Five players to pick up for Week 17.

* This article was written prior to the NHL games on Thursday, January 16^th, 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.

 

Dallas Stars = Target

 

Games: 6 (4H/2A)

Favorable Matchups:

    – @ Nashville

        > 10^th worst defensive team

        > 49 goals allowed in the past month (15 games) (3.27 GAA)

        > Devan Dubnyk: 3.36 GAA / .894 SV% / 2 SHO (Worst stats = new starter)

        > Carter Hutton: 2.95 GAA / .902 SV% / 0 SHO

        > Marek Mazanec: 2.80 GAA / .902 SV% / 2 SHO (Best stats = minors)

    – vs. Toronto

        > 7^th worst defensive team

        > 4^th worst PK

        > Allow the most shots per game

        > 29 goals allowed in last seven games (4.14 GAA)

 

The Stars have been struggling lately winning only one game in their past seven (their last game against the Oilers).  They were scoring below average in those seven games, netting only 17 goals for a 2.43 goals/game average, which is over a third of a goal per game less than their season average.  I would expect them to improve their offense over the next string of games.  The second line of Ryan Garbutt, Cody Eakin and Antoine Roussel has been leading the charge, as of late.  But we all know the explosiveness that Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin possess.  They'll go several games with only a point or two and then both explode for four point nights.  Facing whatever sieve is in the Nashville net when they play, along with Toronto's last place shots per game should help Benn and Seguin have a multi-point game or two in the coming days.

 

Carolina Hurricanes = Consider

 

Games: 7 (4H/3A)

Favorable Matchups:

    – vs. Florida

        > 9^th worst defensive team

        > 2^nd worst PK

    – vs. Ottawa

        > 5^th worst defensive team

        > 4^th most shots allowed per game

    – vs. Columbus

        > 8^th worst PK

        > 10^th most shots allowed per game

 

The Hurricanes are one of five teams that play seven games over the next two weeks, so they have that going in their favor.  Their number of games is part of the reason why they are here.  They are playing statistically weaker teams in Florida, Ottawa, Columbus, Buffalo, etc.  However, these games may not be as lucrative for the Carolina Hurricanes' fantasy owners.  The Panthers has been playing decent defensively lately.  Tampa Bay just got Ben Bishop back from injury so that human shooter tutor, Anders Lindback, can go back to warming the bench.  Ryan Miller has been having a really great season and he's the only reason Buffalo hasn't allowed 180+ goals already.  Craig Anderson has been playing better lately and Sergei Bobrovsky is back in net for Columbus.  Oddly enough, the two teams with stronger defensive stats (Philadelphia and Montreal) are the ones that have been letting more pucks than usual go by recently.  So take solace in the number of games your Canes have, but the fantasy output may not come in the games you would expect, so be warned.

 

Anaheim Ducks = Beware

 

Games: 6 (3H/3A)

Unfavorable Matchups:

    – @ St. Louis

        > 3^rd best defensive team

        > 5^th best PK

        > 2^nd fewest shots allowed per game

    – vs. Los Angeles

        > Best defensive team

        > 8^th best PK

        > 3^rd fewest shots allowed per game

    – @ Los Angeles

        > See above

    – vs. Minnesota

        > 10^th best defensive team

        > 5^th fewest shots allowed per game

        > 15 goals allowed in past eight games (1.88 GAA)

 

The Ducks are on fire right now and can seem to do no wrong.  The have won eight straight and 18 of their past 19 games.  They have yet to lose a game in regulation at home.  They spanked Vancouver 9-1 on Wednesday night.  How could the Ducks possibly be on the "Beware" list?  I'll tell you.  Because five of their six upcoming games are against other Western Conference powerhouses (with the Jets sprinkled in there to make Dustin Penner relevant).  I would temper expectations for my Ducks.  Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are exempt from any potential benching in fantasy leagues.  Nick Bonino and Andrew Cogliano are approaching solid second line material (I still need a little more convincing), but I would not expect guys like Matt Beleskey, Teemu Selanne and Pat Maroon to be fantasy worthy in the coming weeks.

 

Boston Bruins = Avoid

 

Games: 5 (2H/3A)

Unfavorable Matchups:

    – @ Chicago

        > 4^th fewest shots allowed per game

        > 19 goals allowed in past eight games (2.38 GAA)

        > Corey Crawford is back and has posted a .906 save percentage or better in four of his five starts since returning from injury

    – vs. Los Angeles

        > See above

 

The Bruins haven't been that strong of a team since the Christmas break, going 4-5-0 and scoring 26 goals while allowing 25.  So they've been pretty average, which is very un-Boston like.  Times aren't looking to get much better between now and the end of the month.  The Bruins only play five games from Friday the 17^th until Wednesday the 29^th, which is tied for fewest in the league.  This schedule includes visits to Chicago and Philadelphia, as well as Los Angeles coming to town.  Also, for those in Monday to Sunday leagues, Boston plays twice next week (1/20 – 1/26): Monday against the Kings and Saturday in Philadelphia.  Don't look for Jarome Iginla, David Krejci or Milan Lucic, along with Zdeno Chara, to break too far out of their slumps with this type of schedule.

 

 

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.

 

Phoenix: Mikkel Boedker (21%) – Seven points in his last six games (yet still managed to be -2).  Also has taken 15 shots over that span (2.5 per game).  He's hot right now.

 

Nashville: Craig Smith (13%) – You can take your pick with any Nashville forward, really, as the highest owned is Mike Fisher at 17%.  Seems like Fisher's streak is ending (one point in his last five), so someone else has to pick up the slack, why not Smith?  He looks to be the next best option for now.

 

Dallas: Erik Cole (3%) – It appears Valeri Nichushkin is running into the rookie wall, so who benefits?  Cole does.  He's the new winger riding shotgun with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.  Cole had been a steady performer throughout his career until the past two years.  The guy can still bury though.

 

Pittsburgh: Brandon Sutter (3%) – Slim pickings when it comes to Pittsburgh forwards, for good reason.  Sutter is the latest tryout on Crosby's wing while also fetching some PP2 time.  He's worth a shot if you're desperate.

 

Toronto: Mason Raymond (29%) – Raymond appears to be a streaky player, putting together two or three games of solid production and then going pointless for three, followed by another run.  He got an assist last game, so he's bound to score next game according to that theory.

 

 

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 20^th through Sunday, January 26^th

 

Monday: 14 teams

Tuesday: 20 teams

Wednesday: 6 teams

Thursday: 20 teams

Friday: 12 teams

Saturday: 18 teams

Sunday: 10 teams

 

Martin Luther King Day gives us an extra day of double-digit teams in action.  In fact, the only really slow day is Wednesday with only three games.  Outside of that, every other day has at least five games going on.  Thanks Dr. King!

 

So what teams have a good schedule for the light days?

 

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
Phoenix Coyotes	X		X		X		X
Detroit Red Wings 📢 advertisement:	X		X		X		X
Florida Panthers	X	X			X		X
Nashville Predators	X			X	X		X
Pittsburgh Penguins	X		X	X		X

 

Friday, January 17 to Thursday, January 23

Best Bets

Philadelphia (4.30) – 4 Games: NYI, @NYI, CAR, @CBJ

NY Rangers (4.25) – 4 Games: @OTW, WSH, NYI, STL

Dallas (4.05) – 4 Games: @MIN, @NSH, MIN, TOR

NY Islanders (3.95) – 4 Games: @PHI, PHI, @NYR, PIT

Carolina (3.95) – 4 Games: FLA, TB, @PHI, @BUF

Steer Clear

Boston (1.79) – 2 Games: @CHI, LA

New Jersey (1.94) – 2 Games: @PHX, STL

Montreal (1.95) – 2 Games: @TOR, @PIT

Edmonton (2.00) – 2 Games: @WPG, VAN

Colorado (2.15) – 2 Games: @NSH, TOR

Saturday, January 18 to Friday, January 24

Best Bets

Carolina (5.10) – 5 Games: FLA, TB, @PHI, @BUF, OTW

Phoenix (4.33) – 4 Games: NJ, TOR, @CGY, @EDM

Philadelphia (4.30) – 4 Games: NYI, @NYI, CAR, @CBJ

NY Rangers (4.25) – 4 Games: @OTW, WSH, NYI, STL

Nashville (4.20) – 4 Games: COL, DAL, @VAN, @CGY

Steer Clear

Boston (1.79) – 2 Games: @CHI, LA

Chicago (2.75) – 3 Games: BOS, @DET, @MIN

Anaheim (2.75) – 3 Games: @STL, WPG, LA

Columbus (2.84) – 3 Games: @BUF, LA, PHI

Montreal (2.90) – 3 Games: @TOR, @PIT, @DET

Sunday, January 19 to Saturday, January 25

Best Bets

Dallas (4.15) – 4 Games: @NSH, MIN, TOR, PIT

Pittsburgh (4.13) – 4 Games: FLA, MTL, @NYI, @DAL

Toronto (4.04) – 4 Games: @PHX, @COL, @DAL, @WPG

Carolina (4.00) – 4 Games: TB, @PHI, @BUF, OTW

Philadelphia (3.99) – 4 Games: @NYI, CAR, @CBJ, BOS

Steer Clear

New Jersey (2.00) – 2 Games: STL, WSH

Edmonton (2.15) – 2 Games: VAN, PHX

Vancouver (2.24) – 2 Games: @EDM, NSH

Anaheim (2.70) – 3 Games: WPG, LA, @LA

Boston (2.74) – 3 Games: @CHI, LA, @PHI

Monday, January 20 to Sunday, January 26

Best Bets

Phoenix (4.29) – 4 Games: TOR, @CGY, @EDM, @VAN

Nashville (4.29) – 4 Games: DAL, @VAN, @CGY, @EDM

Dallas (4.15) – 4 Games: @NSH, MIN, TOR, PIT

Pittsburgh (4.13) – 4 Games: FLA, MTL, @NYI, @DAL

Toronto (4.04) – 4 Games: @PHX, @COL, @DAL, @WPG

Steer Clear

Boston (1.79) – 2 Games: LA, @PHI

Tampa Bay (2.21) – 2 Games: OTW, COL

Anaheim (2.70) – 3 Games: WPG, LA, @LA

Ottawa (2.80) – 3 Games: @WSH, @TB, @CAR

Washington (2.82) – 3 Games: OTW, @NJ, @MTL

Tuesday, January 21 to Monday, January 27

Best Bets

Vancouver (4.66) – 4 Games: @EDM, NSH, PHX, EDM

Dallas (4.20) – 4 Games: MIN, TOR, PIT, COL

Edmonton (4.16) – 4 Games: VAN, PHX, NSH, @VAN

Carolina (4.11) – 4 Games: @PHI, @BUF, OTW, CBJ

Pittsburgh (4.08) – 4 Games: MTL, @NYI, @DAL, BUF

Steer Clear

Boston (2.04) – 2 Games: @PHI, @NYI

Tampa Bay (2.21) – 2 Games: OTW, COL

Calgary (2.26) – 2 Games: PHX, NSH

Anaheim (2.70) – 3 Games: WPG, LA, @LA

Ottawa (2.80) – 3 Games: @WSH, @TB, @CAR

Wednesday, January 22 to Tuesday, January 28

Best Bets

Columbus (4.21) – 4 Games: PHI, BUF, @CAR, OTW

Nashville (4.13) – 4 Games: @VAN, @CGY, @EDM, @WPG

Winnipeg (4.11) – 4 Games: @SJ, TOR, @CHI, NSH

Pittsburgh (4.08) – 4 Games: MTL, @NYI, @DAL, BUF

Chicago (4.05) – 4 Games: @DET, @MIN, WPG, @CGY

Steer Clear

NY Rangers (1.75) – 2 Games: STL, @NJ

Anaheim (2.60) – 3 Games: LA, @LA, MIN

Washington (2.61) – 3 Games: @NJ, @MTL, @BUF

Ottawa (2.76) – 3 Games: @TB, @CAR, @CBJ

NY Islanders (2.78) – 3 Games: PIT, STL, BOS

Thursday, January 23 to Wednesday, January 29

Best Bets

Vancouver (4.57) – 4 Games: NSH, PHX, EDM, CHI

Columbus (4.21) – 4 Games: PHI, BUF, @CAR, OTW

Edmonton (4.16) – 4 Games: PHX, NSH, @VAN, SJ

Nashville (4.13) – 4 Games: @VAN, @CGY, @EDM, @WPG

Winnipeg (4.11) – 4 Games: @SJ, TOR, @CHI, NSH

Steer Clear

Calgary (2.15) – 2 Games: NSH, CHI

Anaheim (2.60) – 3 Games: LA, @LA, MIN

Washington (2.61) – 3 Games: @NJ, @MTL, @BUF

Ottawa (2.76) – 3 Games: @TB, @CAR, @CBJ

Florida (2.81) – 3 Games: COL, @DET, @BOS