The Eddie Lack experience got off to a horrible start as the Flames’ backup gave up five goals on 15 shots before getting yanked half-way through an 8-2 loss to the Red Wings. I was skeptical about Lack’s chances of going on a hot run for the Flames and so far the returns have not been good.

Mike Smith remains day-to-day with an ailment they are merely describing as an upper-body injury. While he did not travel with the team to Detroit, the plan is to have him join the team later in the road trip. When exactly? Not soon enough.

Top notch goalie prospect Jon Gillies (#6 on Dobber’s list) came on in relief of Lack conceding three goals on 12 shots. Not great, but I would like to see Gillies get some run in the starting role. He offers more upside than Lack. However, I am not sure if any Flames goaltender stands a chance when the team is taking penalties. After conceding four power-play goals Calgary’s penalty kill fell to dead last at 70.8%.

Click here for more on Gillies.

Johnny Gaudreau did manage to extend his scoring streak to eight games, taking sole possession of third in league scoring with 26 points.

Micheal Ferland also stayed hot scoring a goal for a fifth straight game. His situation has Patrick Maroon written all over it, so he could have staying power as a fantasy asset. I probably won’t be dropping him until he cools off.

It should be noted that Ferland’s use is essentially done for the week as the only game left on Calgary’s schedule is on a densely packed Saturday in Philadelphia. However, the Flames have a juicy Monday/Wednesday/Friday slate next week where you should get a few extra games played. If you have lots of moves you could try a little catch-and-release hoping to scoop up Ferland on Monday, but my plan is to ride it out unless I get desperate and need to stream someone in on Sunday.

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If your league still scores penalty minutes, last night was one of those matchup tilters as ridiculousness broke out during a TV timeout towards the end of the Flames-Red Wings game.

It is extremely unlikely that anyone in your league has Luke Witkowski, but the Red Wing defenseman somehow receive three match penalties and a total of 37 PIM. This was just the 72^nd time since recording of PIM that a player put up 35 or more in a game.

More relevant was Anthony Mantha with 25 PIM. In all, nine match penalties were handed out and 135 PIM overall. Even Gillies and Red Wing goaltender Jimmy Howard got into it with minor penalties. I don’t see how any of this was productive but sure, fantasy points galore.

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Mantha also contributed in positive ways including a pair of power-play markers, good for a three-point night. Mantha is probably the best Red Wing forward to own given his big body and nose for the net in tight. He is skating most of his shifts at even strength with Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist as well as seeing use as a net-front man on the power play.

The Red Wings’ lines and PP configuration have been all over the place, however. They have also been splitting time almost evenly between their two PP units. Check out the breakdown of the ice time for Detroit:

No one is skating more PP time than Zetterberg or Justin Abdelkader at 2:22 per game. They’re 10 most utilized PP skaters see between 1:30 and 2:22 in PP time per game. That’s a recipe for a bunch of 45-55 -point scorers, but Mantha stands out the most. He has six goals in the last seven games.

Andreas Athanasiou also had a big night scoring a pair of goals and an assist. His ice time is up two minutes higher than last year and he is skating most of his shifts with Dylan Larkin, which is a good situation. Most encouraging, however, is the shot volume we are seeing from Athanasiou with 30 SOG through nine games.

Check out the vision and precision on this four-line bank pass by Larkin:

D Boss is a gunslinger. pic.twitter.com/dXJHrp8Q9X

— Stephen Laidlaw (@SteveLaidlaw) November 16, 2017

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Artem Anisimov broke out with a third-period hat-trick against the Rangers. That gives him four goals and 15 shots in the past three games. He has recently slotted in at center alongside Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz at even strength and on the power play. Anisimov’s minutes are also up in this stretch with three of his five games of 18+ minutes coming in the past three games. It’s no surprise then that he is producing. While this spot is not as juicy as it was when Panarin was skating in Schmaltz’s spot, getting exposure to Kane in multiple phases is a big deal.

The problem, for those focused on short-term results, is that the Blackhawks have just three games in the next 11 days, with two of those falling on loaded Saturdays. I have trouble fitting my regular centermen in on Saturday’s let alone a waiver pickup. I’d be more excited if we hadn’t seen Anisimov go through fits and starts on the Kane line in the past. He’s one bad period from getting bounced again. Keep him in mind for daily fantasy but I don’t see him helping you so much.

You cannot really complain after a two-assist night, but Duncan Keith continues to not see time on the Blackhawks’ top power play unit. He’s still getting time on the second unit but he’s not really the same top-flight fantasy asset. The alternatives on Chicago aren’t any more appealing however.

Jan Rutta and Cody Franson split duties on that top unit, with Franson closing out the game with two assists of his own and five SOG. Franson would be more appealing if not for continual healthy scratches or Rutta nibbling into his time.

You’ll notice I have not yet mentioned Brent Seabrook, who while registering an assist also skated a season-low 16:26. He is slowly bleeding minutes with all four of his sub-20-minute games coming in the last five. Seabrook still has value in multi-category leagues but in your standard league he is fading from relevance. Given how Franson cannot seem to keep a foothold in the Blackhawk lineup, a resurgence from Seabrook cannot be ruled out, however I am a big proponent of getting out too early rather than too late. Owned in 70% of Yahoo leagues, now seems like the time for folks to bail out.

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I am not in love with Rick Nash’s usage but it’s hard to argue with the hot run he is on with six goals and 10 points in his last eight games. He had just one point through the first 11 games of the season. Ultimately, I have Nash as a 45-point/200-shot guy. There is value in that sort of player in plenty of leagues. He is a high-floor option because of the shot volume he provides.

Thoroughly enjoyed the work by Chris Kreider setting up Mika Zibanejad for this goal:

Couple more looks at that Zib goal. pic.twitter.com/wD2aalR3Kw

— Stephen Laidlaw (@SteveLaidlaw) November 16, 2017

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Hampus Lindholm was a game-time decision for Anaheim and did not end up playing. He did appear in the morning skate but was ultimately ruled out with a lower-body injury. Other than a short spurt, Lindholm wasn’t really fantasy relevant anyhow, but he is an ice-tilting defenseman who the already banged-up Ducks can ill afford to be without. It sounds as though he'll be able to play on Sunday.

John Gibson was sturdy without Lindholm stopping 39 of 41 shots in a win. I still don’t totally trust Gibson because of all the talent absent from the Ducks’ lineup and because of his own propensity for injury. I do think he could be a great one to own for the stretch run if the Ducks can linger in the playoff hunt. A healthy Duck squad could be a terror in the spring, perfect timing for the fantasy playoffs.

Corey Perry upped his output to five points in eight games since Ryan Getzlaf went down. Not bad, and certainly not enough to have me write him off. My only qualm with Perry is his rapidly declining shot volume. With 35 SOG in 18 games he’s on pace for his worst shot-volume season since he was a rookie.

Rickard Rakell, by the way, has eight points since Getzlaf was lost. He may be immune to the effects of others at this stage of his career.

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David Krejci was unable to make his return for the Bruins last night, however there is some optimism that he can play tonight in LA.

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As always, some good stuff in Elliotte Friedman’s latest 30 Thoughts:

8. Jason Spezza is playing 13 minutes a night, lower than any season since he became an NHL regular. I do believe it is Dallas’s preference to make this work. You can never score enough in this very tight league, and Spezza is a skilled player who can create offence. But it bears watching. Doing some research into his contract, Spezza has a unique clause. There is a window to trade him, but it’s in the summer. After the Stanley Cup is awarded until Sept. 1, he can submit a list of 10 teams Dallas cannot send him to. Other than that, Spezza has a total no-move, so he controls the situation. He also has one more year at $7.5 million. This is purely guesswork, but we know Columbus is going to look for one more high-level offensive player.

I can’t envision a trade scenario working. Who has the cap space for such a deal mid-season? Also, if Spezza could provide more depth offense wouldn’t he be more valuable to the Stars, who are starved for something outside of their top line?

I have no doubt that Spezza can produce more than he has, even given his reduction in minutes but I doubt we’re getting back to a 60-point threat if he were jumped into a top role.

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Jared Bednar suggested yesterday that Sam Girard would be sticking around for the year with the Avalanche. Great news for folks in keeper leagues and in deep one-year settings. I don’t doubt that Girard could push 25-30 points this season.

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Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.