Fantasy Hockey Week 13 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview

Fantasy Hockey Week 13 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview

Table of Contents

Fantasy Hockey Week 13 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview

In the 41st episode of the Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast, the FHH team discusses the 13th week in the NHL – John’s List & Fantasy Lock Of The Week, Headlines With The Hacks, Fact Or Fiction Featuring Mike McLaughlin (Left Wing Lock), and Edge Work (Schedule Notes, Week 13 Waiver Wire Picks). Subscribe to our podcast on all major directories; and stay up to date with the latest in fantasy hockey news and fantasy hockey advice. Be sure to visit LeftWingLock.com, the best source for fantasy hockey intelligence; and The Hockey Podcast Network for more great hockey-related content.

Highlights:
  • Jack Hughes is on a tear
  • 3-Game suspension for Sam Bennett
  • World Junior tournament cancelled
  • Tuuka Rask nearing return
  • Brayden Point returned from injury
  • Bryan Rust and Evan Rodrigues each score a hat trick against the Sharks
  • Jordan Kyrou first player to score 4-points in Winter Classic
  • Max Pacioretty undergoes wrist surgery, out indefinitely. Stone also out with injury
  • Alex Ovechkin all-time leader in PPGs
  • Dougie Hamilton leaves game on Sunday after taking puck to the face

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John’s List

If you have been listening to our podcast for a while, you’ve undoubtedly heard about “John’s List”; which is basically John’s $h!t list of players past and present. We’ve decided to make this a regular segment on the podcast and will include it in the blog for fun as well. If you have any suggestions for players we should add to the list, let us know!

If you have been listening to our podcast for a while, you’ve undoubtedly heard about “John’s List”; which is basically John’s $h!t list of players past and present. We’ve decided to make this a regular segment on the podcast and will include it in the blog for fun as well. If you have any suggestions for players we should add to the list, let us know!

Pavel Datsyuk. 

I don’t understand the hype on Datsyuk’s stupid shootout move. 

Fantasy Lock Of The Week (Dec 27, 2021 – Jan 2, 2022) | Presented by Left Wing Lock
🔥Jack Hughes, C/LW,  73% Rostered (Yahoo)

3 Goals, 5 Assists, 1 GWG, 2 PPP, 14 SOG, +5, 75% PP Share, 19:16 ATOI

Honorable Mentions: Jordan Kyrou (4-point game at the Winter Classic), Jonathan Huberdeau (5-point game versus TB on Dec.30, 28 Pts in his last 18 games played).

Headlines With The Hacks (News & Injuries) | Dec. 27, 2021 – Jan 2, 2022

Our partner, Left Wing Lock, has a complete up-to-date list available on their website for all players placed on COVID protocol. You can see that list here.

December 27 
  • Complete COVID list update at LeftWingLock.com. 
  • Brandon Tanev suffered a season-ending ACL injury against the Edmonton Oilers, prior to the Christmas break. 

  • The Panthers expect Alex Barkov to play on Wednesday against the Rangers. 
  • 3 more games were postponed on Monday – CHI @ WPG (Dec.29), DAL @ COL (Dec.29), COL @ DAL (Dec.31). 

  • Gabriel Landeskog (lower-body) on track to return to game action. 
  • Jason Zucker is week-to-week with a nagging lower-body injury. 
  • Tuuka Rask is nearing a return, sometime in the next few weeks. 

December 28
  • Brayden Point returned from injury on Tuesday to face the Montreal Canadiens. 
  • Peyton Krebs (BUF) was recalled from the AHL – keep an eye on him as he joins the Sabres. The Golden Knight’s 17th overall pick in 2019 has just 1 assist in 13 GP; but potential is there with an expanded role in Buffalo. 
  • Jake Guentzel was on the ice for practice on Tuesday. He was wearing a regular black jersey, a welcome sight for fantasy owners as he missed the last 5 games with an upper-body injury. 
  • Mark Stone was placed on IR by the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. 

  • Connor Bedard scored 4 goals on -2 shots against Austria on Tuesday night, becoming the youngest player ever to do so in a World Juniors game.

December 29
  • Boone Jenner was back on the ice for practice, was previously in COVID protocol. 
  • Evgeni Malkin was at practice again on Wednesday, but LWL reported that he may still be 7-10 days away. 
  • Mike Smith was activated from IR on Wednesday, Stuart Skinner sent down to the AHL. Duncan Keith and Zach Hyman will also make their returns to the lineup against the Blues. 
  • Matt Duchene returned to the Preds lineup on Wednesday against the Capitals. 
  • David Perron (LTIR), Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas all expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Oilers.  
  • Elliott Friedman reported that given new guidelines by the CDC, the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to shortening isolation to 5 days (with no symptoms or symptoms resolving); while still following local health authorities. 
  • 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship was cancelled over COVID-19 concerns. 

December 30
  • According to Bill Guerin, both Jared Spurgeon and Joel Eriksson Ek are expected to be out a couple weeks. 

  • Anthony Duclair scored his 100th career NHL goal. Finished the game against TB with 2 G, 1 A. 

  • Max Pacioretty is out indefinitely after undergoing wrist surgery. 

  • Jesse Puljujarvi and Darnell Nurse are both cleared and expected in the lineup on Friday. 
  • Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, and Adam Boqvist returned to the Blue Jackets lineup on Thursday against Nashville. Laine scored in his return to the lineup. 

  • Jaden Schwartz was listed as DTD with an upper-body injury. 
  • Phillip Danault was removed from COVID protocol, available for Thursday’s contest. 
  • Sean Couturier was placed on IR Thursday night, currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury. 

  • Brendan Gallagher was listed as DTD with a lower-body injury. Ducharme said the team hopes it’s not too serious. 
  • Florida crushed Tampa 9-3, Jonathan Huberdeau had 5 points! 
  • Antti Raanta recorded his first shutout as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. 
  • The Vancouver Canucks win streak ends at 7 games 
  • Mike Smith sustained an upper-body injury during OT on Friday night against the New Jersey Devils. 

December 31
  • The NHL announced that 8 more games would be rescheduled for dates later in the season due to concerns over limited capacity  and COVID protocols.
  • Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play to become the NHL’s all-time leader in PPGs.

January 1
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was listed as DTD, and did not play against the Islanders. 
  • Cam Talbot left Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury.
  • Sam Bennett had a hearing for his hit to the head on Cedric Paquette on Saturday night. UPDATE: Bennett was suspended 3 games for the hit. Fair? Too much? Too Little?

  • With a 4-point night, Jordan Kyrou now has the most points by a player in an NHL outdoor game. 

January 2
  • 🔥Trevor Zegras was named NHL Rookie of the Month for December with 2 G, 9 Assists in 11 GP. 

  • Auston Matthews, Max Pacioretty, and Thatcher Demko are the NHL’s Three Stars for the month of December. 

  • Bryan Rust and Evan Rodrigues both had hat tricks in an 8-5 win over the Sharks on Sunday. Rust posted 5 points total in the game! 
  • Mike Zibanejad had a hat trick, and Igor Shesterkin had a shutout as the Rangers beat Tampa 4-0.

  • Jon Cooper said today that he expects Nikita Kucherov could be ready sometime around mid-January.

  • Dougie Hamilton left Sunday’s game against Washington and did not return. Stay tuned for an update.

Fact Or Fiction Feat. Mike McLaughlin (Left Wing Lock)

1. Team Case: Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings enter this weekend as a wildcard team in the Eastern Conference. Can you count on their current standings position as you evaluate their goalies for fantasy hockey?

1.1 The Details

A simple, no-nonsense indicator of a team’s playoff possibilities is their goal differential.Teams with positive goal differentials usually make the playoffs, while teams with negative goal differentials miss.

{note: From the 2015-2016 season through the 2018-2019 season, only 6 teams violated this rule – this simple rule had a 94% accuracy rate.}

The Red Wings currently have a -22 goal differential through 33 games, but have somehow won nearly 50% of their games and hold the wildcard spot in the playoffs. We have a contradiction here that we must explore by digging a little deeper.

  • Are the Red Wings a strong puck possession team? No. They rank 28th in the league and are outshot consistently by their opponents.
  • Do the Red Wings have particularly strong scoring or goaltending at even-strength? No. The Red Wings are at, or slightly below, the league average for both metrics. Note: their SHSV (or PDO) is 1002.
  • Do the Red Wings have strong special teams? No. They rank 29th in PP% and 25% in PK% along with having a 22nd ranked penalty differential. It’s safe to say they have one of the league’s worst sets of special teams.
1.2 The Verdict

Fiction. The results don’t match the process. The Red Wings playoff position is a mirage of luck and they will quickly fall out of playoff contention. Their 50% win rate should not be relied upon for analysis of the team’s future and Nedelkovic owners should be alert.

2. Forward Case: Jonathan Huberdeau

Jonathan Huberdeau (100% owned) has scored 41 points in 32 games played (on pace for 105 points – the highest rate of his career). Can you count on the Florida forward for more of the same?

2.1 The Details

Let’s analyze Huberdeau through the lens of behavior first. He’s generating 2.6 shots per game this season which is in line with his career average of 2.4 shots per game.

And now through the lens of luck:

  • SH%: 13.4% (vs. 12.5% career)
  • IPP: 83% (vs. 73% career)
  • tEVSH%: 10.9% (vs. 9.1% career)
  • a260: 1.36 (vs. 0.53 career — 156% boost)
2.2 The Verdict

Fiction. Huberdeau’s point production has been boosted by a high IPP and higher-than-usual secondary assist rate. These two factors have produced about 10 extra points for Huberdau so far and we see his true point production to be about 31 points in 32 games.That’s a pace of 80 points over 82 games instead of 105 points in 82 games.

{note: what I really mean here is 80 point-pace the rest of the way. So, that’s 41 in 32 plus (82-32)*(80/82) which yields about 90 points total.}

3. Defenseman Case: Jakob Chychrun

Jakob Chychrun (51% owned) currently ranks outside the Top-100 defenseman in point production this season with just 7 points in 28 games. What should you expect from the Coyote blueliner in the New Year?

3.1 The Details

Note: Chychrun is currently injured (UBI) and not expected back until the 2nd or 3rd week of January.

Let’s analyze Chychrun through the lens of behavior first. He’s generating 3.2 shots per game this season which is in line with last year’s production. He plays 20 minutes at even-strength and sees nearly 2.5 minutes per game on the power play .

And now through the lens of luck:

  • SH%: 2.4% (vs. 6.7% career)
  • IPP: 60% (vs. 40% career)
  • tEVSH%: 4.4% (vs. 7.6% career)
  • a260: 0.25 (vs. 0.32 career — 22% drop)
3.2 The Verdict

Fiction. While Chychrun’s high IPP and low tEVSH% mostly cancel each other out (he loses about 2 points due to bad luck here), it’s his individual shooting percentage that tells the story. He’s scoring on just 2.4% of the shots he takes. As a very high volume shooter, you’d expect him to generate between 8-11 goals the rest of the way if he’s able to shoot at about 5-7% (near his career average). How many defensemen have the shot volume and/or SH% to generate that many goals the rest of the way? Approximately 12.

Ask The Hacks

  • Who do you like more for the rest of the season: Patrik Laine or Sam Bennett? Standard categories with hits and blocked shots. Patrik Laine
  • Tuuka Rask or Carey Price, who is the better goalie to stash? Tuuka Rask
  • I’m considering picking up Robert Thomas, but would need to drop Viktor Arvidsson or Alex Killorn. Good move? 
  • What has been the biggest fantasy surprise for you this season? The biggest disappointment?

Edge Work | NHL Schedule, Week 13

Need To Know:

There are 4 light days in Week 13 with a combined 6 games played on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Thursday and Saturday should be absolutely packed with 12 games on both nights (assuming no COVID postponements). Fairly even schedule across the board in terms of games played – no team plays 4 games, and all but 8 teams play 3 games next week. Buffalo is the lone team with 1 game, a matchup with San Jose. 

  • Monday – 1 Game
  • Tuesday – 8 Games
  • Wednesday – 2 Games
  • Thursday – 12 Games
  • Friday – 2 Games
  • Saturday – 12 Games
  • Sunday – 1 Game
Teams With 3 Games: ANA, ARI, BOS, CBJ, CGY, CHI, COL, DAL, DET, EDM, FLA, NJD, NSH, NYR, PHI, PIT, SJS, STL, TB, VGK
Team Of Interest | Nashville Predators (Strength of Schedule: -16) 
  • The Predators had the 6th best goal differential (+11) in the NHL during December, and the 5th best winning percentage (.773). 8-2-1 in their last 11 games played, and finally healthy, the Predators are a dangerous team right now. Nashville does have a favourable schedule for next week (-16) with games against Vegas, Los Angeles, and Arizona. The Preds lost 5-2 to Vegas on November 24th, but defeated the Kings 2-1 on October 19th (1 goal for Jeannot, 1 assist for Granlund, 1 assist for Carrier), and won 4-1 against Arizona on November 13th (4-point night for Josi, 2 assists for Tolvanen, 1 goal for Granlund). Players To Consider: Tanner Jeannot (33%), Ryan Johansen (37%), Eeli Tolvanen (24%), Mikael Granlund (56%), Alex Carrier (2%). 
Team Of Interest | Pittsburgh Penguins (Strength of Schedule: 2) 
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins had the best win percentage (.875) in the NHL during the month of December with a record of 7-1-0, and had a +13 goal differential (4th). The Pens have a fairly neutral schedule in terms of matchups for next week, facing off against the Blues, Flyers, and Stars. The Penguins beat the Flyers 3-2 in OT on November 4th – Jeff Carter scored and Danton Heinen had an assist. Pittsburgh lost to Dallas in a shootout on October 19th, but John Marino did score in that game and is readily available in virtually all leagues. Players To Consider: Jeff Carter (41%), Danton Heinen (4%), Kasperi Kapanen (19%), Evan Rodrigues (55%), Bryan Rust (64%), John Marino (3%).  
Team Of Interest | Vegas Golden Knights (Strength of Schedule: 4) 
  • The Vegas Golden Knights were the 6th best team in the NHL during December, in terms of win percentage (.769); but 1st in terms of wins (10-3-0). They’ve lost Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone to injury, but I like Vegas for the upcoming week based on their schedule (Vs.NSH, Vs.NYR, Vs.CHI); and the fact that they led the league in goals for during December with 57 (40 at even-strength). For DFS take a long look at the Marchessault – Karlsson – Smith line which has a 57 CF% and 7 goals scored over the last 10 games played. That line will be leaned on with no Pacioretty or Stone in the lineup. Players To Consider: Evgeny Dadonov (16%), Chandler Stephenson (80%), Nolan Patrick (2%), Reilly Smith (63%), Nicholas Roy (11%), Zach Whitecloud (10%), Laurent Brossoit (20%).
Teams With 2 Games: CAR, EDM, LAK, MIN, OTT, TOR, WPG, WSH
Team Of Interest | Washington Capitals (Strength of Schedule: +19) 
  • The Washington Capitals will face a couple tough teams next week in St. Louis and Minnesota. However, the Capitals are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games; and during the month of December are 9th in goals for (34, 3.4/GM), 5th in shot differential (+6.9/game), and have a .700 Win %! Players To Consider: Lars Eller (10%), Connor Sheary (10%), Connor McMichael (1%), Dimitry Orlov (63%), Vitek Vaneck (50%).
Team Of Interest | Winnipeg Jets (Strength of Schedule: -20) 
  • Among teams with 2 games on the schedule for next week, the Winnipeg Jets have one of the more favourable schedules with matchups against Arizona and Colorado. During December the Jets had the 7th ranked power play, +4 goal differential, and a .563 Win %. Players To Consider: Paul Stastny (8%), Josh Morrissey (49%), Nate Schmidt (33%), Cole Perfetti (2%).
Teams With 1 Game: BUF, SEA, VAN
Team Of Interest | Vancouver Canucks (Strength of Schedule: -41) 
  • The Vancouver Canucks have been nearly unstoppable under Bruce Boudreau, and have a very favourable strength of schedule for next week with 1 game against the Ottawa Senators. During the month of December, the Canucks were 5th in the league in terms of wins with 8 (8-1-1 record), and also posted a +14 goal differential. In the first matchup of the season series, the Vancouver Canucks gave the Senators a beatdown in a 6-2 win on December 1st. Alex Chiasson, Tyler Motte, and Tanner Pearson all scored in the first game of the season. Players To Consider: Tanner Pearson (6%), Nils Hoglander (10%), Vasily Podkolzin (4%), Tyler Motte (0%).
Teams With 0 Games: MTL, NYI

 

Edge Work | NHL Week 13 Waiver Wire Targets

Waiver wire targets will be focused on players with ownership ~50% or less. 

Top Waiver Wire Targets

📈 Tage Thompson (C), BUF | Rostered: 26% (Yahoo) | GP: 1 (Vs.SJS) | Line: 1 (w/ Skinner & Tuch, PP1) 
  • Tage Thompson is on-pace for 55 points, a career high, and has been given prime placement on the top line and top power play unit – 6 points (2 goals) in his past 6 games played. Thompson is also shooting a ton this season with 100 SOG in 33 games played (3.03 SOG/GM). 5V5 SH% (10.1%) and secondary assist % (50%) are both elevated, so expect some regression moving forward. Note, Buffalo plays just one game next week, so this pick may be more of a season-long option.   ALSO: Alex Tuch (29%), Jeff Skinner (6%)
📈 James Van Riemsdyk (LW), PHI | Rostered: 12% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@ANA, Vs.PIT, Vs.SJS) | Line: 1 (w/ Giroux & Atkinson, PP1) 
  • With recent news that Sean Couturier is on the shelf for the next few weeks, now would be a great time to grab JVR who on Thursday was practicing with Giroux and Atkinson. The former Leaf is starting to heat up with 7 Pts (5 G) in his last 10 GP. All of the underlying numbers suggest that serious positive regression is coming. 
📈 Anthony Duclair (C), FLA | Rostered: 52% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (Vs.CGY, @DAL, @CAR) | Line: 1 (w/ Bennett & Huberdeau, PP1) 
  • Duclair is having a career season with 22 points (12 goals) in 24 games – on-pace for 75 points. Duclair’s 24% shooting percentage is a concern, well above his 3-year average of 13.3%. However, playing alongside elite winger Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Bennett, as well as PP1, will certainly help to maintain Duclair’s production moving forward. Duclair has 10 points (4 goals) in his last 10 games played. 
📈 Corey Perry (LW/RW), TB | Rostered: 16% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@CBJ, Vs.CGY, Vs.Bos) | Line: 3 (w/ Maroon & Bellemare, PP2) 
  • Corey Perry has managed to stay productive late in his career, producing 10 points (5 goals) in his last 10 games played. Perry is shooting considerably more this season (2.2 SOG/GM) versus his 3 year average (1.5 SOG/GM), and chips in with PIMS (on-pace for 90) and hits (~1 hit/GM). A nice streaming option for next week with 3 games on the schedule (strength of schedule fairly neutral at 6, according to Left Wing Lock). ALSO: Ross Colton (11%) – 8 points (2 goals), 12 PIMS, 18 SOG, 29 Hits in his last 10 GP. Seeing time recently with Brayden Point and Alex Killorn, and they’ve been effective as a line.  
📈 Phil Kessel (RW), ARI | Rostered: 12% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (Vs.WPG, Vs.CHI, Vs.NSH) | Line: 2 (w/ Crouse & Larsson, PP1) 
  • Over the past 3 games, Kessel’s line with Lawson Crouse and Johan Larsson are tied for the most goals (4) in the NHL, have a 79.2 CF% and 66.7 GF%. Kessel specifically has been hot of late with 11 points (2 goals) over his last 10 GP! Kessel’s shot volume over the last 3 seasons has been consistent at just over 2 SOG/GM, but his individual shooting % is down at 7.6%, so there is potential for more goals moving forward. IPP (63.6%) and secondary assist % (37.5%), is also down slightly relative to the past few seasons. The only metric that is currently elevated is Kessel’s 5v5 SH% (11.6%). SEE ALSO: Lawson Crouse (7%). 
📈 Kailer Yamamoto (RW), EDM | Rostered: 5% (Yahoo) | GP: 2 (@NYR, @TOR) | Line: 2 (w/ Draisaitl & Nugent-Hopkins)
  • Kailer Yamamoto has struggled to produce offence since posting 26 points (11 goals) in 27 games in 2019-2020. However, Yamo has posted 5 points (2 goals) over the past 3 games playing in the top 6 alongside Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins; and does contribute hits (on-pace for 90+ this season). 
📈 Tanner Pearson (LW), VAN | Rostered: 5% (Yahoo) | GP: 1 (Vs.OTT) | Line: 2 (w/ Pettersson & Garland, PP2)
  • Pearson posted a Gordie Howe hat trick (1 goal, 1 assist, 1 fight) on Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken; and now has 6 points (2 goals) in his last 6 games. What’s interesting though is that Boudreau had Pearson playing with Elias Pettersson and Connor Garland on Saturday night (has generally played with Miller). That line played well – 1 goal, 60 CF%, 74.03 xGF%, and 5 scoring chances for (SCF), 0 scoring chances against. Pearson is shooting more this season (9.5 SOG/60) compared to last season (7.6 SOG/60), his shooting percentage (6.8%) is down compared to his 3-year average (10.2%); and his IPP is low at 48.4% – expect more offense moving forward. 
📈 Matt Roy (D), LAK | Rostered: 26% (Yahoo) | GP: 2 (Vs.NSH, Vs.DET) | Pair: 2 (w/ Wolanin) 
  • Matt Roy is a short-term streamer (plays second pair and no PP time), but he currently has 6 points in his last 10 games played, along with 29 SOG, 23 hits, 19 blocks, playing just shy of 21 minutes per game. 
📈 Adam Boqvist (D), CBJ | Rostered: 9% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@TB, @NJD, Vs.NJD) | Pair: 2 (w/ Gavrikov, PP2) 
  • The former Blackhawk missed 7 games at the end of October, but is on-pace for 45 points playing on the second pair in Columbus. Boqvist has already set a career high in goals with 7 through 20 games played; but with a shooting percentage over 28%, expect to see some regression there. Over his last 11 games played, Boqvist has posted 10 points and 6 goals, while seeing time on the power play (54% PP share). Columbus has a tough matchup with Tampa Bay, but then two possibly easier games against the New Jersey Devils, who the Blue Jackets beat 4-3 in a shootout on October 31st.  
📈 Noah Hanifin (D), CGY | Rostered: 7% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@FLA, @TB, @CAR) | Pair: 1 (w/ Andersson, PP2) 
  • Calgary has a TOUGH schedule next week (+33 strength of schedule) with road matchups against Tampa Bay, Florida, and Carolina (back-to-back). However, Noah Hanifin should garner some consideration given his level of offensive production over the past few weeks – 9 Points (3 G) in his last 12 GP. Hanifin did score against Carolina on December 9th, a 2-1 OT loss.  
📈 Zach Whitecloud (D), VGK | Rostered: 10% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (Vs.NSH, Vs.NYR, Vs.CHI) | Pair: 2 (w/ Theodore) 
  • As we mentioned earlier, Vegas was essentially the best team during the month of December in terms of wins and goals scored. Whitecloud is playing on the second pairing with Shea Theodore, has 5 points (2 goals) in his last 10 games played; and contributes in the hits and blocks categories. Likely just a streamer for deep leagues, but a player to consider given the level of success Vegas is experiencing currently. 
📈 Mark Giordano (D), SEA | Rostered: 45% (Yahoo) | GP: 1 (Vs.OTT) | Pair: 1 (w/ Oleksiak, PP1) 
  • Giordano is having a poor season by his standards (-11, on-pace for 33 points); but he is still being given prime deployment on the top pair and time on the power play (57.5% PP share to date). Just one game on the schedule for next week, but it is against Ottawa, which may help boost Giordano’s numbers. 

ALSO: Noah Dobson (19%) is someone you should really consider stashing for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, the Islanders do not play next week, but Dobson has been very impressive for the Isles since Dec. 4th. 9 points (4 goals), 26 S0G, 73% PP share, 22:29 ATOI in his last 10 GP. 

📈 Antti Raanta (G), CAR | Rostered: 25% (Yahoo) | GP: 2 (Vs.CGY, Vs.FLA) | Role: Backup (30% Net Share)
  • All fantasy hockey managers are well aware of the injury troubles that Antti Raanta has faced throughout his career; but when healthy, Raanta has shown flashes of brilliance. The former Coyote has a 5-2-1 record, along with a 2.08 GAA, .919 SV%, and 1 SO (26-save performance against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night). Carolina has a tough schedule for next week with matchups against the Flames and Panthers, but they’re on a back-to-back, so Raanta should see one start and could provide solid peripherals. 
📈 Laurent Brossoit (G), VGK | Rostered: 20% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (Vs.NSH, Vs.NYR, Vs.CHI) | Role: Backup (36% Net Share)
  • Brossoit was solid last season in Winnipeg (2.42 GAA, .918 SV%, 3.86 GSAA) and managed to cash in over the summer, signing a 2-year $2.3M contract with Vegas. Brossoit’s peripherals aren’t as impressive this season, but with a 7-3-0 record he is worth a stream or spot start. The former Jet has started 7 of the team’s last 10 games, monitor that situation moving forward. Brossoit’s PK SV% (.818) also suggests that we may see some positive regression. 

ALSO: Kaapo Kahkonen (18%), Martin Jones (21%), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (23%).


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