Three blueliners to target, two to avoid as the NHL enters it's final week of the regular season
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0 games on Friday, April 10
I debated what to write about with no games Friday and 15 on Saturday. Where I landed is to note some recent blueliner trends. At first, I looked at just the last 14 days, but I expanded the parameters to look at a defenseman's last 13 games. Initially, I selected 20 games, but I felt that went too far back and the data would be more germane for a more recent period, approximately the past month.
QuantHockey does a great job of consolidating data, link below, allowing you to view stats for a period of time. I picked the last four weeks, which has been anywhere from 12-15 contests for blueliners. I utilized the data and presenting a few bullets to keep in mind as the season enters the final week:
- Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh) has been the league's best scoring blueliner in this stretch, two points ahead of Adam Fox. After two subpar seasons, EK65 has already exceeded his point total from each of those campaigns, helping the surprising Penguins clinch a playoff spot. Karlsson is now 66 points shy of 1,000 in his Hall of Fame career.
- Fox continues to be ripped by the Rangers' faithful and a darling of the advanced metrics group. Despite the poor play in front of him, Fox, when healthy, has had a brilliant campaign. His 20 points (10 on the power play) the past 14 games moved Fox into the point-per-game category with nine goals and 43 helpers in 52 appearances.
- Charle-Edouard D'Astous who? Victor Hedman's absence created the need for another blueliner besides Darren Raddysh to step up his game. D'Astous' scoring pace has slowed recently, but he still has 10 points his last 15 contests. Keep rolling D'Astous out there, especially if his DFS price is cheap.
- On the flip side, Jordan Spence (Ottawa) raised his game when Jake Sanderson and/or Thomas Chabot was sidelined. Both Sanderson and Chabot now are back in action, reducing the need for Spence's offensive production. Spence still will be relied on, but his offensive pace - 10 points his last 15 games - is likely to slow.
- Noah Dobson has had a brilliant first season in Montreal but he is limping to the finish. Dobson endured a seven-game pointless streak before notching a helper Tuesday and posted just five points his last 15 appearances. With 12 goals and 35 apples, Dobson has been a great complement to Lane Hutson, but his slump means you may need to look elsewhere the last week of the season.
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