Looking Ahead: Week 15
Bob Fisher
2014-01-03
Looking ahead at five players to target in Week 15…
* This article was written prior to the NHL games on Thursday, January 2nd, 2014
Here are some teams to target and avoid for the next week or two, several players to target that may be available in your league as well as teams that play a light schedule in the upcoming week.
Nashville Predators = Target
Games: 7 (5H/2A)
Favorable Matchups:
– @ Florida
> 5th worst defensive team
> 2nd worst PK
> 17 goals allowed in last five games (3.40 GAA)
– @ Carolina
> 10th worst defensive team
> 9th worst PK
> 9th most shots allowed per game
> 24 goals allowed in last six games (4.00 GAA)
– vs. Ottawa
> 4th worst defensive team
> 8th worst PK
> 4th most shots allowed per game
The Predators have been burying the puck in the past two games, netting nine combined goals against Los Angeles and Detroit. Mike Fisher and Craig Smith have been leading the way for the Preds with Patric Hornqvist, Colin Wilson, Shea Weber and Seth Jones chipping in as well. They finish up their current road trip with visits to two weak defensive clubs in the Panthers and Hurricanes then they return home for five straight. Included in those five visitors are Ottawa and Calgary, so while it's not usual to look to Nashville for offense, you're likely to see it for the next week or two.
Colorado Avalanche = Consider
Games: 6 (4H/2A)
Favorable Matchups:
– vs. Calgary
> 3rd worst defensive team
> 18 goals allowed in last six games (3.00 GAA)
> Karri Ramo: 2.79 GAA (35th) / .904 SV% (38th) / 0 SHO (42nd)
> Reto Berra: 2.92 GAA (39th) / .903 SV% (40th) / 0 SHO (42nd)
– vs. Ottawa
> See above
– vs. NY Islanders
> 2nd worst defensive team
> Worst PK
> 44 goals allowed in 14 December games (3.14 GAA)
The Avalanche are not playing nearly as well as they were to start the season, both offensively and defensively. While still in the top ten for goals scored per game, they have dropped out of the top ten for goals allowed. Their power play and penalty kill are middle of the pack, but they are still a playoff team. This home stand is just what they need to get the wheels back on the track. Visits from Calgary, Ottawa and the Islanders will help the likes of Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon continue their strong offensive seasons.
Detroit Red Wings = Beware
Games: 4 (0H/4A)
Unfavorable Matchups:
– @ San Jose
> 10th best defensive team
> 10th fewest shots allowed per game
> Shutout Detroit 1-0 in a shootout win in October, at the Joe
– @ Los Angeles
> Best defensive team
> 8th best PK
> 6th fewest shots allowed per game
– @ Anaheim
> 9th best defensive team
> 7th fewest shots allowed per game
> Beat Detroit 5-2 a couple weeks ago, at the Joe
The Wings lost a demoralizing game against Toronto in the Winter Classic. But the Wings losing in overtime or a shootout is nothing new since they've lost in extra time ten times already this season. Now after letting down a majority of 105,000 fans with that loss, what do the Red Wings get to do? Go on the road for the next three weeks. First stop: Dallas. Then comes the dreaded West Coast swing through San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. Included in the schedule are a couple long (4-day and 3-day) breaks. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Daniel Alfredsson and Niklas Kronwall have been about the only worthwhile owns on the Red Wings' roster so far this season and that will continue with this road trip.
Ottawa Senators = Avoid
Games: 4 (0H/4A)
Unfavorable Matchups:
– @ Montreal
> 3rd best defensive team
> 4th best PK
> Carey Price is top ten in games played, wins, saves, SV%, GAA and shutouts
– @ Minnesota
> 4th fewest shots allowed per game
> Josh Harding: 1.65 GAA (1st) / .933 SV% (5th) / 3 SHO (2nd)
The Sens' upcoming opponents aren't that daunting, but the lack of games is what's concerning. Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday. That's their schedule. Montreal is probably the most formidable foe from a fantasy standpoint, followed by Minnesota. Colorado has been mortal lately. Nashville seems to be lost without Pekka Rinne. So there are a couple of games in which your Ottawa players may pop a few points, but in those weekly leagues, only getting two starts may not be worth it.
Possible Pickups
Here's a list of some players, owned in less than 30% of Yahoo leagues, to target for the upcoming Monday to Sunday schedule.
Colorado: Jamie McGinn (2%) – 2 G / +1 / 5 PIM / 8 hits / 9 shots in the past four games. Looks like he's one of the winners of the P.A. Parenteau injury as he slides up to play with Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly in all situations.
Nashville: Mike Fisher (6%) – Coming off two consecutive three point games. Like I mentioned above, Nashville is a good team to ride for the next week or two. Ride Fisher until he slows down, because history says he will.
New Jersey: Adam Henrique (8%) – Four points in his past three games, along with a plus four. The return of Ryane Clowe appears to have helped Henrique. The injury to Patrik Elias should keep him out for a few games and Henrique should be one of the benefactors, mainly on the powerplay.
Toronto: Tyler Bozak (27%) – Dating back to before his injury, Bozak is on a six-game point streak with nine points and a bunch of faceoff wins (if your league tracks those). He's centering Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk and still manages some PP time. Was the hero of the Winter Classic with Toronto's second goal and the game winner in the shootout.
NY Rangers: Chris Kreider (26%) – Five points in his past six games. He has the best two linemates he could have in New York with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash. That's at even strength and on the powerplay.
Light Day Targets
Want to know what teams to target based on their schedule landing on light days for the upcoming Monday to Sunday schedule?
Week: Monday, January 6th through Sunday, January 12th
Monday: 8 teams
Tuesday: 20 teams
Wednesday: 6 teams
Thursday: 18 teams
Friday: 12 teams
Saturday: 20 teams
Sunday: 14 teams
Ho-hum, more of the usual. Expect that to continue now that the Christmas and New Year Holidays are out of the way. The next schedule hiccup should be the Olympics, but until then, I'd expect most weeks to be like this week.
We do have a slightly heavier weekend with four consecutive days of double digit teams in action (that's what I like to see, NHL!).
So what teams have a good schedule for the light days?
|
Mon |
Tues |
Wed |
Thur |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
New York Rangers |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
📢 advertisement:
|
X |
Colorado Avalanche |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
X |
|
Dallas Stars |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
X |
New York Islanders |
X |
X |
|
|
X |
|
X |
Philadelphia Flyers |
|
X |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
Friday, January 3 to Thursday, January 9 |
Best Bets |
Tampa Bay (4.29) – 4 Games: @CGY, @EDM, @WPG, WSH |
Carolina (4.25) – 4 Games: @NYI, NSH, @BUF, TOR |
New Jersey (4.10) – 4 Games: CHI, @BUF, PHI, DAL |
Anaheim (4.09) – 4 Games: EDM, VAN, BOS, @NSH |
Nashville (4.04) – 4 Games: @FLA, @CAR, SJ, ANH |
Steer Clear |
Ottawa (1.76) – 2 Games: @MTL, @COL |
Columbus (1.81) – 2 Games: @STL, @NYR |
Washington (1.81) – 2 Games: @MIN, @TB |
Detroit (1.85) – 2 Games: @DAL, @SJ |
Vancouver (2.61) – 3 Games: @LA, @ANH, PIT |
Saturday, January 4 to Friday, January 10 |
Best Bets |
Carolina (5.25) – 5 Games: @NYI, NSH, @BUF, TOR, @CBJ |
Colorado (4.62) – 4 Games: SJ, CGY, OTW, NYI |
Toronto (4.25) – 4 Games: NYR, NYI, @CAR, @WSH |
St. Louis (4.14) – 4 Games: CBJ, @EDM, @CGY, @VAN |
NY Rangers (4.05) – 4 Games: @TOR, CBJ, @CHI, DAL |
Steer Clear |
Ottawa (1.76) – 2 Games: @MTL, @COL |
Detroit (1.85) – 2 Games: @DAL, @SJ |
Chicago (2.05) – 2 Games: SJ, NYR |
Winnipeg (2.61) – 3 Games: @BOS, @PIT, TB |
Boston (2.71) – 3 Games: WPG, @ANH, @LA |
Sunday, January 5 to Saturday, January 11 |
Best Bets |
Colorado (4.57) – 4 Games: CGY, OTW, NYI, @MIN |
Nashville (4.20) – 4 Games: @CAR, SJ, ANH, OTW |
Carolina (4.15) – 4 Games: NSH, @BUF, TOR, @CBJ |
Tampa Bay (4.14) – 4 Games: @EDM, @WPG, WSH, @PHI |
Pittsburgh (4.09) – 4 Games: WPG, @VAN, @EDM, @CGY |
Steer Clear |
Detroit (1.66) – 2 Games: @SJ, @LA |
Washington (1.91) – 2 Games: @TB, TOR |
Ottawa (2.00) – 2 Games: @COL, @NSH |
Buffalo (2.26) – 2 Games: CAR, FLA |
Boston (2.57) – 3 Games: @ANH, @LA, @SJ |
Monday, January 6 to Sunday, January 12 |
Best Bets |
Colorado (4.57) – 4 Games: CGY, OTW, NYI, @MIN |
Nashville (4.25) – 4 Games: SJ, ANH, OTW, MIN |
New Jersey (4.21) – 4 Games: PHI, DAL, FLA, @TOR |
Toronto (4.20) – 4 Games: NYI, @CAR, @WSH, NJ |
NY Rangers (4.15) – 4 Games: CBJ, @CHI, DAL, PHI |
Steer Clear |
Vancouver (1.89) – 2 Games: PIT, STL |
Ottawa (2.00) – 2 Games: @COL, @NSH |
Winnipeg (2.05) – 2 Games: TB, CBJ |
Boston (2.57) – 3 Games: @ANH, @LA, @SJ |
Detroit (2.57) – 3 Games: @SJ, @LA, @ANH |
Tuesday, January 7 to Monday, January 13 |
Best Bets |
Nashville (4.25) – 4 Games: SJ, ANH, OTW, MIN |
Phoenix (4.21) – 4 Games: CGY, MIN, ANH, @WPG |
New Jersey (4.21) – 4 Games: PHI, DAL, FLA, @TOR |
Carolina (4.21) – 4 Games: @BUF, TOR, @CBJ, CGY |
Toronto (4.20) – 4 Games: NYI, @CAR, @WSH, NJ |
Steer Clear |
Florida (1.85) – 2 Games: @BUF, @NJ |
Ottawa (2.00) – 2 Games: @COL, @NSH |
Montreal (2.00) – 2 Games: @PHI, CHI |
Boston (2.57) – 3 Games: @ANH, @LA, @SJ |
Detroit (2.57) – 3 Games: @SJ, @LA, @ANH |
Wednesday, January 8 to Tuesday, January 14 |
Best Bets |
Nashville (4.46) – 4 Games: ANH, OTW, MIN, CGY |
Minnesota (4.35) – 4 Games: @PHX, COL, @NSH, OTW |
Dallas (4.32) – 4 Games: @NJ, @NYR, NYI, EDM |
Colorado (4.32) – 4 Games: OTW, NYI, @MIN, @CHI |
Chicago (4.17) – 4 Games: NYR, @MTL, EDM, COL |
Steer Clear |
Vancouver (1.71) – 2 Games: STL, @LA |
Pittsburgh (2.23) – 2 Games: @EDM, @CGY |
Winnipeg (2.26) – 2 Games: CBJ, PHX |
Detroit (2.57) – 3 Games: @SJ, @LA, @ANH |
Boston (2.71) – 3 Games: @LA, @SJ, TOR |
Thursday, January 9 to Wednesday, January 15 |
Best Bets |
Toronto (4.85) – 5 Games: @CAR, @WSH, NJ, @BOS, BUF |
Washington (4.81) – 5 Games: @TB, TOR, BUF, SJ, @PIT |
Nashville (4.46) – 4 Games: ANH, OTW, MIN, CGY |
Minnesota (4.35) – 4 Games: @PHX, COL, @NSH, OTW |
Dallas (4.32) – 4 Games: @NJ, @NYR, NYI, EDM |
Steer Clear |
Ottawa (2.00) – 2 Games: @NSH, @MIN |
Montreal (2.05) – 2 Games: CHI, NJ |
Winnipeg (2.26) – 2 Games: CBJ, PHX |
Detroit (2.57) – 3 Games: @SJ, @LA, @ANH |
Vancouver (2.61) – 3 Games: STL, @LA, @ANH |