Evander Kane and the Sharks Have Value in the Week Ahead

Adam Daly-Frey

2018-03-09

 

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. Stats in this article updated through March 7th

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

Mike Reilly, D, Montreal Canadiens (Available in 100 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Since getting moved to the deadline from Minnesota where he was a 7th defenseman, the ex-Golden Gopher – who put up 0.76PPG in college – has been revelation on the Habs’ back end. In those four games with Montreal, Reilly’s put up 4pts (all assists) and averaged 1SOG/game, while seeing 1st unit power play time and 21+ minutes in three of the four games while paired with Jeff Petry. He’s a great depth addition that will gets lots of action on a dead Canadiens team.

 

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

Kari Lehtonen, G, Dallas Stars (Available in 75 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Get the “Let It In” jokes out of your system now, because after seeing what the ex-Thrasher has accomplished this year, those jokes will disappear. Lehtonen this year has been excellent as a backup to Ben Bishop, posting a 0.919SV% and 2.30GAA in 18 starts (24 total appearances), picking up 11W and a shutout. With Ben Bishop ailing yet again – coach Ken Hitchcock said “Obviously when you have a knee injury you’re not talking days” – Lehtonen can steal some extra starts for a playoff team down the stretch and has the potential to steal the starting job with how often Bishop gets hurt or falters.

Just missing the mark: Evgenii Dadonov (56% owned), Rick Nash (55% owned)

 

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

Braden Holtby, G, Washington Capitals (Owned in 98 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – There’s unfortunately not a lot Holtby owners can do about his recent skid beyond park him on the bench, but that’s precisely what needs to happen over the next little while until Holtby can string some games together. In his last ten games, Holtby’s been yanked three times and given up four or more five times (probably six if he didn’t get pulled) and has only three wins. Washington has been a low-key bad team defensively this year and in leagues that track save percentage (0.907) or GAA (3.03), his value is shot.

 

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

Mikhail Sergachev, D, Tampa Bay Lightning (Owned in 55 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Although the rookie defenseman has had his coming-out party on a stacked Tampa Bay team, he seems to have hit the rookie wall – although he’s not out of college where the seasons are laughably short, he’s still a 19-year old playing 65 games against men after having never played more than 72 in junior including playoffs. In his last ten games, Sergachev has only topped 17 minutes once (which included OT vs. Florida), has only one assist, and in his last five he’s seen a combined 3 minutes of PPTOI. Hang on to him in keepers, but don’t expect much production if he’s in your active roster.

 

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

Los Angeles – The Kings have an excellent schedule upcoming, with seven games coming between the 9th and 21st, only three of which are against playoff teams (New Jersey, Minnesota, Winnipeg). They have a very enticing stretch against Vancouver, Arizona, Detroit and New Jersey (all but at home), and have put up at least 30SOG/3G since Jeff Carter has returned.

Arizona – The Desert Dogs have been much improved since January, going 11-8-6 in that time, and have scored 29 goals in their past ten games. Their schedule is bookended with road games (at Colorado on the 10th, at Buffalo on the 21st) and they have five home games against teams that have been very inconsistent on the defensive side: Vancouver, Los Angeles, Nashville, Minnesota, Calgary.

San Jose – Since Evander Kane joined the Sharks at the deadline (three games), the Sharks have scored 14 combined goals and put up 34+ shots in all three games. They have three solid scoring lines at the moment and have a stacked team against teams that give up a ton of shots against: Washington, Edmonton, Vancouver and New Jersey are the highlights, and they also play Detroit and Calgary. The three Western Canada games are on the road, but the rest come at home.

 

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

Buffalo – Beyond Ryan O’Reilly and Sam Reinhart, not a lot of fantasy relevance on the bottom-feeding Sabres, but ROR/Reinhart owners should sit them over the next few weeks as Buffalo plays five times but have a four-day break between games against Vegas and Toronto. In their favour is all five games are at home, but that just means O’Reilly and Reinhart will be tasked with shutting down opponents’ top lines instead of trying to score. They also play Chicago, Nashville and Arizona.

New Jersey – All five of the Devils’ games in this period are tough ones, as all five will come on the road with one back-to-back squeezed in there. Their opponents are all playoff teams (or on the bubble) so there’s no tough out, as they play at Nashville, Vegas, LA, Anaheim (back half of the B2B), and San Jose.

Detroit – There are teams with less games (NYI as an example), but there are few teams less fantasy-relevant than Detroit, and even fewer still with schedules as tough as what the Red Wings will face: five straight road games against Columbus, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim (second half of a B2B) and Colorado, before facing Philadelphia at home.

March 9 to March 15

Best Bets

LAK 4.5625 – Away ARI – Home STL VAN DET

ARI 4.295 – Away COL – Home VAN LAK NSH

BOS 3.9475 – Away CHI CAR FLA- Home CHI

WPG 3.7575 – Away PHI WSH NSH – Home CHI

PIT 3.7575 – Away TOR NYR MTL- Home DAL

Steer Clear

NYI 1.8375 – Away CGY – Home WSH

TBL 1.9425 – Away – Home MTL OTT

CAR 1.9525 – Away NYR – Home BOS

NJD 2.0425 – Away NSH VGK – Home

BUF 2.31 – Away – Home VGK TOR

March 10 to March 16

Best Bets

LAK 4.5625 – Away ARI – Home STL VAN DET

NSH 4.3425 – Away ARI COL- Home NJD WPG

ARI 4.295 – Away COL – Home VAN LAK NSH

VGK 4.085 – Away BUF PHI – Home NJD MIN

WSH 4.005 – Away SJS NYI – Home WPG NYI

Steer Clear

TBL 1.9425 – Away – Home MTL OTT

CAR 1.9525 – Away NYR – Home BOS

CBJ 1.99 – Away PHI – Home MTL

NJD 2.0425 – Away NSH VGK – Home

BUF 2.31 – Away – Home VGK TOR

March 11 to March 17

Best Bets

LAK 4.615 – Away ARI – Home VAN DET NJD

SJS 4.2475 – Away EDM CGY VAN- Home DET

ARI 4.095 – Away – Home VAN LAK NSH MIN

BOS 3.8475 – Away CHI CAR FLA TBL- Home

VAN 3.8 – Away ARI LAK ANH – Home SJS

Steer Clear

NJD 1.995 – Away VGK LAK- Home

TBL 2.0475 – Away – Home OTT BOS

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BUF 2.1 – Away – Home TOR CHI

NYI 2.5975 – Away CGY WSH – Home WSH

DET 2.66 – Away SJS LAK ANH – Home

March 12 to March 18

Best Bets

ANH 4.62 – – Home STL VAN DET NJD

LAK 4.615 – Away ARI – Home VAN DET NJD

SJS 4.2475 – Away EDM CGY VAN – Home DET

WSH 4.1475 – Away NYI PHI- Home WPG NYI

VGK 4.1425 – Away PHI – Home NJD MIN CGY

Steer Clear

NYI 2.7025 – Away WSH – Home WSH CAR

PIT 1.7575 – Away NYR MTL – Home

VAN 2.755 – Away LAK ANH – Home SJS

BUF 2.1 – Away – Home TOR CHI

ARI 2.835 – Away – Home LAK NSH MIN

March 13 to March 19

Best Bets

MIN 4.3375 – Away VGK ARI – Home COL LAK

CGY 4.18 – Away VGK ARI- Home EDM SJS

LAK 4.1625 – Away ARI MIN- Home DET NJD

NSH 4.285 – Away ARI COL BUF- Home WPG

MTL 3.995 – Away TOR – Home DAL PIT FLA

Steer Clear

PIT 1.7575 – Away NYR MTL – Home

NYR 1.895 – Away STL – Home PIT

VAN 1.9 – Away ANH – Home SJS

NYI 2.7025 – Away WSH – Home WSH CAR

PHI 2.73 – Away CAR – Home CBJ WSH

March 14 to March 20

Best Bets

VGK 4.3575 – – Home NJD MIN CGY VAN

CHI 4.3 – Away WPG BUF – Home STL COL

SJS 4.1425 – Away EDM CGY VAN – Home NJD

LAK 4.115 – Away MIN WPG- Home DET NJD

COL 4.105 – Away STL CHI- Home NSH DET

Steer Clear

PIT 2.7075 – Away NYR MTL NYI- Home

NYR 2.7875 – Away STL – Home PIT CBJ

BOS 2.7925 – Away FLA TBL – Home CBJ

OTT 2.9075 – Away CBJ – Home DAL FLA

MTL 2.945 – Away TOR – Home PIT FLA

March 15 to March 21

Best Bets

CHI 4.3 – Away WPG BUF – Home STL COL

BUF 4.2525 – Home TOR CHI NSH ARI

STL 4.205 – Away CHI – Home COL NYR BOS

CGY 4.18 – Away VGK ARI – Home SJS ANH

LAK 4.115 – Away MIN WPG – Home DET NJD

Steer Clear

NYR 1.8425 – Away STL – Home CBJ

VAN 2.1375 – Away VGK – Home SJS

DAL 2.66 – Away OTT WPG WSH – Home

NJD 2.66 – Away LAK ANH SJS – Home

PIT 2.75 – Away MTL NYI – Home MTL

 

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UPCOMING GAMES

Mar 19 - 19:03 DET vs CBJ
Mar 19 - 19:03 N.J vs PIT
Mar 19 - 19:03 PHI vs TOR
Mar 19 - 19:03 NYR vs WPG
Mar 19 - 19:03 BOS vs OTT
Mar 19 - 19:03 NYI vs CAR
Mar 19 - 20:03 NSH vs S.J
Mar 19 - 20:03 STL vs COL
Mar 19 - 21:03 EDM vs MTL
Mar 19 - 22:03 VGK vs T.B
Mar 19 - 22:03 L.A vs CHI
Mar 19 - 22:03 VAN vs BUF
Mar 19 - 22:03 ANA vs MIN

Starting Goalies

Top Skater Views

  Players Team
DANIIL MIROMANOV CGY
CONNOR MCMICHAEL WSH
CONNOR BEDARD CHI
EVGENY KUZNETSOV CAR
YEGOR SHARANGOVICH CGY

Top Goalie Profile Views

  Players Team
DUSTIN WOLF CGY
CHARLIE LINDGREN WSH
DANIIL TARASOV CBJ
DEVIN COOLEY S.J
JOEY DACCORD SEA

LINE COMBOS

  Frequency PIT Players
26.3 BRYAN RUST DREW O'CONNOR SIDNEY CROSBY
19.1 RICKARD RAKELL EVGENI MALKIN MICHAEL BUNTING
17.5 JEFF CARTER EMIL BEMSTROM NOEL ACCIARI

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