Ryan Kennedy and Mike Stephens provide an instant reaction to the Roope Hintz extension. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk0MjMyMTY1ODI1NzgzNDcz/usatsi_19527519.jpg] The league takes a bit of a breather with six teams playing just twice this week, and only nine teams are playing back-to-backs. Usually Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are packed with games, but it’s a little more spread out this week with a minimum of five games and a maximum of 10 games on any given day. The busiest day is actually Friday rather than Saturday. This means fantasy managers don’t have to scramble for waiver-wire pickups during the week and can afford to take a wait-and-see approach and pick their spots when it comes to streaming players. As usual, there are plenty of options below for banger leagues and other under-the-radar options. Note also that the Bruins and Knights face each other twice this week on Monday and Friday, while the Pens and Sabres play a back-to-back, home-and-home set on Friday and Saturday. The Bruins rank No. 1 on the schedule matrix, but fantasy managers should look at players on the Avs instead who, aside from hosting the Bruins on Wednesday, face a relatively easy schedule. Legend: P% = season points percentage Opp. P% = opponents’ season points percentage Diff. = difference between P% and Opp. P% Green is good. Red is bad. All advanced stats courtesy naturalstatrick.com [http://www.naturalstattrick.com/]. All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo fantasy. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk0MjQxMjcxNDI0ODg2Mjc3/week-9.png] TOP 10 WEEKLY BANGER PICKS (< 50 PERCENT ROSTERED ON YAHOO, ON TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES THIS WEEK): Blocked Shots (BkS/GP): 1. Alec Martinez, D, VEG (4.23) 2. Chris Tanev, D, CGY (2.42) 3. Josh Brown, D, ARI (2.32) 4. Brayden McNabb, D, VEG (2.19) 5. Dylan Samberg, D, WPG (2.12) 6. Vladislav Gavrikov, D, CLB (2.09) 7. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, PHI (2.06) 8. Andrew Peeke, D, CLB (2.00) 9. J.J. Moser, D, ARI (1.95) 10. Nicklas Jensen, D, WSH (1.92) Hits (Hits/GP): 1. Nicolas Deslauriers, LW, PHI (4.32) 2. Garnet Hathaway, RW, WSH (3.81) 3. Zack MacEwen, RW, PHI (3.70) 4. Liam O’Brien, LW/RW, ARI (3.41) 5. Keegan Kolesar, RW, VEG (3.29) 6. Martin Fehervary, D, WSH (3.19) 7. Noel Acciari, C/LW, STL (3.13) 8. T.J. Oshie, RW, WSH (2.93) 9. Brenden Dillon, D, WPG (2.91) 10. Connor Clifton, D, BOS (2.78) GOALIES: SPENCER MARTIN, CANUCKS For approximately the next six weeks, Martin will be the Canucks’ starter with Thatcher Demko sidelined with a knee injury. Martin had started to take a big chunk of the playing time since Demko had struggled all season, and now he’s firmly in the driver’s seat. Collin Delia will be the backup, but considering that his NHL track record is rather spotty and that the Canucks seem intent on being in the playoff race, it’s unlikely Delia will see much ice time. The Canucks offense is (usually) good enough to provide Martin with good goal support, so expect a few wins even if the peripherals won’t be very good. PYOTR KOCHETKOV, HURRICANES It's a little baffling that he’s so widely available in Yahoo leagues (only 35 percent rostered) considering he’s the starter for such a good team. The Canes ran into a bit of trouble in late November because they couldn’t score, but they’ve now ripped off four straight wins with 10 goals scored in their past two games. Analytically, the Canes are one of the best teams in both possession and expected goals, which means the goals might start really pouring in. Kochetkov's quickly climbing the ranks and should be rostered in all leagues. JOONAS KORPISALO, BLUE JACKETS In the words of Michael Scott, “well, well, well, how the turntables…” It was Elvis Merzlikins’ net at the beginning of the season, but his struggles and an injury have paved the way for Korpisalo to see much more playing time. The Jackets are competitive but not experienced or talented enough to win many games, but they can occasionally pull off some upset wins and at least keep games close. Depending on the matchup, that makes Korpisalo a streaming option to consider, and both Korpisalo and Merzlikins are expected to play with a back-to-back and then a juicy matchup against the Kings on Sunday. STUART SKINNER, OILERS Skinner was supposed to be Jack Campbell’s understudy, but patience is running low. Despite being rostered in just over half of all Yahoo leagues, it’s time that everyone just gets on the bandwagon. Skinner has won three straight starts – albeit a little shaky and, surprise, needed the Oilers offense to bail him out – but the key is that at least he’s getting to start. With the Caps and Coyotes coming up, these should be easy wins for Skinner, and the more he plays and the more he wins, the fewer chances Campbell will get a chance to get back on track. This season has felt a little long already even though we’re barely into December, but it’s about time fantasy managers might really need to cut Campbell loose for other options. Swapping Campbell for Kochetkov (above), for example, would be a great move. DAN VLADAR, FLAMES Backups are a theme this year. Jacob Markstrom has struggled, but the Flames’ goalie situation isn’t nearly as dire as their provincial neighbor’s. Vladar is coming off two straight wins and started four of their past six contests. Big roster changes inevitably lead to some growing pains, but the Flames have been extraordinarily streaky for certain stretches this season. Markstrom’s struggles aren’t exactly an anomaly, either – he’s struggled in Vancouver in the past, but he’s also always managed to right the ship at a certain point. Markstrom is worth holding more so than Campbell, but in the meantime, rostering Vladar as an insurance policy isn’t a bad idea. MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD, DEVILS A bit of a weird situation on Yahoo where Blackwood is no longer listed on IR even though he is on Cap Friendly. It’s fine if your league has IR+ spots, but I’ve scoured the web and there’s also been no official release that Blackwood has been activated. He’s been skating with the team, but that doesn’t automatically mean he’s healthy or otherwise not on IR. Either way, he’s expected to return soon, but one would think Vitek Vanecek is the established No. 1 and that Blackwood would serve as the backup while Akira Schmid returns to the AHL. SHORT-TERM STREAMERS (< 50 PERCENT ROSTERED ON YAHOO): KASPERI KAPANEN, RW, PENGUINS Do I trust Kapanen? Definitely not. But it’s noteworthy that two goals were scored on the power play in his hat-trick performance against the Blues, and despite limited ice time, he's really racking up the shots and hits. Sure, it may have been the “easiest hat trick in history,” according to Kapanen himself, but he wouldn’t be getting those chances if he wasn’t in the right spots and in the lineup. At his best, Kapanen can be a Jason Zucker-type with his scoring ability and physical play, but he’s just far too inconsistent. He hasn’t seen much time on the PP overall, but the Pens are trying to get something going since their top unit has struggled, and perhaps this will give Mike Sullivan a little more impetus to play him. I’d be wary of Kapanen because he’s been a tease too many times in the past, but this is a step in the right direction, and the Pens face leaky defenses against Columbus and Buffalo coming up. MID-TERM HOLDS (< 50 PERCENT ROSTERED ON YAHOO): MATTY BENIERS, C, KRAKEN Beniers is back on the fantasy radar with five goals in his past six games. He now has 21 points in 24 games, living up to the hype as one of the challengers for the Calder. The Kraken’s lack of depth down the middle affords Beniers a lot of playing time, not to mention that his game is much more mature and well-rounded than most of his peers. When Beniers is on a hot streak, he’s certainly worth rostering considering the Kraken have become one of the best offensive teams in the league. Two words of caution, however – center tends to be a deep position so Beniers may not be a long-term hold unless he keeps this up, and note the Kraken’s shooting percentage is over 13 percent and currently the highest in the cap era. Some regression is likely in the works even with the league-wide increase in scoring rates. DYLAN COZENS, C, SABRES Cozens has been spectacular for the Sabres over the past week or so with five goals and five assists over his past six games. It certainly helps that rookie Jack Quinn has been staying in the lineup and is also playing well, forcing the Sabres to break away from the rotation that included Peyton Krebs and Rasmus Asplund. Coach Don Granato also seems to have found a winning combo too, with Cozens between Quinn and fellow rookie JJ Peterka. According to moneypuck.com, the young trio has an expected goals percentage of 58.3 percent and 4.72 expected goals per 60 minutes, which is significantly higher than Tage Thompson’s line at 48 percent in expected goals percentage and 3.19 expected goals per 60. The Sabres may not be good at defending, but they certainly can score, and in deeper leagues, Cozens is quickly becoming a very good under-the-radar option. J.T. COMPHER, C/RW, AVALANCHE Compher’s usage has ratcheted up since Evan Rodrigues was injured, and he had a four-point night against the Sabres while winning 21 (!) faceoffs. Expect his heavy usage to continue – he’ll get at least 19 minutes per night in all situations, and he’s a great short-term roto league asset given he can win so many faceoffs from RW. It’s a relatively soft schedule, too, with the Rangers, Blues and Flyers coming up. LONG-TERM ROSTERS (< 50 PERCENT ROSTERED ON YAHOO): ANTHONY CIRELLI, C/LW, LIGHTNING If you stashed Cirelli all season, congratulations, you were awarded a two-assist effort in his season debut. The Lightning sorely missed his presence, and it also allows a lot more flexibility in their lineup. The Lightning have been good enough to afford to ease Cirelli back into the lineup, and despite starting on a line with Vladislav Namestnikov and Ross Colton, it’s reasonable to expect him to move into the top six at some point. The main impediment may be Nick Paul, who’s played very well as their 2C with Steven Stamkos on the wing. Cirelli is not on either PP unit at this point but that may change, but as a C/LW eligible player, there’s already a lot of value in his faceoff wins.
