Should Slafkovsky Have Gone to the World Juniors? Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk1MjA2NDY3MDc3Mjg1NjAy/usatsi_19660105.jpg] Last week, I noted the schedule was about to get weird, and here we are with the Flyers playing five (!) games this week. Due to the holiday on Monday in the U.S. for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 22 teams will be in action. That includes the Flyers, who play back-to-back with travel on Monday and Tuesday, and then another back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, again with travel. It’s good that Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson have been playing so well, and the Flyers are undeniably in a groove right now, with seven wins in their past eight games. When you’re rolling, you don’t want to stop playing to disrupt the rhythm, so there’s a chance the Flyers roll in a few more wins this week, especially after hosting the Ducks on Tuesday and Blackhawks on Thursday. The laggards will be the Canes and Rangers, who play twice this week with a three-day break for the Canes until their first game on Thursday, and then a three-day break for the Rangers following their Thursday game against the Bruins. Given the holiday on Monday, the 11 games scheduled will be the third-most busy day of the week. With a packed Monday and Tuesday being busy, nine teams play back-to-back to start the week. Due to the games being so tightly packed to start the week, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday will see only 12 games. Here’s your Week 15 schedule breakdown. Legend: P% = season points percentage Opp. P% = opponents’ season points percentage Diff. = difference between P% and Opp. P% Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. 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/MTk1MjA2NTE1MTI3MjMxNjg3/week-15.png] TOP 10 WEEKLY BANGERS (< 50 PERCENT ROSTERED ON YAHOO, ON TEAMS WITH AT LEAST FOUR GAMES THIS WEEK): BLOCKED SHOTS (BKS/GP): 1. undefined 2. undefined 3. undefined 4. undefined 5. undefined 6. undefined 7. undefined 8. undefined 9. undefined 10. undefined HITS (HITS/GP): 1. undefined 2. undefined 3. undefined 4. undefined 5. undefined 6. undefined 7. undefined 8. undefined 9. undefined 10. undefined GOALIES: CARTER HART AND SAMUEL ERSSON, FLYERS They will be popular streaming options this week with five games on tap and three opponents – Hawks, Ducks, Wings – whom they have a pretty good chance of beating, given their recent roll. One of the bonuses over the past two weeks has been the Flyers’ scoring. They scored at least three goals in all seven wins in the past eight games. They’re getting outshot as usual, but they’ve been good at finishing their scoring chances, and their goaltending has been excellent. CASEY DESMITH, PENGUINS That DeSmith was pulled and briefly looked like he was going to lose the starts to Dustin Tokarski is a pretty good indicator of DeSmith’s ability. He’s a very average backup who has not been able to sustain a high level of play, and it’s tempting to stream him because the Pens can still be a really good team. That temptation will rear its ugly head again this week with no return date set for Tristan Jarry just yet. Fantasy managers might get one more quality start from DeSmith on Monday against the Ducks, but then it’s a home-and-home against the Sens and then a road visit against the Devils, who’ve already beaten the Pens this season. It might be best to avoid this situation entirely because there’s no telling how good DeSmith will be from game to game. ANTTI RAANTA, HURRICANES Well, it looked like he could’ve been the odd man out. Frederik Andersen started two straight games, both wins, and then Pyotr Kochetkov drew the Canucks on Sunday but lost. However, according to Kevin Weekes [https://twitter.com/KevinWeekes/status/1614798680347004930?s=20&t=WcFQQbuizLDIhxi2maprIQ], Kochetkov could be going to the minors. It makes the most logical sense since he does not require waivers, and he’ll get more regular playing time in the AHL. So, Andersen-Raanta will be your Canes battery going forward, with Andersen likely being the starter. Kochetkov may return sooner than later in case of injury and especially once the playoffs roll around, but it’s probably safe to drop him at this point. MARTIN JONES, KRAKEN Last week: “I don’t trust Jones but I do think the Kraken’s balanced offense can overcome a lot of their weaknesses… to pick up wins. Roster Jones, be careful with the starts and cross your fingers.” This week: “Same.” The Kraken just pulled a historic 7-0-0 road trip, yet Jones’ save percentage for the season remains below .900. Jones is somehow 3-2-1 when he allows five (!) or more goals. It’s absurd Jones can win these games, let alone have a winning record, thanks to the Kraken’s second-ranked offense by goals-for per game. Compare that to a much better goalie on a good team with trouble scoring goals, such as Alexandar Georgiev on the Avs. They rank 24th in GF/GP and are 0-3-0 when Georgiev allows five goals and 1-4-2 when he allows four goals. Start Jones for the wins, but avert your eyes. ERIC COMRIE, SABRES Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made the most logical sense to demote because of his age and waiver eligibility, and he’ll get even more playing time in the AHL, but it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of him. Comrie looked like he may be the 1A going into the season, but an injury and lackluster play contrasted with Anderson’s strong season (.921 SP) means Comrie will be the backup. He admittedly had a tough assignment in his first start in nearly two months against the Kraken, but he faced only 22 shots and allowed four goals. The Sabres are basically the Kraken of the East (and vice versa) because they’re high-scoring teams that can consistently win games, even if they allow more than three or four goals. In fantasy terms, it means wins for goalies at a huge cost to your team GAA and SP. SHORT-TERM STREAMERS (< 50 PERCENT ROSTERED ON YAHOO): JUUSO PARSSINEN, C, PREDATORS He’s on a six-game point streak and finds himself back atop the depth chart at center. Ryan Johansen doesn’t offer top-end offense, and they’re already thin at center, which means as long as Parssinen scores, he will stay in that spot. The Preds aren’t particularly good at scoring, which forces John Hynes to mix it up once in a while, so it prevents Parssinen from being a longer-term hold. Take note in banger leagues – Parssinen is a big Finnish center on an 82-game pace for 49 points and 164 hits. Last season, only eight forwards finished the season with at least 45 points and 100 hits: Forsberg, DeBrincat, Hertl, Barbashev, Dubois, Eriksson Ek, Bennett and Benn. Parssinen has immense upside and should be a good sleeper pick next season. KLIM KOSTIN, LW/RW, OILERS Kostin is playing very well, with a three-game goal streak on the third line. Taking Zach Hyman off the top line and playing Dylan Holloway with Connor McDavid has produced some nice results, but Evander Kane is coming back soon. That will cause another lineup shuffle, especially in the top six. When Kostin doesn’t score, he at least provides high-volume hits, which should help him retain some fantasy value if he gets dropped on the depth chart. MID-TERM HOLDS (< 50 PERCENT ROSTERED ON YAHOO): SCOTT LAUGHTON, C/LW, FLYERS Laughton scored five points in two games against the Caps, and when he’s not scoring, he’s providing a steady diet of shots, faceoff wins and blocks. He’s rostered in just 22 percent of Yahoo leagues and, along with Travis Konecny, represent the Flyers’ two best multi-category fantasy options. SAM STEEL, C/LW, WILD Since Dec. 1, Steel has scored 16 points in 21 games playing on the first line with Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild have steadfastly refused to stack their top line and prefer to use Joel Eriksson Ek in certain situations. He is still, by far, their best center, but the team can benefit when both of their top forwards play on separate lines. That means Steel reaps the benefits at 5-on-5, and it seems like he will continue to do so until the rest of the season. MATTY BENIERS, C, KRAKEN (54 PERCENT ROSTERED) The Kraken offense is in a groove, and Beniers has been excellent, scoring six goals in seven games. Their glut of wingers ensures he’ll always have good players to play with. (This also applies to Yanni Gourde and Alex Wennberg). Scoring, however, can come and go. In November, they scored eight goals twice, and in December, they scored two goals or less in seven games. They’re pouring it in right now, which means Beniers demands your attention, but beyond that, he’s put himself in a position to be an excellent keeper. His ice time will surely increase, and he’s already proven he can score and win faceoffs despite being a rookie.
