NHL Fantasy Up, Down, Left, Right, Start is not only a nod to the old Nintendo cheat codes, but also a (hopefully) helpful post to help you make some roster decisions with your fantasy hockey team(s). It will have information for both daily players and season-long players.
As always, based on roster sizes, number of teams, scoring categories, whether your league is a redraft, keeper or daily league, and various other factors, you should ultimately make your own call on these suggestions. These are simply here to make some daily decisions easier, and help you keep an eye on guys that might be on other owner’s radar.
Only players with a game today will be included in each post…helpful for daily players or anyone looking to get an extra body into your lineup.
There will also be a notes section at the bottom of this post with any notable fantasy news for tonight’s games updated throughout the day.
As always, feel free to ask me any fantasy related questions you might have by leaving a comment, or reaching out to me on Twitter.
Tonight’s NHL Games:
CHI @ STL
MON @ CGY
OTT @ LAK
UP
A player that is owned in around 1/3rd or less of public online leagues, but should be on your radar. Keep an eye on these guys going forward. Not necessarily a daily play yet, but don’t be afraid to scoop him up if he has a few more good games.
Source: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
Mark Giordano – CGY – Owned: 28% Yahoo!; 92% ESPN.
His ownership in ESPN leagues has shot up 62% in the last couple of days, but I would wait just a little bit longer on Giordano. His last couple of seasons haven’t been especially great, but he’s off to a great start this season with four points in three games. Most Flames players should be avoided, but a D-man that can give you numbers across the board should certainly be on your radar. ..if you can take the plus/minus hit.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP : vs MTL. Career vs opponent: 1 goal, 2 points in 8 games.
Rene Bourque – MON - Owned: 2% Yahoo!; 3% ESPN.
Bourque seems to be a forgotten fantasy player, but he’s a guy that has scored 0.53 points-per-game over his career, including 27 goals and 58 points with the Flames in ’09-’10. He’s currently on a line with Plekanec and Gionta, so there’s a little bit of talent around him. He already has a PPG and two points in two games to start the season . Given his ownership numbers, you can probably wait a bit to scoop him up, but certainly keep an eye on him to see how his next few games go.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP : at CGY. Career vs opponent: 1 goal, 3 points in 8 games.
DOWN
A player that is likely owned in most leagues, but is likely to fall. Players here are likely to fall into the “sell-high” category. Could still be a daily play, but proceed with caution if you have better options.
Jason Spezza – OTT – Owned: 98% Yahoo!; 100% ESPN.
Here we go… Spezza might sit out tonight’s game with a lingering groin issue. Spezza was likely a bargain pick in your league (I have him in a few), and if he could stay healthy, he would be a great source of points. However, it just doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case. It looks like he’ll be a lock to, once again, miss at least a dozen games throughout the year.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP : at LAK. Career vs opponent: 1 goal, 4 points in 8 games.
Jake Muzzin – LAK - Owned: 37% Yahoo!; 59% ESPN.
Muzzin was the hot fantasy FA at one point last season and he rewarded his owners… for a short period of time. Overall, in 45 games, Muzzin had only 16 points. Not horrible, but nothing you can’t find elsewhere. His start to this season has been okay, fantasy wise, unless you look at the plus/minus (-5 in three games). Unfortunately for fantasy coaches, NHL coaches frown upon D-men turning the puck over a lot, so Muzzin could find himself benched for some games if he doesn’t improve.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP : vs LAK. Career vs opponent: N/A
LEFT
A player who’s ownership has likely risen in the last few days, but should ideally be left for someone else. Decent short-term pickups if needed for tonight’s games, but don’t expect much over a full season.
Lars Eller – MON – Owned: 56% Yahoo!; 93% ESPN – 86% increase.
This is one of those where you have to take your type of league into consideration. If you’re in a dynasty/keeper league, then Eller is obviously worth adding. However, in redraft leagues, you might want to leave him for someone else. While he’s off to a flying start with three goals and two assists in two games, he’s playing on what is basically the Habs’ third line with two other young players. The slumps will come this season, and they may last for awhile during some stretches.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP : at CGY. Career vs opponent: 3 goals, 4 points in 5 games.
Niklas Hjalmarsson - CHI – Owned: 16% Yahoo!; 29% ESPN – 26% increase.
Hjalmarsson has gotten off to a great and his ownership numbers have increased drastically in the last couple of days. While his three assists in two games puts him on pace for 123 points over a full season, when you consider he has a total of 59 points in 308 career games, with 17 points being the most he’s scored in a season, I’d let someone else grab him
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP : at STL. Career vs opponent: 0 goals, 3 points in 22 games.
RIGHT
A player who’s ownership has likely risen in the last few days, and if he’s still available, you’d do well to pick him up right now and start him tonight!
Source: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
Derek Roy - STL – Owned: 24% Yahoo!; 21% ESPN – 4% increase.
Roy is a player who has the talent to put up big numbers, and playing in the high-powered Blues offense will only help that. He’s been centering a line with Brenden Morrow and Chris Stewart which isn’t too shabby for a third line. If he could work his way into top-6 minutes, his value would increase even more, but as it is a 55 point season is likely.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP : at CHI. Career vs opponent: 1 goals, 6 points in 10 games.
START
This will be a list of confirmed starting goalies for today’s games, with my ranking for each. Check back often for an updated list of confirmed starters.
Rankings are based on a number of factors including strength of opponent, recent play, likelihood to put up good numbers (35 saves with 3 goals against is sometimes better than 17 saves with 1 goal against), win probability, and other factors. Take your league scoring into consideration when choosing between two closely rated goalies.
* = probable
** = not confirmed
Craig Anderson - at Los Angeles
**Jonathan Quick – vs Ottawa
Jaroslav Halak – vs Chicago
Carey Price – at Calgary
Corey Crawford – at St. Louis
Joey MacDonald – vs Montreal
NOTES
Updated throughout the day with any significant fantasy news.
- Max Pacioretty should return to Montreal’s lineup tonight after missing Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury.
- Jay Bouwmeester missed practice with the Blues this morning but will be in the lineup tonight.
- It has been confirmed that Jason Spezza will be out tonight.
Carlos Figueiredo
NHL Rankings & Content Editor
Dynasty Sports Empire
@SpeakoftheDevs
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