will play host to two division rivals both tonight (vs Chicago) and tomorrow (against St. Louis) in what are clearly four points they very clearly need to secure. Peter Laviolette has created a very balanced scoring attack in the Music City, but that’s created some headaches for fantasy players. Further muddying the waters a bit this evening is the fact that Jonathan Toews will likely be tasked with trying to shutdown the duo of Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. With that said, and with Chicago’s dreadful 74.7% penalty kill in mind, it seems prudent to narrow your focus onto the Nashville power-play in this matchup. This means that Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg regain some of the fantasy appeal that they may have lost due to their tough 5-on-5 matchup as they join James Neal and Mike Fisher up-front on the Predator’s #1 power-play unit. On the blue-line, Roman Josi remains one of the games biggest workhorses and quarterback’s that #1 power-play unit. He’s already picked up a goal and added an assist (both on the power-play) against the Blackhawks in their two previous meetings this season and offers the high-floor you should be looking for in cash games. P.K. Subban has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury and reports from Nashville don’t sound overly promising that he’ll be able to suit up this evening either. His absence means a significant workload for Ryan Ellis who also inherits the job as the point-man on the #2 power-play unit.
Chicago Blackhawks
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 50.25 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 14, 108.51 CP60
Elite Options
Patrick Kane ($8,600 FD, $7,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.07 CF60, 2.21 xGF60, 102.44 PDO
Artemi Panarin ($7,700 FD, $7,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.99 CF60, 2.36 xGF60, 105.39 PDO
Duncan Keith ($6,400 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.36 CF60, 2.33 xGF60, 101.59 PDO
Secondary Options
Jonathan Toews ($6,900 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.07 CF60, 2.52 xGF60, 100.71 PDO
Artem Anisimov ($7,100 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.41 CF60, 2.36 xGF60, 107.63 PDO
Brent Seabrook ($5,800 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.96 CF60, 2.13 xGF60, 102.76 PDO
Expected Netminder
Corey Crawford – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 7.5 GPP
Nashville Predators
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 52.65 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 5, 115.49 CP60
Elite Options
Roman Josi ($6,600 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.7 CF60, 2.66 xGF60, 98.68 PDO
Secondary Options
Ryan Johansen ($6,600 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 69.24 CF60, 2.73 xGF60, 100.17 PDO
Viktor Arvidsson ($5,700 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 70.36 CF60, 2.82 xGF60, 100.81 PDO
Filip Forsberg ($6,700 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.56 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 100.53 PDO
James Neal ($7,100 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.96 CF60, 2.54 xGF60, 99.12 PDO
Ryan Ellis ($4,700 FD, $4,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.18 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 101.32 PDO
Expected Netminder
Pekka Rinne – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 7 GPP
Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators
| Detroit Red Wings | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Petr Mrazek |  | Mike Condon | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-16-4 | 20-12-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.31 | 2.86 | 12.50% | 81.50% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.63 | 17.00% | 81.50% |
As a life-long Detroit fan, this has been a tough season to watch. However, it’s time to accept that baring some kind of miracle, their 25 season playoff streak will come to an end this season and their front office can finally acknowledge that they’re in the midst of a “re-build”. The Wings find themselves in last place in the Atlantic Division and, after losing 4-3 at home against Buffalo on Tuesday night, have now posted just a 9-14-2 record over their last 25 games. Detroit is averaging just 2.31 goals per game this season and rank as one of the slowest paced teams in the entire league (104.66 CP60). With all of that said, they do still have some dangerous offensive weapons and tonight’s matchup against an Ottawa team that has allowed 3.00 goals against per game during the month of December is not an overly menacing one. Although he’s clearly lost a step, Henrik Zetterberg remains Detroit’s most consistent offensive weapon. He’ll be joined on the top forward line and #1 power-play unit by the talented young duo of Anthony Mantha and Tomas Tatar. Mantha has looked like the best player on this team at times recently and has picked up at least one point in each of the last three games. Alternatively, Thomas Vanek continues to put up solid offensive numbers (nine points in his last 11 games) and remains underpriced on most sites. He’ll join Gustav Nyquist and Frans Nielsen on a secondary scoring line that has plenty of GPP appeal. Dylan Larkin appears to be the odd man out right now, but the speedy 20 year-old is the only Red Wing to reach double-digit goals thus far and he does see playing time with the #1 power-play unit. With Mike Green sidelined with an upper-body injury, there’s not too much to like on the Detroit blue-line.
The Senators saw their four game winning streak snapped at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, but they’ve been one of the bigger surprises this season and currently sit alone in second place of the Atlantic Division. There are still plenty of people around the league that doubt the Senators are a legit playoff contenders and, with the margin of error rather small these days for the final playoffs spots every season, Ottawa simply can’t afford to throw away two points in any of these winnable home games. With Detroit struggling in nearly ever aspect of the game lately and now allowing an unsightly 3.42 goals against per game thus far during the month of December, Ottawa deserves your attention this evening. Erik Karlsson will enter tonight’s game leading the team with 32 points in 35 games this season. He’s averaging over 27 minutes of ice-time per game and is also second in the entire NHL with 94 blocked shots. With Brent Burns not playing tonight, he’s easily the #1 option tonight on the blue-line and should command pretty heavy ownership. Dion Phaneuf is not nearly at the offensive level as Karlsson, but he has pitched in four goals and seven assists over his last 16 games and shares the duties with Karlsson on the point of the #1 power-play unit. Up-front, the Senators have spread out their scoring options but their top forwards are still putting up fine offensive numbers. Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris have each already surpassed the 20 point plateau and all three players join forces down low on Ottawa’s top power-play unit. Zack Smith had been red-hot as well, but he was injured on Tuesday night and will not play this evening,
Detroit Red Wings
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 48.4 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -2, 104.66 CP60
Elite Options
Henrik Zetterberg ($6,200 FD, $5,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.01 CF60, 2.55 xGF60, 103.98 PDO
Secondary Options
Anthony Mantha ($4,500 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.7 CF60, 2.53 xGF60, 104.99 PDO
Tomas Tatar ($4,900 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.88 CF60, 2.29 xGF60, 98.87 PDO
Gustav Nyquist ($4,700 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.77 CF60, 2.65 xGF60, 103.29 PDO
Dylan Larkin ($5,300 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.89 CF60, 2.19 xGF60, 99.1 PDO
Thomas Vanek ($5,100 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 50.5 CF60, 2.69 xGF60, 103.75 PDO
Expected Netminder
Petr Mrazek – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 7 GPP
Ottawa Senators
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 47.87 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -3, 112.46 CP60
Elite Options
Erik Karlsson ($7,600 FD, $7,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.45 CF60, 2.49 xGF60, 100.5 PDO
Mike Hoffman ($6,600 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.79 CF60, 2.36 xGF60, 100.18 PDO
Kyle Turris ($5,800 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.32 CF60, 2.31 xGF60, 102.43 PDO
Secondary Options
Mark Stone ($6,300 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.94 CF60, 2.7 xGF60, 99.09 PDO
Bobby Ryan ($5,100 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.46 CF60, 2.16 xGF60, 103.18 PDO
Derick Brassard ($5,500 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.7 CF60, 2.54 xGF60, 99.21 PDO
Dion Phaneuf ($4,700 FD, $4,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.75 CF60, 2.35 xGF60, 98.46 PDO
Expected Netminder
Mike Condon – My Ratings (out of 10): 7.5 Cash, 7.5 GPP
Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars
| Colorado Avalanche | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Calvin Pickard |  | Antti Niemi | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-21-1 | 15-14-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.06 | 3.26 | 13.90% | 78.70% | Team Stats | 2.56 | 3.00 | 17.10% | 77.70% |
Colorado’s well known to be a subpar team this season in the NHL, but many people may not realize just how been they’ve been. They not only own the NHL’s worst record (12-21-1), but they’ve also scored an NHL low 2.06 goals per game while also coughing up an NHL high 3.26 goals against per game. The advanced stats don’t offer much hope either as their 1.83 xGF60 is laughably bad and their 46.2 CF% ranks them as one of the worst puck possession teams in the NHL. They’ll hit the road for tonight’s meeting against a Dallas team that may not be known for their defense, but even the Stars were able to cruise to a shutout victory the last time these two teams squared off this season. With 25 other teams to choose from tonight, it doesn’t make much sense to dig too deep into Colorado this evening. Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene are both extremely talented forwards with plenty of upside and are well worth consideration as a duo to stack in GPPs. Meanwhile, Gabriel Landeskog has been quiet all season but finally erupted for a pair of goals in Tuesday’s loss to Calgary. He has the privilege of skating alongside MacKinnon both at even strength and on the #1 power-play unit and that secures him as a fine GPP play as well. On defense, Tyson Barrie is as much work as he can handle with Erik Johnson sidelined. He’s offensively gifted and a weapon on the point of that #1 power-play. He’s picked up three assists over the last three games and should be eager to go to work against Dallas’ ugly 77.7% penalty kill. Alternatively, Francois Beauchemin is dirt cheap across the industry and remains one of the NHL’s best shot blockers. With his shot blocking abilities providing a nice floor, he offers just enough offensive upside to remain in consideration as a value play in all game formats.
As you can decipher from above, Dallas’ meeting tonight with the Colorado Avalanche is nearly ideal and some very high ownership levels should be expected here tonight. Lindy Ruff has frustrated fantasy players all season with his somewhat odd line combinations, but the stars seemed to be aligned (no pun intended) and it appears that he’ll finally let superstars Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza all work together on both the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. While this does destroy some of the value for guys like Patrick Eaves (although he still joins those three on the power-play), Jiri Hudler and Brett Ritchie occasionally offered, it really simplifies things for DFS players. Seguin, Benn and Spezza should be targeted with confidence this evening in all game types as this is arguably as good of a matchup as they’ll have all season. Seguin has poured in three goals and three assists in the first three games against Colorado this season and is arguably the top play on the entire board this evening. Meanwhile, Jason Spezza has quietly been heating up offensively. He scored a goal and added an assist on Tuesday night and now owns three goals and eight assists in 12 games this month. On defense, John Klingberg has re-established himself as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit and that figures to be good news for the Swedish defenseman as Colorado owns a subpar 78.7% penalty kill. Klingberg has picked up points in each of the last four games and remains very reasonably priced on most sites.
Colorado Avalanche
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 46.42 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -34, 110.21 CP60
Elite Options
Nathan Mackinnon ($7,100 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.68 CF60, 2.28 xGF60, 95.09 PDO
Matt Duchene ($6,700 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 50.12 CF60, 2.13 xGF60, 97.07 PDO
Secondary Options
Mikko Rantanen ($4,500 FD, $4,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.39 CF60, 2.07 xGF60, 97.6 PDO
Tyson Barrie ($4,900 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 49.41 CF60, 1.85 xGF60, 96.09 PDO
Francois Beauchemin ($3,500 FD, $4,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 50.87 CF60, 1.96 xGF60, 98.78 PDO
Expected Netminder
Calvin Pickard – My Ratings (out of 10): 3.5 Cash, 6 GPP
Dallas Stars
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 49.29 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -2, 117.19 CP60
Elite Options
Tyler Seguin ($8,400 FD, $7,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.69 CF60, 2.37 xGF60, 98.31 PDO
Jamie Benn ($8,200 FD, $7,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.57 CF60, 2.15 xGF60, 99.91 PDO
Jason Spezza ($6,400 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.97 CF60, 2.41 xGF60, 95.59 PDO
John Klingberg ($5,600 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.75 CF60, 2.47 xGF60, 101.13 PDO
Secondary Options
Patrick Eaves ($5,200 FD, $5,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.09 CF60, 2.28 xGF60, 96.72 PDO
Jiri Hudler ($4,200 FD, $3,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.75 CF60, 2.15 xGF60, 98.66 PDO
Esa Lindell ($3,900 FD, $3,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.95 CF60, 2.12 xGF60, 101.12 PDO
Expected Netminder
Kari Lehtonen – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 7 GPP
New York Rangers at Arizona Coyotes
| New York Rangers | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Antti Raanta |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 24-12-1 | 11-19-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.27 | 2.46 | 20.20% | 84.20% | Team Stats | 2.11 | 3.14 | 14.30% | 77.30% |
After surrendering seven goals in back-to-back games, no team in the NHL was happier for some time off during the holidays than the New York Rangers. While they didn’t look overly sharp in their first game out of the break, they did play just well enough to escape with a 4-3 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Tonight, they’ll head to the desert to kick off a quick two-game road trip that tours the two worst teams in the Western Conference. The Rangers have averaged an impressive 3.27 goals per game this season and will likely be rather popular targets against the defensively inept Arizona Coyotes. With that said, the Rangers do happen to boast one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the league and trying to pinpoint where their scoring will come from hasn’t always been an easy task thus far this season. With 15 players already at double-digits in points, this looks like a great spot to target the New York power-play as Arizona owns an ugly 77.3% penalty kill. Derek Stepan leads the team with 28 points in 37 games and centers the #1 power-play unit alongside Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider. They’re the top three point scorers on this team and all three looks like terrific options this evening (and are all fairly reasonably priced). With Rick Nash and Mika Zibanejad both out of action, guys like Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes have been pushed into prominant roles on the second power-play unit. They’re a bit too inconsistent for cash game use, but this matchup makes them very compelling GPP options. On the blue-line, Ryan McDonagh stands out as the clear #1 option here. He’s posted 23 points in 36 games and has been on fire lately with a goal and four assists in their last two games.
I’m not trying to hate on the Arizona Coyotes, but targeting them on a 12 game slate just seems unnecessary outside of taking a random GPP flier (or two). They’ve lost each of their last five games and haven’t scored more than two goals in any of those games. Dating back to just after Thanksgiving, Arizona is 3-9-3 over their last 15 games and the Rangers defeated them in their only previous meeting this season. If you’re content on getting some exposure to Arizona tonight, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the top option (as usual). He’s actually have a bit of a down season compared to what we’ve grown accustomed to, but still sports a solid 17 points in 35 games. He’s locked into nearly 25 minutes of playing time on a nightly basis and will likely sport minimal ownership this evening. Up-front, I have my doubts that Arizona can create much offense in 5-on-5 situations, so my limited interest lies in the trio of Tobias Rieder, Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata who join forces on the #1 power-play unit. Vrbata leads the team with 23 points and 109 shots on goal in 35 games and is therefore my preferred target of the three.
New York Rangers
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 47.25 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 10, 109.84 CP60
Elite Options
Derek Stepan ($6,600 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.9 CF60, 2.61 xGF60, 102.74 PDO
Mats Zuccarello ($6,400 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.83 CF60, 2.76 xGF60, 100.29 PDO
Chris Kreider ($6,500 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.78 CF60, 2.83 xGF60, 97.95 PDO
Ryan McDonagh ($5,500 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.36 CF60, 2.76 xGF60, 100.95 PDO
Secondary Options
Kevin Hayes ($5,100 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 45.25 CF60, 2.35 xGF60, 105.72 PDO
Jimmy Vesey ($4,700 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 48 CF60, 2.63 xGF60, 102.76 PDO
Brady Skjei ($4,100 FD, $3,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.54 CF60, 2.37 xGF60, 101.71 PDO
Expected Netminder
Henrik Lundqvist – My Ratings (out of 10): 8.5 Cash, 8 GPP
Arizona Coyotes
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 45.57 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -17, 118.66 CP60
Elite Options
None
Secondary Options
Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($6,100 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.1 CF60, 2.09 xGF60, 100.35 PDO
Radim Vrbata ($5,000 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.61 CF60, 2.15 xGF60, 97.61 PDO
Martin Hanzal ($5,700 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.86 CF60, 2.31 xGF60, 95.18 PDO
Expected Netminder
Mike Smith – My Ratings (out of 10): 3.5 Cash, 5.5 GPP