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huggybug · 2 years

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nhl teams graded on attractiveness by me, a self-proclaimed judge of all hot men

ana: B+

strongest contributors: trevor zegras, jamie drysdale

despite losing josh manson (he’s in a better place now <3) they are a solid team but there’s definitely room to improve.

ari: F

there’s is literally nobody who contributes to the hotness of this team

bos: B

strongest contributors: charlie coyle, matt grzelcyk

knowing absolutely nothing about anyone really on this team, they’re a very (slightly above) average looking team

buf: C+

strongest contributors: owen power, dylan cozens, tage thompson

there’s a few that bring the average down but overall, not bad

cgy: B

strongest contributors: matthew tkachuk, elias lindholm

look, they might not be everyone’s favourite but i think the main group of guys are all cute. however marks taken off because most of them are married i think

car: C

strongest contributors: andrei svechnikov

almost all of them look like different variations of the same average looking man

chi: B-

strongest contributors: kirby dach

honourable mention to dylan strome.

col: A+

strongest contributors: everyone except jack johnson

this one doesn’t even need an explanation

cbj: A-

strongest contributors: nick blankenburg, boone jenner, cole sillinger

their original mark was B- but then i watched that new video and bumped them up. they fly under the radar (literally because i sometimes forget they’re a team) but they’re surprisingly good looking

dal: D

strongest contributors: tyler seguin, roope hintz

i’m just not interested in them tbh

det: D-

strongest contributors: mo seider, lucas raymond

this is very generous of me

edm: D

strongest contributors: leon draisaitl, dylan holloway

these two are the only attractive ones, there’s a couple others who aren’t bad looking but… let’s just say i feel bad for oilers fans

fla: C-

strongest contributors: ben chiarot, gustav forsling

i actually got bored while i was looking through their roster photos

lak: C

strongest contributors: alex turcotte, alex iafallo

there’s a couple other decent ones but meh

min: B

strongest contributors: matt boldy, tyson jost

literally a 50/50 split. they do have potential though and the boldy/josty duo really bumps up their mark

mtl: C+

strongest contributors: josh anderson, nick suzuki, cole caufield

they kinda look like soccer players also why does cole look 12 in his headshot

nsh: C-

strongest contributors: roman josi

josi carries. they aren’t bad but also not amazing

njd: A

strongest contributors: jack hughes, ty smith, nico hischier

they have a few cute guys but then the rest are just meh. i feel like there’s a lot of old guys so that brings them down too

nyi: C

strongest contributors: anthony beauvillier, matt martin

they seem very old. if tito leaves, their mark is taking a serious hit

nyr: D-

strongest contributors: braden schneider, dryden hunt?

i actually can’t stand them so yeah😐

ott: D+

strongest contributors: josh norris, tim stützle

i literally know like 5 people on this team. they’re not bad though, honestly was pleasantly surprised when i looked at their roster

phi: F

strongest contributors: carter hart

sorry gingers just aren’t my type

pit: B

strongest contributors: sidney crosby, richard rakell, john marino

they collectively give off dilf energy and i kinda love them for it

sjs: D+

strongest contributors: thomas bordeleau, william ekland, jasper weatherby

not even bordy can save them. i don’t know anyone else on this team and i don’t think i want to anyway

sea: B+

strongest contributors: jordan eberle, matty beniers, haydn fleury

this one feels controversial but i think for the most part, they’re a fairly attractive team

stl: D-

strongest contributors: jordan kyrou

kyrou is the only one i can stand on this team and even that is being nice

tbl: D-

strongest contributors: ross colton, brandon hagel

tor: D-

strongest contributors: mitch marner

this one is actually shocking, maybe if they had cuter players they’d do better in the playoffs

van: A-

strongest contributors: quinn hughes, elias pettersson, brock boeser, nils höglander

they hold a special place in my heart (would be A+ but tyler myers and brad hunt)

vgk: F

strongest contributors: brendan brisson

i think bren might be the only attractive one?

wsh: D-

strongest contributors: tom wilson

honourable mention to dilf tj oshie because i believe he’s a girl dad??

wpg: D+

strongest contributors: pierre luc dubois, nikolaj ehlers, blake wheeler

i thought pld would be the only one so props to them.

#don’t come at me pls #this is a JOKE #but also come argue with me if u disagree #team grades

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ilyasorokinn · 3 years

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(day 10) baby’s first christmas , frederik andersen

note, this fic is part of my 14 days of christmas. check out this masterlist if you're interested. none of these fics in this series are connected, they are all standalone. this fic is part of the “andersen adventures” series. check out this masterlist for the rest of that series if you're interested. another note, with the timeline of this story, this fic takes place while fred is in toronto. pair, frederik andersen x reader summary, y/n and freddie spend their first christmas as parents with little baby elias. warnings, a baby word count, 1135 words

(gif not mine)

"And this is where we're gonna open gifts tomorrow. We got you some but you're still too little to understand what all this means." You walked Elias around your living room where Christmas decorations were covering the room floor to ceiling.

"This is your stocking, with the E right next to Jasper's. And you know? Santa's gonna come down the chimney, and your gonna get all the treats and toys." Elias giggled, bringing a smile to your face.

Fred stood in the doorway of the living room, watching you point to every little detail around the room with excitement while Elias looked around with curiosity.

"Daddy probably thinks I'm crazy cause your still too little to know what all of this means and you probably won't remember what any of this means, but I've waited my whole life for this." You whispered, kissing the crown of his head.

Fred's heart melted at the scene. The woman he loved cradling the child he loved to her chest. It was a scene he wouldn't soon forget.

His heart sank when he realized he would have to disturb the scene in front of him, "I hate to break this scene up, I really do, but it's time to get Little E to bed." Fred announced.

You turned to him with a pout, "It's so early."

"You know as well as I do that if he stays up any later it's gonna mess up his sleep schedule, and mess up our's," Fred smirked.

"Fine." You held him close to your chest, before making your way up the stairs and up to his room, "Come on, Jas." You hollered. Fred heard Jasper's quick feet following after you as he sprinted up the stairs. He chuckled to himself but followed after you.

The next morning Fred woke up before you. He stretched out his limbs before reaching over and turning off the baby monitor. He could hear Elias fussing and didn't want to wake you up, so he decided to take morning duty.

He climbed out of bed and made his way down the hallway towards Elias' room. The moment the baby saw the door open, he began wiggling around in his crib, "There's my boy." Fred beamed, picking up the baby and cradling him in his arms.

"Did you sleep well this morning?" Elias responded by reaching up and tugging on Fred's hair, "Okay, let's not pull." He laughed, removing Elias' hand from his hair, "Why don't we go get some breakfast?" He pressed a kiss to the boy's face as he walked out of the baby's room and down the hall towards the kitchen.

As he began cooking the pancakes, he heard you come down the stairs, Jasper following after you, "There she is. Our favorite lady." He sang.

"I didn't hear him wake up." You rubbed your eyes.

"It's cause I turned off the baby monitor. Wanted to let you sleep." He smirked.

"Thank you." You smiled, pouring yourself a mug of coffee, "Do you need help with anything?" You asked.

"Nope, nope." Fred immediately shook his head and pushed you out of the kitchen, "You go to the living room, take Eli with you. Start a Christmas movie or something."

"Okay, okay." You laughed, raising your hands in surrender, "Come on, E." You picked up Elias and carried him to the living room, mug of coffee in hand.

After breakfast was digested and both Jasper and Elias were fed, it was time for presents. You both helped Jasper and Elias open their gifts, "Look at that, Eli."

He picked up the toy truck that Mitch and Steph got him, "You like trucks." He played around with the truck a little while Fred searched the tree for the next gift.

When he finally found it, he sat back on the ground behind Elias after setting the gift in front of the baby, "Come on. Rip this part." You told him.

Elias reached forward and tried to rip off the paper. He messed up a few times, but eventually got the gift unwrapped. He let out a screech when he finally saw what was wrapped up.

He loved stuffed animals, and his favorite animal were bears, so you gifted him a stuffed Carlton. He pulled the bear out and hugged it to his chest, "You like it?" You beamed.

He responded with noises of excitement and joy, which were all good signs, "I take it he does." Fred laughed.

"That's good." You surveyed the damage of all the toys all your friends and family had gotten for your son, "I think we all might've gone a little overboard." Fred nodded in agreement, "Anyways, I think it's time for our firstborn."

Fred smiled, whistling, "Jas!" Jasper sprinted into the living room at the sound of his name and the whistle. Jasper ran over excitedly and began jumping around and licking everyone's face. He paid special attention to Elias and licked all around Elias' face, causing the little boy to giggle.

"All right, that's enough, silly boy." You picked him up and pressed a kiss to the dog's head. You held him in your arms, as Fred pulled out the first gift, "Who's it from?" You asked.

"From Zeus." Fred made quick work of pulling the tissue paper out of the bag to reveal a new toy.

"Oh, my goodness, Jas." You gasped in your baby/dog voice, "A new toy?"

Jasper wiggled around in your arms before you set him down, "Okay, okay, calm down." You both laughed. He picked up the toy and squeezed it and the toy squeaked.

"Okay, Jas, next toy. Who's this one from?"

"Pablo." Jasper ripped the wrapping paper off the toy with his teeth and let out a happy bark when he sniffed around and realized it was his favorite snack.

You finished opening the rest of the gifts until your living room was covered in nothing but wrapping paper and toys for both babies and dogs.

"Well, that was fun." You stated as you surveyed the damage.

"Tons." Fred nodded, "I think it's time for Mr. Elias to go down for a nap."

You pouted as Fred picked up Elias, who was still clutching his stuffed Carlton, and watched as he carried the baby up the stairs to his room, "Well, looks like it's just you and me, Jas." You sighed, looking over at your dog, who looked just as sad to see his human companion leave.

After Elias was down for his nap, you and Fred worked on cleaning the living room. Once everything was clean, you settled on the couch with some leftover pancakes as you watched Christmas movies.

"Merry Christmas." Fred smiled, pressing a kiss to your head.

"Merry Christmas." You smiled, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

ynandersen

Liked by frederikandersen31, williamnylander and 34,2047 others

ynandersen a very merry christmas and a happy holidays from the andersen family.

tagged: @/frederikandersen31

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frederikandersen31 the best christmas yet ❤️

canesfan i love this family so much no joke.

frederikandersen31

Liked by ynandersen, canes and 39,395 others

frederikandersen31 the best christmas present ever.

tagged: @/ynandersen

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ynandersen fred 🥺

caneswags little eli is too cute 😭

my taglist: @brandtsclarke @jackydrury @joelsfarabees @fallinallincurls @puckinrightschicagoo @tysonjost-taylorsversion @Besthockeyfics @boqvistsbabe @joshsandersons @stars-canucks @mitch-slap @iwantahockeyhimbo @blondiekook @2manytabsopen @lady-laura-speaks @kapriz0v @youngbeezer @bb-nhlqueen7 @heatherawoowoo @hockeyunits @rosesvioletshardy @thescooby-gang @nilspettersson @mattyskies @ggggmoneyyyy @voidohanax @4ambagelbites @lovethepreds @colecauliflower @eve132 @ciziikas @monamourthings-blog @juliasvechaho @x-a-v20x @bandit-of-marshmallows @satanxklaus @himbobimboeater @paintlavillered @itssophlouise @lam-ila @HockeyJedi13 @barzysandhughesbab @Kidlnthedark @drysdaleseyes @duhaimes @kermits-fat-cock @drei-mrssvechii @raysofcrosby

add yourself to my taglist!

taylor’s 14 days of christmas masterlist!

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eliaselliot-blog · 7 years

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♔ LOCKWOOD TASK 001 ; character sheet

BASICS

Full Name: elias anton elliot. Meaning of Name: greek derivation of “jehovah of god”. Nickname: eli, ant. jackass. whichever you will.

Birth Date: january 6th, 1996. Astrological Sign and Details: capricorn. Birth Place: manhattan, ny. Age: 21. Nationality: american. Race: caucasian. Hair Color: black. Hair Style: not too short, slightly messy. Distinct Features of Face: strong jawline, long lashes, thick brows, plush lips. Glasses or Contacts: both. rarely seen in glasses, however. Eye Color: hazel. Skin Tone: slightly tanned, but white. Scars or Distinguishing Marks: a scar that goes down his right shoulder blade. Disabilities: none. Build or Body Type: broad shoulders, muscular arms and torso, toned legs. Height: 6′ 3″. Weight: well. Speech Patterns: speaks in a low, yet confident tone. tends to deadpan most things, even jokes. isn’t a man who makes his present super known, but is typically around a lot of people at social gatherings and gets along with most despite his sometimes stand-offish demeanor. Tag Words: “no, i won’t paint you.” Gestures: rotates his rings a lot, toys with his bottom lip while he’s thinking, pretty expressive with his brows, combs his hands through his hair subconsciously and then messes it up again to put it back lmfao FAMILY AND CHILDHOOD

Mother: evelyn elliot Father: jacob elliot Mother’s Occupation: ex-model, now just keeps up with the family’s social status Father’s Occupation: partner of a prestigious law firm Family Finances: wealthy gucci gang gucci gang gucci gang Birth Order: what. 1st? Brothers: none. Sisters: sophia elora elliot, 19 Other Close Family: jude hayward, first-cousin Best Friend: Other Friends: Blake, Lana, Imogen, Jude, Frankie, Tripp, Alex, Teddy, Reagan, surprisingly the list goes on Enemies: his DAD. dw he’ll probably find sum1 here soon enough Pets: he got a pup named king Home Life During Childhood: HAHAHA. horrible. Town or City Name(s): manhattan, ny Details of Town(s) or City(s): manhattan is as much of a city as it gets What Did His, Her or Their Bedroom Look Like: somewhat tidy, eli’s always been kinda neat Any Sports or Clubs: couple mma tournaments, art club for middle school and first half of hs Favorite Toy or Game: fifa, amnesia, fleshlight, assassin’s creed etc Schooling: attended a public high school Favorite Subject: art Popular or Loner: god knows how bt popular Important Experiences or Events: being physically and emotionally abused by his father, and using that to better himself successwise and kinda spite his dad Health Problems: does depression count? borderline alcoholic Religion and beliefs: his family is christian but doesn’t rly believe in his religion, he’s more of a logical thinker personally PERSONAL

Bad Habits: smoking, biting his nails, fidgeting, drinking alone, using certain people for personal gain Good Habits: typically neat and put-together, eats clean, works out religiously, dresses well, maintaining himself physically Best Characteristic: loyal to those he’s close to Worst Characteristic: being consistently distant Worst Memory: Best Memory: Proud of: how he’s able to accomplish anything he wants to do Embarrassed by: his lack of ability to truly get close to/trust people Driving Style: lmfao did somebody say speed demon Strong Points: incredibly driven, charming when he wants to be, can’t think of any more atm Temperament: typically level headed, a bit of a grump but still playful yano Attitude: can sometimes be cold if someone tries to get too close to him, but typically socializes well despite this Weakness: elias would rather die than tell you what he’s really thinking. if someone actually manages to get him to open up he’d probably be a stuttering and babbling mess Fears: not doing as well as he wants to, because then he’ll feel like he let his family down. also his father still scares him a bit but would never ever admit to it Phobias: the dad 1 Secrets: lol nice TRY Regrets: NO RAGRETS. jk he kinda regrets not taking art more seriously bc now thats kinda gone as an outlet he’s picking up bad alternatives that’ll only hurt him nd his health Feels Vulnerable When: some1 tries to get closer to him Pet Peeves: loud chewing, nail filing, all i cn think of rn Motivation: working for the day he can say he outdid his dad Short Term Goals and Hopes: maintain his 4.0 and get into a good med school Long Term Goals and Hopes: become one of the top surgeons in the country Sexuality: straight unless u another matt daddario cos i mean come on Exercise Routine: nice try honey u cant get abs like these. Day or Night Person: night. absolute nocturnal fiend Introvert or Extrovert: ambivert! mostly introverted but he can also be v charming and social at gatherings etc. something he learned from bein the poster boy of the socialite fam Optimist or Pessimist: he doesnt like 2 complain a lot but i wouldn’t say he’s an optimist either

LIKES AND PREFERENCES

Music: arctic monkeys, the neighbourhood, the weeknd, muse, daniel caesar, frank ocean, dvsn, tame impala Books: anything khaled hosseini, haruki murakami, and mitch albom Magazines: forbes, if any Foods: cold pizza, sushi, seafood, apples, burgers, dark chocolate, tiramisu Drinks: craft beer, whiskey and most other alcohol, black coffee, red wine Animals: tiger, wolf, big fan of husky dogs Sports: soccer Favorite Saying: “no." Color: red, black Clothing: urban style with a rich flair. leather, denim, expensive sweaters and Jewelry: expensive watches, sometimes rings Games: poker, chess, cards against humanity Websites: pornhub uh, vine? TV Shows: sherlock, the office, stranger things Movies: the prestige, shutter island, borat, can’t think of any more Greatest Want: to stay on top of his class, take more time out for art Greatest Need: someone to be patient and understanding with him

LIFESTYLE

Home: live in the beta delta xi house, but his family owns a mansion at home. Household furnishings: his room is rather tidy. numerous black and white murals remain littered across his walls and above his bed rests a shelf filled with his favorite novels and vinyls. Most Cherished Possession: Neighborhood: manhattan Town or City Name: new york Details of Town or City: very busy, very on-the-go, new york city is a definition in itself. Married Before: heck no Significant Other Before: he’s got a couple of exes that he’d dated due to having extra time on his hands. he’d always get bored rather quickly into the relationship and leave, however. now that eli has much less time on his hands, he no longer looks to date. Children: LOL Relationship with Family: hostile with his father, indifferent but still somewhat caring towards his mother. Car: not yet Career: full-time student. Salary: n/a Other Income: n/a Dream Career: professional artist. Dream Life: providing for his mother and sister, living in a new mansion with a fresh start. would have someone he could be emotionally intimate with, though the thought of this currently terrifies him. Love Life: eli scratches his head at this foreign term. Sexual Turn Ons: taking control, fighting for dominance, idk he seems like he’d be in2 bondage lmafaodifgbl Sexual Turn Offs: bad head, feet, excessive talking, repressed moans, “you like that?” no. leave my sight. Hobbies: mma fighting, painting, taking pictures for painting inspirations, if getting drunk alone counts as a hobby hey be my guest Guilty Pleasure: bingeing martha and snoop’s potluck dinner party Talents or Skills: fights well, and can paint. can sex be a talent? Intelligence Level: very book smart, he gets this from his father. though eli has his moments (as does anyone), he is fairly street smart as well — although, he is very standoffish so it’s hard to tell sometimes if he’s being smart or just a closed-off prick.

#lockwoodtask #lockwoodtask001 #lockwood:points #i jst wanted to post this #missing a lot n cd answer som of these better but i'll come back to it n edit it in my free time #physical abuse tw #abuse tw #alcoholism tw

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thrashermaxey · 5 years

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Ramblings: The annual Dobby Awards. Also some playoff thoughts, Matthews vs. Marner and more (Apr 08)

***

Now available – the 13th annual Interactive Playoff Draft List. Order it here, download immediately. I updated this Sunday with the latest and will update it again before the playoffs start. Tons of notes and insight on this list as well as my own picks. If you bought the Ultimate Fantasy Pack in the summer, this will be included in that purchase. It is not included in the Keeper Fantasy Pack. I did update this Sunday morning and I had to update it again in the evening because there was a problem getting goalies to appear. That is fixed now.

First, join my NHL Bracket Challenge – the DobberHockey League of Winners.

Second, join my Dobbernomics playoff game. It’s free, it’s fun, and frankly it’s pretty challenging. You can put in your team right now under a salary cap, and then keep changing them around because transactions are unlimited until the playoffs begin.

For all the hype that Auston Matthews gets and Mitch Marner does not – Marner has kept up with him in production, and this year is out-producing him badly. Yes, injuries…but injuries are a part of a player’s value. Marner doesn’t seem to get hurt, Matthews seems to be a lock for missing 10 games or more just from his style of play. One thing I noticed in reviewing for playoff pools – Marner had nine points in seven games last spring while Matthews had just two. Matthews brings high value as an elite sniper with size and strength in the center position – a rare commodity. But isn’t Patrick Kane a pretty rare commodity, too? Yes, I’m comparing Marner to Kane. Marner deserves more dough than Matthews. Curious to see if he gets it. The reality is, the Leafs need both players.

You know who they don’t need? William Nylander. Still shaking my head over that “not trading Nylander” comment from Kyle Dubas. He’s a great top six forward, perhaps even a first liner. But there are several dozen of him in the league. Most definitely not a rare commodity. And if he costs the team keeping the likes of Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen (I won’t even consider them losing Marner over keeping Nylander, I shudder), then that’s too big a sacrifice.

It’s still happening. Mark Stone joining Vegas’ 1B line hasn’t really helped that line, since it was already fairly productive. But it has had a huge impact on the 1A line. William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault have been red hot over the past month. Since the trade deadline:

Marchessault – 17 points in 19 games (0.89 vs. 0.67 prior to that)

Karlsson – 17 points in 19 games (0.89 vs. 0.62)

Smith – 18 points in 18 games (1.00 vs. 0.63)

Stone – 11 points in 18 games (0.61 vs. 1.05)

Stastny – 17 points in 17 games (1.00 vs. 0.76)

Pacioretty – 8 points in 16 games (0.50 vs. 0.64)

Tuch – 9 points in 19 games (0.47 vs. 0.78)

A lot of this can be explained. Tuch’s dropoff is from his being bumped from the second line. The top line, or 1A, was heavily defended against in the first half, with the opposition shutting them down and thus giving themselves the best chance to win. But with Stone there, how do you focus on anyone else? Stone has the most talent and is the biggest game breaker. How do you put your best shutdown D on the Karlsson line and leave Stone free to do as he will? You can’t. And I’m curious to see if he can step up his game and boost that line’s production in the playoffs. Right now I’m more bullish on the Karlsson line when it comes to drafting in playoff pools.

You can so very clearly see which GMs weren’t thinking ahead and adapting, simply by looking at the overall scoring. Scoring is up this year. By a lot: 3.01 goals per game and that’s up over the 3.00 mark for the first time since 2006.. The top scoring team has 325 goals. Twenty-five teams have at least 225 goals. And then Anaheim, Los Angeles, Dallas, Minnesota and Arizona have fewer than 215? The Ducks didn’t even reach 200? Talk about being caught sleeping. With more of the net being visible thanks to smaller goalie pads, the clutching and grabbing by slower, bigger players no longer works. Now it’s about speed, and puck movement starting at D. Arizona recognizes this and are moving towards it. Minnesota also seems to suddenly get it, based on their Deadline moves. The Ducks have a solid prospect pipeline so there’s still hope there. But what of Los Angeles? Things could actually get worse there before they get better.

This year’s Dobby’s!

Biggest Fantasy Surprise: Erik Gustafsson. Of course. This one is probably unanimous. To hit the 60-point mark as a defenseman when we weren’t even sure if he’d be a regular roster player is pretty fantastic. Six defensemen reached 60 points this season and a virtual unknown was one of them. Runner-Up: Jordan Binnington. Winnington indeed.

Lucky Linemate Award: While much of the prognosticators and journalists were going nuts over Calgary’s signing of James Neal, crowning him a potential comeback player and already christening him as Johnny Gaudreau’s linemate…I held firm on my belief in this year’s winner Elias Lindholm. As a right-shot and a backup centerman who could take faceoffs when needed, it was just too good a fit. Why would Calgary bother making that trade if not to put Lindholm on the big line? I didn’t waver and in fact traded one of my 12 keepers last summer to sub Lindholm as a keeper in his place (Clayton Keller). Just one point in his last nine games prevented him from reaching 80 points (he hit 78). Runner-Up: Cam Atkinson, who also fell short of a milestone, stopping at 69 points thanks to just six points in the last 14 games. He did hit 41 goals though.

Second-Half Stud Award: Patrick Kane’s 59 points in 39 games tied Nikita Kucherov in scoring since January 5. It was also a nice jump from his already-solid first-half pace of 51 points in 42 games. Runner-Up: Sean Couturier, who had 47 points in the last 42 games after starting out with 29 in 38. This was despite managing just three points and going minus-9 in the final seven contests.

Cha-Ching Player Trade Award: Dylan Strome. Six points in 20 games for Arizona, then off to Chicago where he picked up 51 in 58. Runner-Up: Ryan Donato. He had 16 points in 22 games after the trade. But unlike with Strome, we were still fairly comfortable with Donato eventually coming around. The trade just expedited things. Donato ended the season with just one point in seven games and minus-8, so by no means is 2019-20 guaranteed to be “the year” for him.

Second-Half Swoon Award: Patrik Laine had 20 measly points in the last 49 games after starting the season with 30 in 33. Runner-Up: Jeff Skinner was a revelation with 44 points in 45 games to start the year. He was going to demolish his career high of 63 points, no question about it. That is, until he didn’t. Just 19 in his last 37 to finish up with, you guessed it, 63 points. Congrats to anyone who traded either of these players in January.

Fantasy Player of the Year: Andrei Vasilevskiy. It’s not a coincidence that the teams that won each of my leagues that involve goalies, owned Vas. As I noted to one GM when we were discussing the fairness of the goalie points system in that league: “Owning Vasilevskiy under these rules right now is like owning Gretzky in 1986.” He only played 53 games thanks to a broken foot, and yet he still managed 39 wins. If healthy all year, he may have taken a run at 50. He also boasted a 0.925 SV% in an era where goaltenders don’t really do that very often. Runner-Up: Nikita Kucherov, who finished with 128 points, 12 more than the next player and the highest total in 23 years.

Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Jordan Winnington. I wrestled with this one for a long time because I’m a huge Elias Pettersson fan and feel he will be an elite player. As in – Top 5 in the league. Meanwhile, Binnington could Jim Carrey his way out of the NHL and become this massive bust. But we’ll always remember this year. In the end, I asked myself – which rookie did the most to help a fantasy owner win. And frankly, Winnington turned more than a few fantasy squads around on his own this year. So even though I would much sooner own Runner-Up Pettersson and Honorable Mention Rasmus Dahlin by a wide, wide, ridiculously wide margin in keeper leagues – Binnington has to be the ROY in fantasy hockey.

Fourth Year Magic Award: Dylan Larkin teased in Year 3 with 63 points and then took another huge step this season with 73. This is quite the feat when you consider that no other Detroit player reached 55. Runner-Up: Max Domi jumped from 45 points in his third year to 72. He was a big reason why the Habs made it to Game 81 before finally being eliminated from the playoffs.

Best Cap Bargain: Only one player was paid less than $10,000 per point scored, and that was Brayden Point. He had 92 points on a $650,000 salary, for just over $7,000 each. Runner-Up: Alex DeBrincat.

Cy Young Award: Viktor Arvidsson only played 58 games but he still managed 34 goals. But he had just 14 assists. Runner-Up: Tie between Jeff Skinner (40-23) and Cam Atkinson (41-28).

The Power-Play Crutch: Keith Yandle wins this one because nobody relied more heavily on the man advantage for his production than the Florida defenseman. He had just 23 points at even strength, but a whopping 39 on the power play. Nobody was even close to that ratio here. Runner-Up, and a distant one: Mike Hoffman who was at 35 for ES and 35 on the PP.

I hope you enjoyed this year’s Dobby’s!

Two other players I looked at for a fantasy boost after being traded: Tanner Pearson (the second time he was dealt), Jordan Weal (the second time he was dealt) and Jared McCann. In 19 games with Vancouver, Pearson had 12 points. Not great, but still quite the improvement. It looks even better, though, when you see that he ended the year with nine points in nine games. He showed great chemistry with Bo Horvat towards the end and I think he can get back to that 45-to-55 potential we saw in him earlier.

Jordan Weal has teased us at the end of the season like this before. And the last time he did it, he was set to become a UFA and earned himself a two-year, one-way contract. I think his progress was derailed by the Flyers lucking into the draft lottery win and adding Nolan Patrick to the lineup. It nudged Weal down the roster and he hasn’t done much of anything since. Here he is, set to become a UFA again and he ends things in Montreal with eight points in nine games. What kind of contract he earns from that should determine how much of a chance he will get. And to be fair – he had plenty of top-six opportunities in Arizona, but couldn’t find the chemistry. He is clearly a guy who will lean on chemistry with a talented player for his points.

And McCann, of course, had that wonderful run as Sidney Crosby’s linemate and picking up 10 points in eight games just after the deadline. But the magic seemed to vanish as he managed just four points in the final 12 contests. Next year could almost be considered his fourth (he played 29 games in 2016-17), so that definitely nudges me towards drafting him in the summer as a sleeper pick. He has played 244 career games so it’s right in that wheelhouse for a breakout.

I didn’t know that Joe Thornton had 29 points in his last 33 games. He’s sailing into the postseason truly on a roll and if you like the Sharks to go deep, you may want to nudge him up your playoff draft lists.

The reason I am not a big fan of Alex Nylander in keeper leagues – injuries. He had himself a nice season this year taking a big step forward in his pro career after a couple of steps backward. But he had a different injury wipe out two of his training camps, back-to-back, and then finally getting an opportunity with Buffalo that looks as though he is there to stay – and he gets hurt again. If every time he gets some sort of opportunity or gets on a role he suffers an injury, he’s never going to get going. There are too many other prospects to roll the dice on, so I’ll leave the younger Nylander to someone else.

I just realized I’m kinda trashing on both Nylander brothers today. Time to write something nice: Both have tremendous upside and I really like William as a potential first-liner – no matter what team he plays for. In fact I think it’s better for both him and the Leafs if he went somewhere else. He would flourish elsewhere, and they would address some serious needs. I also don’t rule out Alex as a potential top sixer, to be clear what I wrote above was that other GMs can take a chance on him, I will look at other prospects who aren’t getting hurt.

See you next Monday. Good luck in your playoff pool drafts, and that link again for the Draft List is here.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-the-annual-dobby-awards-also-some-playoff-thoughts-matthews-vs-marner-and-more-apr-08/

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kartiavelino · 6 years

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Before wrapping up this roller coaster year, test how much you remember (even if you’d rather forget).

1. What film made essentially the most dough within the U.S. this yr with out that includes superheroes? A. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” B. “Mission: Not possible – Fallout” C. “Solo: A Star Wars Story” 2. Which Drake tune impressed the yr’s greatest viral dance problem? A. “God’s Plan” B. “Good for What” C. “In My Emotions” 3. What did stars don on the Golden Globes crimson carpet in honor of Time’s Up? A. White ribbons B. All black C. Pink roses 4. What TV present was cancelled by one broadcast community and picked up by one other within the span of 31 hours? A. “Brooklyn 9-9” B. “Final Man Standing” C. “Lucifer” 5. The Tony Awards’ Greatest Musical, “The Band’s Go to,” is a couple of band visiting the place? A. Egypt B. Saudi Arabia C. Israel 6. Which artist paid tribute to Prince through the Tremendous Bowl halftime present? A. Janet Jackson B. Justin Timberlake C. Aerosmith 7. Glenn Weiss, who proposed to his girlfriend through the Emmys, had simply received an award for guiding what? A. “The Crown” B. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” C. The Oscars 8. What was so terrifying in regards to the monsters within the hit horror flick “A Quiet Place”? A. They discover individuals who make any noise B. They’re completely silent C. They aim libraries 9. Which artist swept the Grammys with wins within the tune, report and album of the yr classes? A. Jay-Z B. Bruno Mars C. Ed Sheeran 10. Which Hollywood Chris went full frontal, stripping down for Netflix film “The Outlaw King”? A. Chris Pine B. Chris Pratt C. Chris Hemsworth 11. What equipment triggered a significant tragedy on “That is Us”? A. A microwave B. A blender C. A sluggish cooker 12. Which character wasn’t in “Avengers: Infinity Conflict”? A. Hawkeye B. Star-Lord C. Spider-Man 13. What’s the identify of the fictional pop star Woman Gaga performed in “A Star is Born”? A. Stefani B. Ally C. Joanne 14. Within the most-liked Instagram publish of all time, Kylie Jenner revealed what? A. Her new butt B. Her new lips C. Her new child 15. One of many predominant characters within the 2018 Nationwide E-book Award winner “The Buddy,” by Sigrid Nunez, is: A. A llama B. A snake C. A Nice Dane 16. The place did the disgraced Louis C.Ok. make his controversial, unannounced return to comedy in NY? A. Carolines on Broadway B. The Comedy Cellar C. Gotham Comedy Membership 17. Which “Incredibles 2” character memorably fought a raccoon? A. Elastigirl B. Jack-Jack C. Edna Mode 18. What did “The Bachelor” Arie Luyendyk Jr. do toupset the present’s followers? A. Refused to suggest to any of the contestants B. Proposed to 1 contestant, then broke it off for one more C. Spoiled the season’s ending on social media 19. What’s the identify of the Ok-Pop group that bought out its first ever U.S. stadium present at Citi Area? A. EXO B. GOT7 C. BTS 20. Which of those celebs wasn’t one of many many who appeared in Maroon 5’s “Ladies Like You” billion-view video? A. Ellen DeGeneres B. Camila Cabello C. Reese Witherspoon Leisure solutions: 1. A; 2. C; 3. B; 4. A; 5. C; 6. B; 7. C; 8. A; 9. B; 10. A; 11. C; 12. A; 13. B; 14. C; 15. C; 16. B; 17. B; 18. B; 19. C; 20. C NY Submit photograph composite 1. Aretha Franklin’s physique was transported in the identical hearse that carried who? A. Rosa Parks B. Whitney Houston C. Ray Charles 2. Which style home designed Meghan Markle’s wedding ceremony costume? A. Givenchy B. Valentino C. Oscar de la Renta 3. Whom did Justin Bieber marry? A. Selena Gomez B. Hailey Baldwin C. Eire Baldwin 4. What did ill-fated couple Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson identify their pet pig? A. Bacony Rogers B. Piggy Smallz C. Jon Hamm 5. What’s the actual identify of Ted Cruz’s former opponent Beto O’Rourke? A. Betford B. Robert C. Alberto 6. The feud between dueling rap queens got here to a literal head at a New York Vogue Week occasion when Cardi B threw what at Nicki Minaj? A. A handbag B. A martini glass C. A shoe 7. What did troubled SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shoot into house? A. A crimson Tesla roadster B. A Hyperloop prepare automobile C. A baby-size submarine 8. The tour for Michelle Obama’s best-selling guide, “Turning into,” didn’t characteristic which superstar moderator: A. Sarah Jessica Parker B. Tracee Ellis Ross C. Martha Stewart 9. Why did the Mets give Matt Harvey the boot? A. He was out partying with mannequin Adriana Lima the night time earlier than a bullpen look B. He wanted Tommy John surgical procedure C. He refused a minor league task 10. Whom did Folks journal identify the yr’s “Sexiest Man Alive”? A. Blake Shelton B. Donald Glover C. Idris Elba 11. What number of days separated the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 12. When Harvey Weinstein surrendered to the NYPD on sexual-assault fees, he carried a biography about who? A. Elia Kazan B. Gandhi C. John F. Kennedy Jr. 13. Donald Trump Jr.’s alleged mistress Aubrey O’Day is a member of what previously profitable lady group? A. Danity Kane B. The Pussycat Dolls C. Dream 14. Who turned the primary brazenly homosexual American to medal on the winter Olympics? A. Adam Rippon B. Gus Kenworthy C. Eric Radford 15. Kim Kardashian satisfied President Trump to commute the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, who was locked up for: A. Drug and money-laundering fees B. A homicide she didn’t commit C. Leaking authorities secrets and techniques 16. Whom did President Donald Trump pardon? A. Martha Stewart B. Dinesh D’Souza C. Rod Blagojevich 17. What’s the nickname of the chef behind Midtown steakhouse Nusr-Et? A. Scorching Stuff B. Posh Spice C. Salt Bae 18. Actor Geoffrey Owens, who performed Elvin on “The Cowby Present,” was job-shamed for working the place? A. Goal B. Dealer Joe’s C. Walmart 19. What place is William and Kate’s new child Prince Louis in line for the throne? A. Third B. Fourth C. Fifth 20. How outdated was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when she upset 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley within the Democratic main for New York’s 14th Congressional District? A. 25 B. 28 C. 31 Folks solutions: 1. A; 2. A; 3. B; 4. B; 5. B; 6. C; 7. A; 8. C; 9. C; 10. C; 11. C; 12. A; 13. A; 14. A; 15. A; 16. B; 17. C; 18. B; 19. C; 20. B In a January tweet, President Trump known as himself “a really secure _____”: A. Genius B. Commander C. Zillionaire 2. “Megyn Kelly In the present day” was canceled following the host’s feedback about blackface, together with asking: A. “What’s blackface?” B. “What’s racist?” C. “Who’s black Santa?” 3. Throughout a Senate Judiciary Committee listening to, what did Brett Kavanaugh say he “favored” and nonetheless likes? A. Wine B. Tequila C. Beer 4. What’s the rallying catchphrase from “Black Panther,” the highest-grossing film within the US this yr? A. “Wakanda endlessly!” B. “Rise and resist!” C. “Panther energy!” 5. When Gov. Cuomo stated, “Can you cease interrupting?” to election opponent Cynthia Nixon throughout a debate, how did she reply? A. “Can you cease mendacity?” B. “Can you settle down?” C. “Are you a Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte or Miranda?” 6. Roseanne Barr blamed what drug for the racist tweet that obtained her hit sitcom revival canceled? A. Ambien B. Xanax C. Klonopin 7. Through the closing ladies’s tennis match of the US Open, what did Serena Williams name the umpire who gave her some extent penalty? A. “A thief” B. “A fraud” C. “A humiliation” 8. In her tell-all, Stormy Daniels in contrast President Trump’s member to “the mushroom character in” what? A. VeggieTales B. Mario Kart C. “Alice in Wonderland” 9. When Invoice de Blasio was confronted by a homeless activist on the Park Slope Y, how did the mayor reply? A. “I’m in the course of doing my exercise. Sorry, I can’t do this now.” B. “I’m as soon as once more working late to a press convention, can’t speak.” C. “Take a quantity, sweetheart.” 10. Who stated, “I might say that I’m essentially the most bullied individual on the world”? A. Lindsay Lohan B. Melania Trump C. Gwyneth Paltrow 11. Rudy Giuliani raised eyebrows when he declared, “Reality isn’t ____”: A. Truth B. Relevance C. Reality 12. What did Oprah Winfrey say she wouldn’t do, explaining, “It will kill me”? A. Revive her speak present B. Run for president in 2020 C. Host the Oscars 13. On the White Home correspondents’ dinner, what did Michelle Wolf say Sarah Huckabee Sanders does after “she burns information”? A. “Makes use of that ash to create an ideal smoky eye” B. “Burns all her hideous attire” C. “Pours Trump model wine over the fireplace” 14. Whereas visiting TMZ headquarters, what did Kanye West name “a alternative”? A. Gender B. Slavery C. Rape 15. After Invoice Cosby was discovered responsible on three counts of indecent aggravated assault, what did he yell on the prosecutor who deemed him a flight danger? A. “He doesn’t have a aircraft, you a–gap!” B. “Hey, hey, hey!” C. “And I might have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling children!” 16. Which of those was not one of many two phrases folks heard within the viral audio debate? A. “Laurel” B. “Beyoncé” C. “Yanny” 17. Who started an Oscar acceptance speech by joking, “I did all of it on my own”? A. Frances McDormand B. Sam Rockwell C. Allison Janney 18. Which of those was not a reputation Paul McCartney stated was yelled out whereas he and John Lennon masturbated in a gaggle collectively? A. Brigitte Bardot B. Catherine Deneuve C. Winston Churchill 19. One month earlier than Demi Lovato was hospitalized for an overdose, she launched a ballad with the lyric, “I’m so sorry, I’m not ___ anymore”: A. Glad B. Making music C. Sober 20. Who defended the separation of immigrant households by invoking the Apostle Paul’s “command in Romans 13, to obey the legal guidelines of the federal government as a result of God has ordained them for the aim of order.” A. Mike Pence B. Mitch McConnell C. Jeff Periods Quotes solutions: 1. A; 2. B; 3. C; 4. A; 5. A; 6. A; 7. A; 8. B; 9. A; 10. B; 11. C; 12. B; 13. A; 14. B; 15. A; 16. B; 17. C; 18. B; 19. C; 20. C NY Submit photograph comoposite 1. Norway took house essentially the most medals through the 2018 Winter Olympics. What number of? A. 31 B. 39 C. 42 2. Through the World Cup, this nation’s uniform bought out and have become a streetwear hit? A. United States B. Portugal C. Nigeria 3. Mets ace Jacob de Grom received this yr’s Nationwide League Cy Younger Award regardless of having the fewest wins of any beginning Cy Younger pitcher in historical past. What number of did he have? A. 11 B. 7 C. 10 4. When Redskins quarterback Alex Smith broke his leg throughout a sport, there have been many eerie coincidences to which former Skins’ quarterback’s career-ending harm? A. Kirk Cousins B. Joe Theismann C. Robert Griffin III 5. Though France received the 2018 World Cup, which prolific scorer took house the Golden Boot? A. Croatia’s Luka Modric B. Argentina’s Lionel Messi C. England’s Harry Kane 6. At an April sport, what landed on Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton through the Nationwide Anthem? A. A bald eagle B. a bag of peanuts C. Robinson Cano’s batting glove 7. A video of which broadcaster dribbling a basketball behind her again went viral as she was inducted into the basketball corridor of fame? A. Doris Burke B. Michelle Beadle C. Lisa Salter 8. Throughout this yr’s NCAA males’s basketball match, which crew beat Virginia, making it the primary time {that a} No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed? A. Kansas State B. Villanova C. College of Maryland — Baltimore County 9. The Washington Capitals received the Stanley Cup Championship and Alexander Ovechkin was named match MVP. What did he lose within the course of? A. His Stanley Cup successful game- worn jersey B. Each face-off C. His entrance tooth 10. Who was the NFL’s first rookie to ever have 200-plus rushes and greater than 80 catches? A. Nick Chubbs of the Browns B. Saquon Barkley of the Giants C. Sony Michel of the Patriots 11. After the Philadelphia Eagles received their first Tremendous Bowl, the town did this to gentle poles so followers couldn’t climb them throughout celebrations: A. Greased them with Crisco B. Sprayed them with hydraulic fluid C. Rubbed them with Philly cheesesteak grease 12. The Philadelphia Flyers launched a mascot named Gritty, who broke the Web when he reenacted what notorious journal cowl? A. The palms over Janet Jackson’s naked breasts for Rolling Stone B. Muhammed Ali being shot with arrows for Esquire C. Kim Kardashian’s Paper Journal cowl with the gravity-defying champagne pour 13. Which younger athlete didn’t discover himself in scorching water after tweets from his teen years surfaced? A. Josh Allen B. Donte Divcenzo C. Deyandre Ayton 14. When Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold took his first snap as an NFL quarterback, he did this: A. Threw a 30-yard landing move B. Fumbled C. Threw a choose six 15. Which California teen snowboarder captured America’s coronary heart through the Pyeongchang Olympics, the place she received the gold medal in halfpipe? A. Chloe Kim B. Lindsey Vonn C. Micahela Shriffin 16. Former UFC star Ronda Rousey made her debut as what in April? A. Carl’s Jr. spokesmodel B. WWE wrestler C. NASCAR driver 17. In June, thoroughbred Justify captured the Triple Crown — three years after what horse received the coveted mantel and broke a 37-year drought? A. Seattle Slew B. American Pharoah C. Firing Line 18. Which NBA famous person revealed he thought-about signing with the Knicks? A. Steph Curry B. James Harden C. Lebron James 19. When Tiger Woods received the Participant’s Championship in September, it was his first tour win in 5 years. What number of match wins does Woods now have? A. 75 B. 83 C. 80 20. Over the past season, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton made headlines for sharing an condo with which participant from the Mets? A. Mike Conforto B. Wilmer Flores C. AJ Ramos Sports activities solutions: 1. B; 2. C; 3. C; 4. B; 5. C; 6. A; 7. A; 8. C; 9. C; 10. B; 11. B; 12. C; 13. C; 14. C; 15. A; 16. B; 17. B; 18. C; 19. C; 20. C NY Submit photograph comoposite 1. Who didn’t go away, or announce that they’re leaving, the Trump administration this yr? A. Hope Hicks, White Home Director of Communications B. Rob Porter, White Home Employees Secretary C. Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President 2. A boys’ soccer crew was rescued after being trapped in a flooded Thailand cave for 18 days. What was the identify of their crew? A. The Crows B. The Wild Boars C. The Cheetahs 3. What retail model made the $39 jacket emblazoned with “I actually don’t care, do u?” that Melania Trump wore as she traveled to fulfill detained immigrant children in Texas? A. H&M B. Zara C. Hole 4. What had been snooty canine house owners had been of getting hijacked for a non-public kennel membership in Tribeca? A. A public park B. The alley behind Taylor Swift’s condo C. The outdated Nobu location 5. The place did Hurricane Florence trigger essentially the most harm within the US? A. Florida and Georgia B. North and South Carolinas C. Virginia and Maryland 6. What Gov. Cuomo resolution almost value New Yorkers $14 million? A. Including blue and gold tiles to 2 metropolis tunnels B. Constructing a helipad for Jeff Bezos C. Putting in lots of of “I NY” freeway indicators 7. Actress Allison Mack was arrested on fees of intercourse trafficking, intercourse trafficking conspiracy, and compelled labor conspiracy in relation to her function within the Nxivm cult. On what TV present was she a solid member? A. “Smallville” B. “Charmed” C. “One Tree Hil 8. A New Jersey couple was accused of bilking a homeless man by way of what website: A. PayPal B. Twitter C. GoFundMe 9. The place did Trump and Kim Jong-un have the first-ever assembly between sitting leaders of the US and North Korea? A. Washington, DC B. Pyongyang, North Korea C. Sentosa, Singapore 10. What iconic NY diner closed after a 28-year run? A. Westway Diner B. The Espresso Store C. Kellogg’s Diner 11. Within the notorious photograph of a Honduran mom working along with her two 5-year-old daughters from tear gasoline on the Mexico-US border, what was on her shirt? A. An American flag B. Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” C. A crucifix 12. Why was California’s Camp Hearth known as that? A. It was began by a gaggle of backpacking campers B. It started at an deserted summer- camp facility C. It started on Camp Creek Street 13. What cleansing provide did teenagers flip right into a viral snack? A. Daybreak dish cleaning soap B. Tide Pods C. Brawny paper towels 14. The world’s final male of what subspecies died this yr? A. Northern white rhino B. Bornean orangutan C. Amur leopard 15. Fb CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in entrance of Congress after it was revealed that which political consulting agency had harvested knowledge from up to 87 million accounts? A. Oxford Analytica B. Cambridge Analytica C. Imperial Analytica 16. What was the controversial theme of this yr’s Met Gala? A. Heavenly Our bodies: Vogue and the Catholic Creativeness B. Majesty and Poverty: The Financial Hole C. Hacking the Hackers: A Tribute to Russia 17. What did Meghan McCain use her speech at her father John’s funeral to do? A. Trounce Sarah Palin B. Promote “The View” C. Rebuke Trump 18. In what month did the primary tremendous blue blood moon in 35 years happen? A. January B. February C. March 19. What nation abolished time period limits on its presidency? A. China B. Russia C. Iraq 20. What New York landmark did a girl climb to protest Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration coverage? A. The Empire State Constructing B. The Statue of Liberty C. St. Patrick’s Cathedral Present occasions solutions: 1. C; 2. B; 3. B; 4. A; 5. B; 6. C; 7. A; 8. C; 9. C; 10. B; 11. B; 12. C; 13. B; 14. A; 15. B; 16. A; 17. C; 18. A; 19. A; 20. B Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/12/22/before-wrapping-up-this-roller-coaster-year-test-how-much-you-remember-even-if-youd-rather-forget/ The post Before wrapping up this roller coaster year, test how much you remember (even if you’d rather forget). appeared first on My style by Kartia. https://www.kartiavelino.com/2018/12/before-wrapping-up-this-roller-coaster-year-test-how-much-you-remember-even-if-youd-rather-forget.html

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braddavis2410 · 6 years

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You’re Still In First Place, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

I said that I wanted a 4-2 week and you delivered. I’m rather impressed. The week started with a snow out in Chicago on Monday which is when we last spoke. You followed that up by winning two out of three against the division favorite Chicago Cubs. Not easy to pull off on the road though Anthony Rizzo’s trip to the disabled list certainly helped your cause. You didn’t have to face Yu Darvish or Jose Quintana though both of them are off to rough starts anyway. They also didn’t have to face your best pitcher, Jameson Taillon, so it all evens out in the end. You followed that with trip to Miami to play the Derek Jeter owned, rebuilding Marlins. After losing game one in sloppy fashion, you rebounded to win game two 1-0 on Saturday thanks to two bunt base hits and capped it off with a solid 7-3 victory behind a strong outing from Ivan Nova. You are 11-4 and still sit atop the National League Central. You are tied for the second best record in the NL and you are tied for the fourth best record in all of baseball. The bats weren’t as electric this week but you kept finding ways to win which is a sign of a (gulp) good team. I hesitate to use that term simply because it’s still so early and things like Corey Dickerson having the highest lineup drive percentage and the highest WAR in baseball seem unsustainable. The pitching has been better than expected and even the bullpen seems to hopefully be calming down. Who knows how far this will go but all I know for sure is that so far I’m very much enjoying the ride.

Jameson Taillon has become the unrequited ace of this staff. After him, the second-best pitcher in the rotation has by far been Trevor Williams. People might think that his current record of 3-0, his 1.56 ERA, and his 1.21 WHIP are unsustainable statistics. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that he will keep those numbers but his 3.03 FIP is a stat that’s far more interesting to me. It’s not out of the question that he could have a consistent mid 3’s ERA because that’s what he’s been doing for a year now. Over his last year as a starter, Williams is 10-9 in 28 starts with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Batters splits over that time against him are .251/.324/.380 for a .704 OPS against. He has given up 14 home runs in 163 2/3 innings over that time. That means he gives up one homer every 11.7 innings. All of those numbers include a BABIP (batting avg of balls in play) of .290 which is high and could also go down. Those aren’t exactly ace-type numbers but they are really good if that’s your #3 starter. And keep in mind that he’s young and still learning. He could conceivably improve as he gets older. If he continues like this, the idea of Taillon, eventually top prospect Mitch Keller, and Williams at the top of the rotation becomes very attractive. We will see if the league figures Williams out and if he will have to adjust to keep performing at this level. So far getting him in a trade for a coach that ended up getting fired anyway looks brilliant.

The bullpen still left a lot to be desired after last week. I begged for Neverauskas and Smoker to be demoted for Siegrist and Schugel while not being fully aware that Schugel was coming back from an injury and just started a rehab assignment this week. Siegrist still hasn’t reported to AAA so it seems unlikely we will see him anytime soon, if at all. You did finally send down Smoker and Clay Holmes who was brought up after Musgrove hit the DL. You brought up Kyle Crick, the reliever you received as part of the Cutch trade. He’s a hard thrower with upside so you would hope he can at least be a better option than Josh Smoker. Richard Rodriguez, signed to a minor league deal this offseason, was the other pitcher brought up. He’s at least interesting because his last two years in the minors have been very good. He’s sported ERA’s of 2.53 and 2.42, WHIP’s of 1.10 and 1.05, and a .216 batting average against in both seasons. In those two seasons, he pitched 152 1/3 innings, walked 43, and struck out 161. Those are dominant numbers. He got lit up in five innings in the majors last year but that’s a ridiculously small sample size. He’s a hard thrower but he is already 28. Sometimes you wonder why someone who is so good in AAA hasn’t got more of a chance in the majors. I like his upside so we will see. This week you also acquired Enny Ramirez off waivers from Washington. He will report in the next day or two which hopefully means the demotion of Neverauskas is finally upon us. Ramirez threw 55 2/3 innings in the majors last year for the Nationals with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. His 10.5 K/9 were impressive and his 3.7 BB/9 were not. He pitched 75 2/3 innings the two years prior in Tampa Bay with WHIP’s of 1.73 and 1.53. That’s not good. I like that he has major league experience and if this is our last option out of the bullpen, I feel a lot more comfortable with him then our previous options. Hopefully these additions can stop the bullpen carousel that could very well be a season long issue.

I’ve spoke extensively about how important keeping Polanco healthy is to your season, even after only one hit the entire weekend. It’s very important to keep Francisco Cervelli healthy too. Let’s start with the fact that he currently holds a .904 OPS, a 135 OPS+, and that he’s been extremely clutch sporting a 1.274 OPS with runners in scoring position including 2 homers and 12 RBI’s. The job he does behind the dish might even be more vital. Every pitcher he’s ever caught raves about the help he provides them. Ivan Nova decided to resign with you partially because he loved Cervelli’s insight so much. You also see how seasoned he is compared to your other options. Elias Diaz started for Cevelli on Friday night and he had an adventurous night. He was 2 for 2 with a walk and a two-run homer. That’s a pretty good night. Defense was another story. With a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th, the Marlins had the bases loaded and one out. Starlin Castro hit a sacrifice fly to Polanco in right field scoring a run and tying the game. Polanco still made the throw to the plate and Diaz tried to catch the runner tagging to take second. He airmailed it into center field allowing both runs to score and putting them up by two runs. I’ve honestly seen Cervelli make similar mistakes but it’s always worse when it basically costs you the game. The defensive play I had a bigger problem with was when the Marlins got their first run. With two outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd in the bottom of the 2nd, the Marlins’ pitcher, Dillon Peters, was batting. Chad Kuhl threw a slider in the dirt to Diaz’s non-glove side. Instead of sliding over and using his body to block it, Diaz lazily just tried catch it and it turned into a wild pitch. That slide and block is a Cervelli specialty. That’s not acceptable especially in that situation and Cervelli would know that. It’s those little elements that show off his importance. He already took a pitch off the hand yesterday so who knows how long until he has a stint on the DL. If he keeps hitting in any capacity like this, he becomes more essential than ever.

Naturally all of this good news had to be met with some bad news. The pitch that hit JHay yesterday broke his hand and he will miss six weeks. That means he’s back around the end of May. Not the end of the world but we will see a drop in defense at that position if Adam Frazier becomes the everyday starter with SRod getting starts against lefties. Frazier can hit but watching him boot an easy grounder yesterday after JHay left the game isn’t reassuring. You will go into this week JHay-less back at home for a quick three game homestand against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies were a wildcard team last year and are out to a 9-8 record so far. Not bad. Thanks to a fight that broke out after a pitch was thrown at him, perennial MVP candidate Nolan Arenado will not play in the series because he’s serving his five-game suspension. That’s now two of the last three series where arguably the team’s best player is out. You need to take advantage. You already did once against the Cubs. After that, you travel across the state to Philadelphia to take on the upstart Phillies in a four-game series. They are 9-5 and currently sit in second place in the NL East. That series should begin with a (not so) friendly face. Jake Arrieta was signed by the Phillies this offseason for 3 years, 75 million and he is scheduled to start game one of the series on Thursday. Fun times. This will be the first week you don’t have a day off so make sure to pace yourself. These are beatable teams but nothing is ever a given. Take care, be safe, and talk to you next week.

Surprisingly Still Steeped In Success,

Brad

P.S. still stands for “Plugging Something” which remains the unchanged phrase. I would like you remind you that my new podcast that I co-wrote with my friend Chris Maxwell called DEATH AT SUNSET: HARD TIMES AND SOFT DRINKS is now available on Apple Podcasts (aka iTunes), Stitcher Radio, Google Radio Play, and SoundCloud. Follow P.I. Jack Dime as he searches for a missing bus boy and stumbles upon a conspiracy involving a Los Angeles booze shortage. This comedy sunshine noir story is told in four, 20 (ish) minutes episodes. Please listen, rate, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for your support of this blog and of our new endeavor!

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junker-town · 7 years

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5 bold predictions for the 2017-18 NHL season

Will the Penguins three-peat? How bad will the Golden Knights be? Our hot takes, and more.

The start of a new NHL season is upon us, bringing with it the chance for a new beginning for all 31 teams. Of course, for us that means it’s time to bring out the bold and brash predictions you all crave.

In our annual season preview, we brought you our predictions for how every team in the NHL will fare this year. It’s quite a comprehensive guide to the 2017-18 NHL season, so it’s most certainly in your best interest to take a look.

Even so, we left our biggest predictions off the board so they can have room to live and breathe right here. The storylines coming into this season are vast and somewhat unfamiliar, thanks to the addition of a 31st team to the league for the first time since 2000.

As such, we’ve come up with five of our boldest predictions to share with you as we head into the new season.

1. The Pittsburgh Penguins will not three-peat as Stanley Cup champions

There’s a long road ahead of the Penguins this year if they want to repeat a third time as the NHL’s best. Pittsburgh will have a bit of a new look heading into the upcoming season, with the loss of Marc-Andre Fleury, Matt Cullen, Nick Bonino, and Chris Kunitz marking the biggest departures from their championship squad.

I argued on our live preview show that it’s hard to count out a team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin manning the helm, and it will be. With one of the league’s top three players on their roster, the Penguins are never out of a game or a series. Yet, the Penguins are no doubt weaker at the aspect that made them so deadly to begin with: forward depth.

The Penguins recently have been so hard to play against because they can roll all four lines with incredible depth. Cullen, Bonino, and Kunitz joined Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist in making the Penguins’ offense a force to be reckoned with. Now, with a good chunk of its bottom depth talent elsewhere, Pittsburgh will need players like Chad Ruhwedel, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Carter Rowney to fill in the gaps.

It can be done, of course. The Penguins are the masters at getting depth players to play to their full potential. However, three-peating is a hard task to achieve and this Penguins lineup may be the weakest over the last few seasons. They’ll make a deep run in the postseason, but a third straight championship will elude the Penguins.

2. The Vegas Golden Knights will finish with 75 points

Ah, the Golden Knights. Projected to be in the NHL’s basement, but how low will they go? Vegas may be the hardest team to predict because there’s no history to go on, just projections based on their mishmash roster.

Last season, the Colorado Avalanche were the NHL’s worst team by far with 48 points in a historically bad season even they may not be able to replicate this year. The NHL’s next worst team last season? The Vancouver Canucks with 69 points.

It feels unreasonable to expect the Golden Knights to be just as bad as Colorado’s miserable season. After all, they were quite an outlier after the closest any team came to that bad of a season in the last 10 years were the 2013-14 Buffalo Sabres who posted 52 points.

A total of 75 points is at most 37 regular season wins and one overtime or shootout loss. That would put the Golden Knights under .500, but still a fair showing for the first year of an expansion team. Maybe it’s the optimist in me, but it’s hard to see the Golden Knights falling that flat on their faces when the Avalanche and the Canucks still feel like worse teams on paper.

The Golden Knights have questions, for sure, but a team backstopped by three-time Stanley Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury will do better than most people think.

3. One Canadian team will make the Stanley Cup Final

This prediction almost doesn’t feel that bold when you consider the state of Canada’s hockey teams. The Calgary Flames just added Jaromir Jagr, the Ottawa Senators were one win away from a Stanley Cup Final berth, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a core of young talent poised for a big run, and the Edmonton Oilers have Connor McDavid.

Edmonton is the team many expect to jump out of the pack this year. The Pacific Division seems wide open for them to take, as long as Cam Talbot stays healthy in net. McDavid is poised for yet another big season after winning multiple awards as the NHL’s best player last season. It makes sense that the window for the Oilers is opening right now, and that they have the talent to make it happen already.

However, don’t count out the Maple Leafs, Flames, or Senators. In our preview, I pointed out that the Senators are poised for quite a fall, but if Erik Karlsson’s health permits and their offense sustains, they could be back in the race. The Maple Leafs and Flames are now obvious picks with their offensive depth. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner are mere steps away from taking the NHL by storm, while Jagr joins a core of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan in their prime.

The time of American team dominance in the Stanley Cup Final may just be over, as it seems for the first time since 2011 a Canadian team will get to the big dance.

4. The league’s surprise playoff team will be the Carolina Hurricanes

Speaking of the playoffs, this year will finally be the year the Hurricanes return to playoff glory. An offseason re-stocking the cupboards and adding depth in all the right places will finally pay off, even in a stacked Metropolitan Division.

Scott Darling may be the biggest prize, after the Hurricanes added the goaltender in free agency earlier this summer. Carolina’s most glaring weakness has always been the strength of its goaltending, and Darling is quite the fix. The 28-year-old netminder came into his own in Chicago and his career .923 save percentage through 75 games played as a backup is incredibly solid.

Behind a defense stacked with talent in Jaccob Slavin, Noah Hanifin, Justin Faulk, and new addition Trevor van Riemsdyk, Darling might not even need to do much in goal to keep the Hurricanes afloat.

Smart acquisitions in Justin Williams and Marcus Kruger will also pay off in a lineup of young, exciting talent on offense in Teuvo Teravainen, Jeff Skinner, Sebastian Aho, Victor Rask, and Elias Lindholm.

The Hurricanes really only needed a few key pieces to be contenders, and they will get their chance to be this season.

5. More people will tune into the Olympics for the U.S. women’s national team than the men’s

This prediction is more hockey-based than NHL based, but it seems appropriate to end this bold and brash projection session with something about the Olympics.

It’s going to be hard to imagine a tournament without NHL players, but that’s what it has come to. No players, even outspoken Alex Ovechkin, will seemingly cross the company lines on this issue, so while the Winter Olympics are being held in February, NHL games will still be happening.

No one really knows what the Olympic rosters will look like for Team USA or Team Canada, considering the limited pool of players they can pull from. People may not even watch the games, considering the time difference between here and South Korea.

The people that may benefit the most from the NHL’s decision could be the women’s teams when all is said and done. Both USA and Canada are extremely competitive in the sport, and both have a rivalry that’s maybe even more fierce than their men counterparts.

The two sides will be sending their absolute best teams to the upcoming Winter Games, and will — barring surprises — likely be the gold medal match by the tournament’s end. We all know what happened the last time the two teams played in an Olympic gold medal match, and the rematch after such a heartbreaking loss for Team USA will likely be a bigger draw than Team Russia versus one of the other countries on the men’s side.

Team USA is what sells at the Olympics for most American viewers, and the prospect of seeing the best in the world on the women’s side will turn the dial more than a hodgepodge team of Swedes.

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Eastern Edge: Streaming Options from the East

Over the last couple weeks we’ve been going over H2H playoffs, most leagues have had a trade deadline and if so you’re holding steady waiting for the waiver wire moves to start for round one. This week I want to take a look at some of the streaming options on the Eastern conference and talk about a trade that occurred in my 14 team league as an example of the mindset that I think is required for the a chance to take home a league win.

The second place team in our league unloaded Nikita Kucherov (yep – you read that right) two weeks before the playoffs start. You must be thinking he absolutely fleeced someone, but interestingly he probably is the net loser of the deal. In return the Kucherov owner received Mitch Marner and Elias Lindholm; he tossed in Erik Gustafsson as a kicker to accelerate the deal. So if you’ve been reading the last couple weeks and have adequately prepared for the playoffs you’ll know why in the end this deal made sense for the Kucherov owner; that’s right off-night games. The owner opened significant holes in his lineup for days with a big slate of games and pushed his big guns towards the Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun games. Now we can debate all we want about whether you’d rather have Marner and Lindholm over Kucherov either way. The security of Kucherov in a single season cannot be questioned, you’re likely using two roster spots to gain the production of one roster spot – but again man games. Since we’re fresh on designing your playoff team, I thought this was an excellent time to share with the readers an interesting example of how you can improve your playoff chances and at the same time lose the best player in a deal.

Ok so jumping into some of the names that should be available on your waiver wire that I think will have an immediate impact in week one of the H2H fantasy hockey playoffs:

Taylor Hall – for those as worried about Hall’s status as myself – GM Ray Shero has noted that Hall’s availability should become clear this week. Here’s to hoping for good things for Hall and also for your fantasy team.

Andreas Athanasiou – Thanks to the legend Steve Laidlaw for this suggestion, as noted Athanasiou is going to be moved to center for the remainder of the season. As a tri-eligible player he will make an impact in FOW leagues. He’ll also likely be centering Filip Zadina for at least nine of those games – there’s a chance this pays real dividends for your team.

Tony DeAngelo – Is on a heck of a run right now with ten apples in the last 11 games, with only two pointless nights this is a pretty interesting pickup, which should be available to most leagues.

Filip Hronek – The stud rookie defenseman has 3 points in 4 games since being recalled. He’s leading the first power play unit as of the last game so his potential with the beast Mantha, and Larkin is skyrocketing as we head towards the playoffs.

Will Butcher – As of writing this Butcher was held out of Monday night’s game against Montreal with a lower-body injury but his status is absolutely worth monitoring. While he leaves a lot to want for in a single season format – for quick streams in and out he’s still a potential number one PP QB.

Devon Toews – has been on a nice little run as of recent, typically you’re thinking of Nick Leddy and Ryan Pulock as the big names on the Isles blueline. Toews has put up seven points in his last seven games. He’s only seeing about 18 minutes per night and is on the second unit, so he is not the premiere option compared to some of these other blueliners- but the production cannot be overlooked when every point matters in the do or die format.

Travis Sanheim – Is leading the power play two group with Ivan Provorov in Philly but he has managed 6 points in his last 8 games. Fortunately he is seeing 23 minutes a night which is helping with his point production – however because of how top heavy the PP unit time is in Philly he’s only seeing the tail end of the power play shift which amounts to about 15 seconds – negligible.

Ryan Strome – with the departure of Kevin Hayes, Strome has picked up about four more minutes a night and raised his share of PP time up to around the mid 40%. Again for FW leagues he’s RW eligible and will slot well during the second week of the playoffs with the off night schedule of the Rangers of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday games.

Is there anyone else you think should be brought up for streaming options in week one? Leave them in the comments.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/eastern-edge/eastern-edge-streaming-options-from-the-east/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: Matthews Signs, Ovechkin Makes History, Rask, Kane, & Klefbom (Feb 6)

The big news of the day saw the Leafs lock up Auston Matthews to a five-year deal that will pay him 11.634 million per season. 93 percent of that is coming in the form of lockout-proof signing bonuses. With the cap projected to move to 83 million dollars next season, Matthews new cap hit will account for 14 percent of the total space available.

Here’s a look at some of the other big-time centres who have signed monster deals and their percentage-based hit against the cap.

Connor McDavid 12.5 million 16.67%

John Tavares 11 million 13.83%

Jonathan Toews 10.5 million 15.2%

Anze Kopitar 10 million 14%

Jack Eichel 10 million 13.3%

Evgeni Malkin 9.5 million 14.8%

Sidney Crosby 8.7 million 13.5%

Looking at those comparables, Matthews eating up 14 percent of the cap seems quite the reasonable – and it is. However, those other deals were for the max years available and bought up multiple UFA seasons. The Leafs only grabbed one year of UFA-eligibility from Matthews.

Crosby and Malkin both signed five-year deals coming out of their ELCs for 8.7 million per. They both represented 17.3 percent of the cap for their respective signing years. The Pens were able to extend them for 12 and eight more years after that at 8.7 and 9.5 million respectively – all of which were UFA seasons.

Going shorter term on Matthews saved the Leafs on the overall cap hit now, but it means they’ll be negotiating with a soon-to-be 26-year-old UFA when this contract concludes.

Those pinched pennies today will be stretched thin. With a projected cap of 83 million for 2019-20, the Leafs will have 16.3 million free with just 14 players under contract. That includes RFA deals needed for Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson.

I’m no mathematician (although I do teach high-school math to students who mostly despise it), but there’s a scenario here where those three RFA’s eat up nearly all of that cap space.

Something will have to give.

Malkin missed his third straight contest and the Penguins definitely missed him as the Hurricanes blanked them 4-0 on Tuesday evening. Curtis McElhinney made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season. It was his first start in three weeks.

For those wondering, Justin Faulk continued to skate on the team's top power play, while Dougie Hamilton worked the second unit.

Patrice Bergeron skated in career game 1000 on Tuesday and had a typical Bergeron evening. Two goals, four shots while playing a key role on special teams. He continues to click at a triple-digit pace.

Brad Marchand added two helpers and Tuukka Rask stopped 28 of 29 to keep his heater rolling. He's 8-0-2 with a 0.945 save percentage stretching back to December 29th.

That concussion we were worried about last week appears fully in the rearview.

San Jose defeated the Jets 3-2 in overtime as Joe Pavelski scored the shorthanded winner in the extra frame. That's eight points in the last four games for Little Joe.

Erik Karlsson missed his fifth consecutive game – not even making the trip to Winnipeg. This isn't a great look for the Sharks. EK was already dealing with the injury before the All-Star break but decided to suit up for the event with it happening in San Jose.

Here's hoping this doesn't linger too much longer.

Rasmus Dahlin tallied a power play goal and skated 25:25 as the Sabres beat the Wild 5-4 in a shootout. The 18-year-old defender has recorded two goals and nine points while averaging over 22 minutes in 11 games over the past month.

Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel each had two points in this one despite the Sabres shuffling their lines.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Sabres' lineup: Sheary-Eichel-Okposo Skinner-Mittelstadt-Pominville Smith-Rodrigues-Reinhart Girgensons-Sobotka-Thompson Dahlin-Ristolainen Pilut-Bogosian Scandella-McCabe Ullmark <a href="https://t.co/dEGxHTPwgU">https://t.co/dEGxHTPwgU</a>— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloVogl/status/1092930494923243520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

Ryan Suter recorded two assists and skated 30:10 in the defeat. The 34-year-old is on pace for career-high 56 points.

He's remains a monster.

Some injury news and notes out of Arizona:

Jakob Chychrun was placed on the IR. That means the Coyotes dressed Kevin Connaughton, Jordan Oesterle, Kyle Capobianco and Ilya Lyubushkin – not exactly a who’s who of proven assets.

Darcy Kuemper suffered an upper-body injury and is also out. Calvin Pickard took the reins Tuesday and Adin Hill was recalled from the farm. Pickard was good in the game against the Predators making 42 saves, but he didn't get much help.

Roman Josi produced a goal and two helpers as the Preds defeated the Yotes 5-2. Josi has seven points in his last six games and has broken the 40-point barrier for the sixth consecutive season.

Pekka Rinne made 24 stops to record just his third quality start in the past 11 games. A welcome sight for owners who were beginning to feel the heat from Juuse Saros.

After a scary incident last night, Alex Edler somehow escaped without any broken bones. He suffered some deep lacerations, a few broken teeth and has been sent back to Vancouver with a concussion. Even with a diagnosed concussion, the result could’ve been much worse.

https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/Edler-Head.mp4

The Canucks took on the reigning Cup Champs on Tuesday evening on the tail end of a back-to-back on the road.

With Thatcher Demko suddenly on a plane back to Vancouver to have an MRI on his knee, the Canucks used an Emergency Recall on 19-year-old, Michael DiPietro.

In the last nine months, DiPietro has suited up for the Windsor Spitfires and Ottawa 67s of the OHL. He was the third netminder for Canada at the 2018 World Championships, as well as the starter for the Canadians at the recent World Junior Championships. Now the back-up gig for an NHL contest.

You know he’s had a massive smile on his face for all of it.

The Canucks shook up their lines ahead of this one with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser being split up. Pettersson skated alongside Josh Leivo and Antoine Roussel. While Boeser lined up with Bo Horvat and Nikolay Goldobin.

Caps held the play In the first half of this one but were outshot and outplayed in the final 30 minutes. They managed to hold on for a 3-2 victory after Pettersson tallied with six seconds left to cut the deficit to one.

Alex Ovechkin assisted on the game's first marker to move ahead of Sergei Fedorov for the most points by a Russian-born player.

For my money, there's no true debate regarding the best Russian of all-time. Hell, I'm fully convinced that Ovi is the greatest goal-scorer of all-time too. But if we're looking at players from the Motherland on a per-game basis from their primes, Pavel Bure is the only guy who can make a case.

Here are the aggregate totals from Bure and Ovechkin's best four seasons:

Pavel Bure: 229 goals, 172 assists and 401 points in 314 games

Alex Ovechkin: 223 goals, 206 assists and 429 points in 314 games

During their peak seasons, Bure outscored Ovechkin on a per game basis, while trailing by a decent margin in assists. Of course, staying healthy is almost as important as what you do while you're on the ice, and that's one area where Ovechkin absolutely dominates the Russian Rocket.

Over in the college ranks, the state of Massachusetts is buzzing with the annual Beanpot tournament. This pits the top NCAA schools from the region against one another for the prestigious 65-year-old trophy.

Monday saw Boston University and Northeastern square off and Canucks’ prospect, Tyler Madden was the hero in overtime as he converted on a breakaway.

I’m not sure which is better, his on-ice skills or his celebratory game.

https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/Snow-angel.mp4

Madden is making a claim to be the best value pick from the 2018 class. Taken 68th overall by Vancouver, he’s been dynamite as the top line centre for the Huskies this season, and was a swiss army knife for the Americans at the WJC.

He sure looks to have a future as a top-six forward. Keeper leagues, take notice.

Amidst the trade rumours, Sergei Bobrovsky snuck in a rare win as the Blue Jackets defeated the Avalanche 6-3. It was his first victory since January 13 and is a welcome sight for owners.

Columbus split up their big line in this one and it appeared to work. Artemi Panarin slid down to play with Alex Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand, while Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson skated with Nick Foligno.

PLD and Atkinson combined for three goals while the Panarin line chipped in with two goals and four points.

Colorado has now lost four straight and remains on the outside of the Western Wild Card picture.

Oskar Klefbom has been activated from the IR. The 25-year-old has been out for nearly two months with a hand injury. Despite missing 21 contests, Klefbom still sits second for blueline points with 15 in 31 games. His 25:25 average per contest remains a team-high.

This is a massive boon the Oilers’ backend (and power-play). Klefbom didn't immediately step back into his role on the team’s top unit. Darnell Nurse has been very good in that spot since Klefbom went down. He's recorded 17 points – eight on the power play, in the 22 games with Klefbom on the sideline. Nurse chipped in a power-play assist on Tuesday as well.

It'll be very interesting how the Oilers proceed once Klefbom is back up to speed.

Even with the return of Klefbom, the Oilers were no match for the streaking Blackhawks on Tuesday. With a goal and an assist, Patrick Kane extended his ridiculous point-streak to 12 games and 28 points. The former first overall pick has 17 goals and 41 points in his last 20 contests.

Can you say, en fuego?

Connor McDavid did his thing setting up two goals and a dozen other glorious chances that went unconverted. Meanwhile, Leon Draisaitl scored his 30th and 31st goals of the season to continue to build on a career-high. It wasn't enough though as the Oilers fell 6-2.

Cam Talbot was given the hook after giving up four goals on 27 shots. Mikko Koskinen allowed two goals on eight shots to close this one out. I think the Oilers may still need some help in net..

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-matthews-signs-ovechkin-makes-history-rask-kane-klefbom-feb-6/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Pettersson Injured, Demko Arriving Soon, Had Enough of Hamilton? (Jan 4)

Hey folks, don’t forget that the Midseason Guide will be available one week from now (January 11). Inside you’ll find second-half projections, sleepers, advanced stats, historical trends, prospects you need to know, and more!

As I mentioned before, I’m handling the goaltending piece. Of course, as I’m working on it, a trade is announced between the Canucks and Senators that involves two goalies. The main takeaways of the trade are that Anders Nilsson will start some games in Ottawa while Craig Anderson is sidelined with a concussion, and top goalie prospect Thatcher Demko will be called up (Mike McKenna has been placed on waivers). Demko is definitely more exciting for fantasy owners, although Jacob Markstrom’s recent exceptional play (9-2-0, 1.82 GAA, .938 SV% since December 6) should result in the Canucks limiting Demko’s workload to begin. I’ll guess that the division of labor will be closer to 50-50 next season.

If you’re unsure whether Demko is ready, consider that he has more AHL games (over 100) and better AHL numbers than MacKenzie Blackwood, Cal Petersen, Carter Hart, and Adin Hill – all rookie goalies who have made positive contributions to fantasy teams at various points throughout the season. At least partially driven by injuries and poor play, teams are now bringing in prospect goalies at a younger age. Did I mention that in the Midseason Guide, you’ll get to read about a few AHL goalies that are potential injury replacements?

Can I say that I’ve had enough of injuries already? A day after being named to the Pacific Division All-Star team, Elias Pettersson left Thursday’s game against Montreal with a lower-body injury. Pettersson got his legs tangled up with those of Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Here’s what happened (take a deep breath, Canucks fans).

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At first glance I thought it seemed like a fairly innocent play. You can see Pettersson’s leg bend in a way that it shouldn’t. But then you can also see Kotkaniemi pulling Pettersson to the ice while getting his legs in the way. It should have been a two-minute penalty, but whatever. As a Canucks’ fan, I will say optics-wise that I’m not as angry about this incident as I was about the Mike Matheson chokeslam that cost the Panthers’ defenseman two games and sidelined Petey with a concussion. As long as Pettersson is embarrassing opponents, he’s going to have a target on his back for some physical payback.

For what it’s worth, Travis Green said that he doesn’t expect Pettersson to be out very long, although he thought he would miss Saturday’s game against Toronto. So let’s all be calm about this and move on like sane, rational individuals, while hoping Pettersson doesn’t miss much time. Can we do that?

The Pettersson injury overshadowed the return of Carey Price, who stopped all 33 shots he faced in a 2-0 shutout win. Price has now won three consecutive games dating back to December 20 and 22. The Habs will need a healthy Price if they are going to make the playoffs.

I didn’t mention Collin Delia during the last Ramblings I wrote, so I’ll take care of it this time around, seeing as how he’s definitely deserving of a mention after his Thursday effort. Delia didn’t earn the win (OT loss in fact), but he stopped 47 of 50 shots he faced in keeping the Blackhawks in this one. I didn’t mention Delia in the above group of goalies, as his AHL numbers are very comparable to Demko’s (in less than half as many games, mind you). Delia entered Thursday’s contest having won all three of his previous games. He’s owned in just 22 percent of Yahoo leagues at the moment, but that number will grow as more fantasy leaguers become aware of him.

By the way, Delia was also named to the AHL All-Star Game. If you’re at all interested, you can check out the rosters here.

I should also mention the goalie at the other end of the ice in this game. Robin Lehner has now won six games in a row, allowing just five goals over that span. He’s also posted eight quality starts over his last nine games. Health is key, but he should be in your starting lineup while he’s locked in like this. I should also mention that among goalies with a minimum of 12 appearances, Lehner has the top goals-against average (2.13) and the second-best save percentage (.929). Call this the Barry Trotz/Mitch Korn effect.

And I can’t get away from this game without mentioning the exploits of Mathew Barzal. The Isles’ first-line center scored another two goals on Thursday, giving him eight goals and 11 points over his last six games. Barzal has been firing the puck a lot more recently – even more so on Thursday, when he took a season-high eight shots.

With Jack Eichel out of the lineup on Thursday, Jeff Skinner didn’t miss a beat. Skinner scored twice, leading the Sabres to a 4-3 win over Florida. Skinner is now second in the NHL with 28 goals, just two back of Alex Ovechkin (who scored his 30th on Thursday).

If you’re curious, no Eichel on the top line meant that Evan Rodrigues moved up to play alongside Skinner and Sam Reinhart. The promotion hasn’t been enough to get Rodrigues going, as he was held without a point on Thursday and has just one point (an assist) over his last nine games. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but Rodrigues could be a cheap daily play on Saturday if he stays on this line, as Eichel is expected to be out at least one more game.

I referenced earlier that I was sick and tired of injuries, so here’s what’s adding to my frustration. On one of my teams my usual starting goalies are Frederik Andersen and Semyon Varlamov. Both are day-to-day (Andersen was just moved to IR.) So I add Garret Sparks to try to stop the bleeding. Guess what? He goes to concussion protocol after taking a shot off the mask during practice. When it gets to that point, I wonder if I said or did something that pissed off the fantasy hockey gods.

So with Andersen and Sparks out, Michael Hutchinson was immediately recalled and started Thursday afternoon’s game against Minnesota. He stopped 30 of 34 shots in a 4-3 loss for the Leafs. The injuries to both Andersen and Sparks don’t “sound” long-term, but the Hutchinson trade was much-needed for the Leafs. No word on who will start Saturday’s game against the Canucks, but you could always make a pre-emptive move to add Hutchinson if you are hunting for goaltending wins.

For the Wild in that game, Jared Spurgeon scored a goal and added two assists. Spurgeon had been held without a point in his previous seven games. Yet he’s been seeing increased overall icetime since Matt Dumba’s injury. Before the injury, Spurgeon had averaged 22:04 per game; while following the injury, he has averaged 26:21 per game – an increase of over four minutes per game. His power-play time is down for some reason, though (2:25 before to 1:13 after).

Teuvo Teravainen scored two goals and added an assist in the Hurricanes’ 5-3 win over the Flyers. Teravainen has been scoring in bunches lately, as he scored four points on December 23, then went without a point for three games after.

Dougie Hamilton, nice to finally see you in the boxscore. Hamilton scored a goal and an assist, his first points since (looks way down the game log) December 5. That’s 11 games without a point. Even with the point drought coming to an end, there were still signs that it’s not going to happen for Hamilton in Carolina. He’s still on the second-unit power play behind Justin Faulk. Also, Hamilton played just 14:22 overall in this game – clearly on the third pairing with Trevor van Riemsdyk.

I know there are plenty of defensemen with good offensive numbers that play less than 20 minutes per game, but from a fantasy perspective he’s simply not being used enough by the Canes to be effective in points leagues relative to other options. Yes, I can see that he had comparable icetime numbers in Calgary, but minutes and opportunities matter if you’re looking for reasons that his production is way down.

If you want to look for positives, though, he’s still in the top 5 among defensemen with 128 shots on goal (empty shots, since he has only four goals). His shooting percentage is also down (currently at 8.2% when it was at 15.3% during his 50-point season), so perhaps a few of those many shots will start to trickle in. I know I’ve banged the drum on Hamilton in the past, but I’m currently in sell mode when it comes to his stock, having just traded him away in one single-season league.

In the late game, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos made easy work of the hapless Kings. Kucherov scored a goal and added three assists, while Stamkos scored a goal and added two assists. Over his last five games, Kucherov has 17 points. From October 30 until January 3, Kucherov has also been scoring at very nearly a two point per game pace (60 points in 31 games). That’s astounding! With 69 points, Kucherov is now seven points clear of former scoring leader Mikko Rantanen. Will Kucherov run away with the scoring lead?

For more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/pettersson-injured-demko-arriving-soon-had-enough-of-hamilton-jan-4/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: Hakstol on Hot Seat, Barkov Getting Noticed (Dec 16)

For starters, here’s a few updates on some injured defensemen:

Oscar Klefbom will need surgery on his injured finger, which will result in him being sidelined for another 6 to 8 weeks. Klefbom has already missed the past two games and left the previous game early. In Klefbom’s absence, Darnell Nurse has seen a major spike in usage with icetime totals of 30:44, 31:04, and 27:50 over the past three games. Nurse has taken full advantage of the increased deployment with five points (2g-3a) over his last three games and also has eight points (3g-5a) over his last six games. Nurse is still unowned in just over half of Yahoo leagues.

Matt Dumba left Saturday’s game late in the first period with an injury. Possibly related to the injury, Dumba fought Matthew Tkachuk early in the first period. Jared Spurgeon stepped up on Dumba’s absence, playing a season-high 29:20 in this game. Spurgeon’s icetime and power-play time would stand to increase if Dumba misses time.

Kris Letang missed Saturday’s game after leaving Friday’s game with a lower-body injury. Letang owners should breathe a sigh of relief, as this injury sounds more day-to-day than anything. His status for next week should remain up in the air, though. Olli Maata logged first-unit power-play minutes for the Penguins and was able to record a power-play assist on Phil Kessel’s overtime winner against the Kings. Maatta also led all players in this game with five blocked shots.

Mike Green has been placed on IR and is expected to miss the next 3 to 5 weeks with a lower-body injury. With Green out of the lineup, Trevor Daley logged a season-high 25:57 on Saturday against the Islanders and scored his first goal since November 1.

If your league is one of the few that counts shorthanded goals, Mark Giordano will have helped you win that category this week. Gio scored his second shorthanded goal in as many games on Saturday, giving him a four-game point streak in which he has lit it up for nine points. After back-to-back sub-40 point seasons, his point-per-game performance has to count as one of the season’s biggest surprises. The Flames’ offense may have something to do with that, as the team’s offense has improved from 2.63 GF/GP last season to 3.48 GF/GP this season.

Aleksander Barkov is widely considered one of the NHL’s most underrated players. Maybe that will change after he posted a hat trick on Hockey Night in Canada against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Barkov also stuffed a couple of other categories, firing seven shots on goal while logging an insane (for a forward) 27:42. Barkov leads all forwards with an average of 23:13 in icetime. With a point-per-game average dating back to last season, don’t expect his icetime to decrease anytime soon.

Fantasy owners would have also been watching for the season debut of Henrik Borgstrom, who was just recalled from the AHL. Borgstrom was inserted into a scoring role, centering a line with Evgenii Dadonov and Frank Vatrano. He was held without a point in 12 minutes of icetime, but he did see some second-unit power-play time. Keep expectations tempered for Borgstrom this season, but keeper leaguers should no doubt target him (Dobber Prospects profile here). He recorded 22 points in 24 games in the AHL this season.

With Mitch Marner adding to his legend in Toronto, it might be hard to believe that he scored his first goal in 14 games on Saturday. Then to make up for lost time, he scored his second to tie the game late in the third period. Marner sits third in the NHL with 35 assists and appears set to smash his career high in that category (47), set last season.

Alex Ovechkin didn’t record another hat trick on Saturday. But he did score another goal (his 29th) while taking eight shots on goal and logging 25:34 in icetime. He’s currently riding a 14-game point streak – see the details below. The goal total alone is amazing.

In a losing cause for the Sabres, Rasmus Dahlin scored a goal and added two assists. Dahlin had been held without a point in his previous seven games, so this very up-and-down type of production shouldn’t be that surprising from an 18 year old with this much potential.

By the time you read this, I might already be writing about a Flyers’ coaching change. Or else one of us here will be soon. If Dave Hakstol does lose his job by the time the Flyers arrive home from their road trip, he can rightfully say that the team’s goaltending situation didn’t do him any favors. The Flyers allowed three goals to the Canucks in the first 11 minutes, with Anthony Stolarz departing after the second goal with a lower-body injury. Even though I could probably use another goalie on one or two of my teams, I’m steering clear from the Flyers’ current goalie situation completely.

Before you get excited about a Carter Hart callup, note that he is still getting used to the AHL (2.98 GAA, .903 SV%). For the sake of Hart’s long-term confidence, it’s probably best not to bring him into a situation as volatile as what the Flyers have going on.

Hakstol won’t be able to say he’s been able to rely on Shayne Gostisbehere either. Ghost simply isn’t going to come anywhere close to his 65 points from last season. For a player who fires a ton of shots from the point on the power play (without them necessarily reaching the net), he has completely dried up with no goals over his last 15 games and counting. His minus-18 further deflates his value.

In case you’re thinking that this is a perfect opportunity to try Ivan Provorov on PP1, he has struggled himself this season as well (11 points in 31 games, a similar total to Ghost). We’ll have to keep an eye on how a potential coaching change could affect the fantasy values of these two blueliners. It can’t really make things any worse, as the Flyers have just one power-play goal over their last 11 games.

If you have been daring enough to start Jacob Markstrom, you’ll be happy to know that his win against the Flyers was his fourth consecutive win. With some recent fine play, Markstrom has a 1.75 GAA and .942 SV% over that four-game stretch. If the Canucks start Markstrom about two of every three games, then he will probably be at his most effective. He won’t start any more games than that if the Canucks decide to give Anders Nilsson showcase starts with the intent of trading him (to make room for Thatcher Demko).

This picture was from the Elias Pettersson After Hours interview on Hockey Night in Canada:

Yeah, but can Elias Pettersson score a goal while doing this? pic.twitter.com/RtqJ6EslxP

— Ian Gooding (@Ian_Gooding) December 16, 2018

Even though Daniel Sprong is only 21, it seemed like we had waited an eternity for him to find his way onto the Pittsburgh Penguins and make an impact playing on a line with one or more of their big guns. That won’t happen, but it doesn’t mean that it’s time to give up on him. Now in a situation with a team that really needs him, Sprong has scored three goals in five games as a Duck, including both of their goals on Saturday. His icetime is also up over six minutes per game to 14 minutes, which tells you how little he had been playing in Pittsburgh.

Goal called off after Artturi Lehkonen is called for embellishment on this play. Thoughts?#HockeyNight pic.twitter.com/dVoNK5wyL5

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 16, 2018

I think the embellishment makes the goal even more amazing. Not that the call made a difference in the outcome, though. This goal would have given Artturi Lehkonen a three-point night. But yeah, don’t embarrass the refs, I guess.

I decided to move on from Thomas Vanek about a week ago in a deeper league, so it figures that he would score a goal and add two assists on Saturday. The goal was his first in nine games. If you feel so inclined to add or keep Vanek, he’s been playing on a line with Andreas Athanasiou and Frans Nielsen.

I kind of figured that a matchup between the Stars and Avalanche would turn into a high-scoring affair, and it didn’t disappoint if that’s what you were hoping for. Nathan MacKinnon (1g-3a) and Mikko Rantanen (2g-1a) extended their leads in the NHL scoring race, combining for seven points in an eventual 6-4 win over the Stars. I went to see the Avalanche play live two seasons ago in that dreadful 2016-17 season when the Avs finished with 48 points – it was literally the easiest ticket in town. MacKinnon finished the season with 53 points, while Rantanen reached 38 points. Look how far they’ve come since then.

#Avs Rantanen has 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in a 14-game point streak. MacKinnon has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in a five-game streak.

— Rick Sadowski (@RickS7) December 16, 2018

In a losing effort, Tyler Seguin scored two goals and added an assist. Seguin slumped during the early part of December with no points over a four-game stretch, but he appears to be back on track.

For more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-hakstol-on-hot-seat-barkov-getting-noticed-dec-16/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: Injury Updates for Stastny and Patrick; Jan Kovar; Game Recaps; Forum Questions – October 11

We had a wild game in Canada’s capital Wednesday night that featured a lot of goals and an equal amount of nastiness.

The first note was that not only did Brady Tkachuk score his first career NHL goal, he managed a pair of them. Truth be told, his power play unit looked much better than the first one and they even started earning some extra ice time. It was a nice game all around for the rookie.

It was the Philly top line that really showed up in this one, though. One night after getting embarrassed at home, Jakub Voracek had a pair of goals and five points, Claude Giroux had one and one, Sean Couturier added another tally en route to a 7-4 win.

The Flyers blue line did a lot of work on the scoresheet as Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists, Radko Gudas had three, while Robert Hagg scored his second goal of the season. Hagg only had three all of last year.

Maxime Lajoie continued his torrid start for Ottawa adding another two goals and assist to his stellar performance so far this season. He also earned over 20 minutes for the second time in four games, playing at least 18:30 in all four contests to date. Of all the early-season goings on, the rookie blue liner having five points in four games has to be near the top of the list.

Nolan Patrick seemed to be injured after a hit in the first period and only played a few minutes in Wednesday night’s game. He left the game, did not return, and the team is calling it an upper-body injury. We may know more on Thursday.

Ryan Kesler made a surprise return for the Ducks as he had not been cleared medically as of Wednesday afternoon but was in the lineup Wednesday night. If you drafted him, now is the time to activate him. With Getzlaf still injured, he should see a lot of ice time.

Patrick Eaves’s progress continues. He’s not ready for game action yet but he’s not having any setbacks, which is a good sign. Anaheim needs all the help they can get, and as soon as possible.

Staying with Anaheim, Ryan Getzlaf won’t be returning just yet for the Ducks. GM Bob Murray said he could be back next week. Fantasy owners will need to exercise some patience here.

Updates on the Arizona-Anaheim game in the morning.

We had a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final with Vegas going into Washington. The Caps would prevail 5-2 largely thanks to their power play.

This was the Evgeny Kuznetsov show all game long. He made a couple of very nice plays to set up Alex Ovechkin for a pair of goals. His best was probably this one, using his edges and exercising patience, waiting for the lane to open:

Alex Ovechkin one-times home Evgeny Kuznetsov's pass to score his 610th career goal and tie Bobby Hull for 17th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/jKx947K5tZ

— NHL Daily 365 (@NHLDaily365) October 11, 2018

Kuznetsov figured in all four goals, having one tally and three assists. Two of the team’s four goals came with the man advantage.

One important note from this game on the Vegas side of things: about mid-way through the third period, needing a goal, the Golden Knights stacked their top PP unit with the top line, Max Pacioretty, and Shea Theodore. They have always used to separate PP units with nearly equal ice time. It could have just been for this game needing a goal, but it’s something to monitor in the coming games.

Paul Stastny will miss a few games with a lower-body injury. It doesn’t seem too serious for now but fantasy owners will have to make do in the short-term with a bench option.

For what it’s worth (probably a lot), Bob McKenzie said last night it could me more of a week-to-week thing. We shall see.

Niklas Kronwall should be back Thursday while Dennis Cholowski, Trevor Daley, and Jonathan Ericsson will be out. This is quite the start to the season for the Detroit blue line, injury-wise.

Well, that didn’t take long:

#Isles place Jan Kovar on unconditional waivers.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) October 10, 2018

Too bad it didn’t work out. The Islanders need all the help they can get.

We’re a week into the season. We have a couple dozen weeks left. What is true today will not necessarily be true tomorrow, or a week from now, or a month from now.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t some early surprises. Sometimes these surprises lead to good things – Jake DeBrusk looking great early in 2017-18 bode well for his season – and sometimes they’re meaningless.

Here are a few things early in the season that are surprising, at least to me. This is as of Wednesday afternoon, so we’re not counting Wednesday night’s games.

Patrick Kane leads the league in shot attempts

Not only does the dynamic Chicago winger lead the league in shot attempts (34), he’s done so playing just three games whereas names like Evander Kane (32), Mitch Marner (25), and John Tavares (25) have all played four games.

It’s not necessarily a surprise that Kane is among the league leaders in this regard; he did finish top-10 last year. But that top-10 finish had him 260 attempts behind first place (Brent Burns). That margin of 260 was roughly half of Kane’s final total (515). So, yeah, he normally shoots a lot, but he doesn’t shoot this much.

The thing is, Kane is averaging a lot of ice so far as well, clocking in just shy of 22:30 a game. He won’t keep up over six shots per game, but if he maintains anywhere near that level of ice time, don’t be surprised to see a career-best shot total come from his campaign.

Los Angeles looks awful.

It has been kind of a tough schedule to open, with games against Winnipeg and San Jose bookending a game with Detroit. But the Kings have been outshot a total of 110-63 in those three games. If they fancy themselves as contenders, this is not the impression to make out of the gate.

Their showing so far is a bit surprising, at least to me. Adding Ilya Kovalchuk and having a healthy Jeff Carter was supposed to make a difference. They’re older players, sure, but still very good. Team depth is an issue but the top half of the roster up front and on the blue line still looks solid. And they were throttled by Detroit, only being bailed out by their goaltending. Not a recipe for long-term success.

Alex Edler is second among defencemen in PP points

Given that we knew Morgan Rielly would be running the new-look Leafs PP, his leading the league’s defencemen in PP points isn’t a surprise. Edler having three PPs himself, however, is.

Vancouver has looked probably as expected to most: the top line is snakebit early but looks fine, Elias Pettersson looks fantastic, and the rest of the team looks pretty bad. But that top line, with Elias Pettersson, is all Edler needs to have fantasy value.

Power play points are going to be crucial for Edler moving forward and despite the early success, the team is struggling for shot generation. This is something to keep an eye on over the next couple weeks. If Edler can manage a few more PPs in the next five or six games, and shot generation for the Canucks doesn’t improve, that would be the time for fantasy owners to trade him. That injury history is always lurking in the shadows anyway.

Speaking of Vancouver, don’t be fooled by Loui Eriksson’s start

Three points in three games for the veteran winger is a nice way to begin the campaign. He also has one (1!) shot on goal in those three games and has been given fewer than 12 minutes per game in that span. I’m sure a lot of people will point to the HE PLAYS WITH PETTERSSON sign, but those minutes cannot sustain fantasy value for anyone playing anywhere.

If you have Eriksson on your roster, chances are he was a throwaway pick very late in a deep draft. Maybe you can trade him for something useful now because if his role doesn’t improve, he’ll have no value in a month.

It’s still early so there isn’t really a lot to discuss, especially on slow three-game nights like Wednesday night. I thought I would dig through the Dobber forums and answer some questions posed there.

Question 1: Buchnevich or Labanc, points-only?

Question taken from here.

To me, this isn’t close. In my preseason projections, I had Buchnevich at 55.0 points even and Labanc at 45.6 points. There has been nothing so far this season that makes me think Labanc can increase his scoring by 25 percent to become the better option.

Yes, Labanc is off to a great start with five points in four game. He’s also still playing roughly as many minutes as he did last year and unless San Jose sustains four or five more key injuries, he won’t come anywhere close to the top PP unit.

Buchnevich, on the other hand, is earning about a minute more per game so far this season compared to 2017-18 and will be on the top PP unit. There is a disparity in the quality of the teams but that top line for the Rangers is still very good and as long as Buchnevich remains in his current role, he’s the superior points-only option.

Question 2: Brendan Gallagher or Elias Lindholm? Scoring: Goals (4), Assists (3), Hits (0.25), SHG (2), SOG (0.5), PPP (1)

Question taken from here.

My preseason projections had Gallagher ahead of Lindholm in goals (27.6 to 17.1) but the disparity in assists brought their point totals fairly close with Gallagher still having a small edge (53.6 to 51.3). The projection for Lindholm was done with the assumption that he’d play 50 percent of the season on the top line and 50 percent of the season in the middle-6 while bouncing between the two PP units.

This is clearly all about Lindholm’s role. He’s skating with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan both at five-on-five and on the PP. If that sustains itself for the vast majority of the season, rather than just half the season, that will more than make up for the disparity in shots on goal in this scoring format. If he’s off the top line and top PP unit by American Thanksgiving, though, Gallagher has the clear edge.

As noted by FHG in that particular forum thread, Lindholm likely has the coach’s trust given his early usage and their prior relationship. This gives the edge to Lindholm for however long he maintains his role.

Question 3: A lot of people are bailing on Kevin Shattenkirk

There were multiple questions about him.

I understand the desire to get ahead of this before it snowballs out of control, seeing as he played under 10 minutes in the team’s last game and looks to be a healthy scratch on Thursday.

Here’s the thing: this is a new coach sending a message to a young team. Expectations aren’t high for the Rangers but an NHL coach doesn’t think in terms of losing. They have to mix winning with developing younger players. This is a message to the younger players that says ‘Even if you’re a 10-year veteran all star, if you don’t pull your weight, we’ll find someone else that will.’ Shattenkirk cracked 20 minutes in each of the first two games before that insane 8-5 game in Carolina.

Don’t bail on Shattenkirk. He’ll be back after the Thursday scratch and back in his usual role. If other people in your league are looking to bail on him, now is the time to buy him for cheap.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-injury-updates-for-stastny-and-patrick-jan-kovar-game-recaps-forum-questions-october-11/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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31 oddly specific predictions for the 2018-19 season

Predicting what’s going to happen in the NHL is all but impossible in an age of parity that borders on coin-flipping. You can choose to play it safe and stick with stating the obvious – Connor McDavid will score a lot, the Lightning will win a lot, the Senators not so much – but nobody is giving you any credit for that. Plus you’ll still probably find a way to be wrong.

As futile as the whole thing might be, we all keep trying. It’s pretty much mandatory. And when we inevitably miss, our kind readers are right there to remind us all about it.

But I’ve always figured that if you’re going to be wrong, at least be really wrong. So whenever I do preseason predictions, I like to make them as specific as possible. Anyone can point to a team and say they’ll make or miss the playoffs. Let’s try to pick the exact date for their 17th win.

I’ve been doing this in some form or other for years, and you may be wondering how many have actually turned out to be right. To be honest, not many. But every now and then the blind squirrel finds a nut – check out the double-pronged beauty on the Montreal Canadiens two years ago – and that’s where the fun comes in.

So with a new season just a few days away, let’s dial up another round of Oddly Specific Predictions for every team in the league. As always, no warranty of accuracy is expressed or implied.

Ottawa Senators – Erik Karlsson’s return with the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 1 stands as the hottest ticket of the season in Ottawa. But it’s Thomas Chabot who scores the winner that night, leading to a barrage of torch-passing narratives.

Buffalo Sabres – I picked Casey Mittelstadt as my Calder winner earlier in the preseason. He’s, uh, not exactly giving off that vibe based on training camp, but what the hell, let’s say he recovers to win a close race over Elias Pettersson. Hopefully the league doesn’t decide this one with a novelty raffle wheel.

Arizona Coyotes – After torpedoing their 2017-18 season before it even got off the ground with an 11-game losing streak, the Coyotes flip the script by starting off this year 4-0-0.

Calgary Flames – He’s running out of time at 36-years-old, so let’s make this the year that Mike Smith becomes the first goalie in NHL history to score a second, regular-season shoot-and-score goal.

Dallas Stars – Every year, I like to take a team that seems on the verge of a big move in either direction and pick them to annoy everyone by finishing with the same record as last year. The 92-point Stars fit the bill this season.

Chicago Blackhawks – If the Hawks are as bad as many seem to think they could be, it’s going to be a tough season in Chicago, and they’ll need someone to take out their frustrations on. Luckily, the schedule-maker serves up an old rival in the Blues four times in the season’s first six weeks. Let’s circle that fourth meeting, in Chicago on November 14, and say that something ugly happens. Maybe not a massacre, mind you, but something.

Colorado Avalanche – The Avalanche tied for the fewest shootouts in the league last year, with just three. This year, they have that many by the end of October.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Which of the big guns leads the team in scoring, Auston Matthews or John Tavares? Neither, as Mitch Marner sneaks past both to claim the crown (and eventually a huge new contract).

Washington Capitals – After rolling to three straight Metro Division titles, this edition of the Capitals fall all the way to third. Absolutely nobody in Washington cares.

Detroit Red Wings – Ken Holland tries really, really hard to make it through the season without replacing Jeff Blashill with Dan Bylsma. He fails, and the change is made in January.

Florida Panthers – They’re the easiest team in the league to predict, since everyone already has them locked into fourth place in the Atlantic. So it goes without saying that they won’t wind up there; instead, they sneak past one of the division’s Big Three and into third place.

Columbus Blue Jackets – They decide that going through the season with two star players about to hit UFA status just isn’t workable. So they make it three, pulling off a mid-season trade for Matt Duchene. Here’s hoping that works out better for them than for the last team that tried it.

>> Read the full post at The Athletic

from All About Sports http://www.downgoesbrown.com/2018/10/31-oddly-specific-predictions-for-2018.html

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thrashermaxey · 7 years

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Ramblings: Marner Rebounding, Gallagher Fired Up (Feb 11)

Marner Rebounding, Gallagher Fired Up, plus more…

Mitch Marner had the game of his career on Saturday, scoring two goals and adding three assists. One of the points was his 100th career point. The shots are finally starting to go in for Marner, who after long stretches without goals now has seven goals over his last 10 games. As much as he was thought to be slumping this season, he is now on pace to match his 61-point rookie season. Maybe you expected more given where you had to draft him, but if you look at the overall body of work now, he hasn’t disappointed as much as you think. I was able to pick him up off waivers earlier this season after one dissatisfied owner dropped him.

Patrick Marleau surprised his fantasy owners with a three-point game and six shots on goal. Marleau entered the game with just one point in his previous seven games and two points in his previous 16 games. So you can’t necessarily be blamed if you’ve decided to move on.

With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Nazem Kadri now has 13 points (4g-9a) in his last 10 games. Prior to that stretch Kadri had just one point in his previous 18 games. So he’s probably safe to use again while he’s on this line with Marner and Marleau.

Craig Anderson pulled midway through the first period after allowing three goals on 10 shots. Considering how the rest of his season has gone, Anderson had been settling in with three consecutive wins entering this game to go with a 2.54 GAA and .930 SV% over the last five games. The Senators were a disaster in the first period of this game and have been for much of the season, but they have one of the league’s most favorable schedules during the fantasy playoffs. So I think I’ll retain Anderson anyway and see what happens. I do have other goalies in case his season goes sideways again.

Mark Stone returned to the Senators’ lineup on Saturday, recording two assists. Don’t forget to get him back in your lineup.

P.K. Subban returning to Montreal is always an event. The visit to the Montreal children’s hospital with some Nashville teammates was heartwarming. But this game provided evidence that there was at least one teammate that didn’t admire him as much as the Montreal community at large does.

"HEY PK, SORRY NOT SORRY" – @BGALLY17 pic.twitter.com/RzuCBvR8kC

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) February 11, 2018

Here’s the post-game interviews from both Brendan Gallagher and Subban. Hockey interviews are often mundane, but not these ones. Throwing shade, as the kids like to say.

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Subban was held without a point in nearly 27 minutes of icetime. But with 43 points in 54 games, he leads the Preds in scoring. Not surprisingly, he also has more points than anyone on the Habs. It’s easy for fans to say that the Habs never should have traded Subban, but it makes you wonder how disliked he was among certain people in the Canadiens organization that they felt they had no choice but to trade him.

Lost in the feud was the fact that Gallagher scored his team-leading 20th goal of the season. Players that are fired up often deliver. In the black cloud that has been the Habs’ season, Gallagher has been one bright spot recently with goals in back-to-back games, points in four consecutive games, and nine points over his last ten games. And with a 5on5 SH% of just 5.95%, Gallagher is a great buy-low candidate.

Gallagher’s linemate Artturi Lehkonen recorded two assists in this game, giving him five points over this last three games. Up to this point, Lehkonen hasn’t caught a break at all this season. But if you go to his Dobber player profile, you’ll see that the numbers are all green. As in buy-low green. We’re talking about a 966 PDO, a 5.3 SH%, and the brightest green of them all, a 5on5 SH% of 5%. After Lehkonen nearly reached 20 goals last season, I pegged him as a potential deep sleeper. Lehkonen is worth consideration in deep leagues at this point, especially those in which a player like Gallagher is already owned.

There was bad news for both teams in the Sabres/Bruins matchup. Despite the win, the Sabres lost Jack Eichel from this game with a lower-body injury. Eichel will be re-examined on Sunday. Here’s how it looked, which was kind of awkward.

Hope Eichel is okay, this didn’t look good pic.twitter.com/sTkAmK7pnb

— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) February 11, 2018

Many fantasy owners would have deployed Tuukka Rask thinking that he would be able to continue his win streak with an easy home matchup against the Sabres. But as it stands, Rask’s win streak ended at eight games, while he was tagged with a regulation loss for the first time since November 26. In fact, this was the first game that Rask had allowed more than two goals in nearly a month. Quite a run.

Rask will receive a rest on Sunday, as Anton Khudobin will start against the Devils. Khudobin is one of the league’s better backups with a 11-3-4 record and a 2.28 GAA and a .925 SV%, so he’s a sneaky Sunday start if you need a final push to your goaltending stats for the week. For more Sunday starters, check out Goalie Post.

Brian Elliott also left Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury… in the shootout. Yes, that can happen. After stopping five shootout attempts, Michal Neuvirth earned the win in spite of not playing a single minute in regulation or overtime. According to the HNIC panel, that’s the first time in NHL history that a goalie has earned a win while only playing in the shootout. It’s like a baseball pitcher winning a game after throwing just one pitch. You just have to be in the right place at the right time to earn the win.

Should Elliott miss any time, the inconsistent Neuvirth will need to battle Alex Lyon for playing time. Lyon earned back-to-back starts earlier this month while Elliott was injured. Hopefully Elliott’s injury in the shootout isn’t related to the injury he suffered on Saturday.

With two assists on Saturday, Shayne Gostisbehere now has a five-game point streak in which he has nine points (1g-8a). He is one of five defensemen to reach the 40-point mark this season. Without peeking at the stats, can you name the others? I mentioned one of them earlier.

On Vincent Lecavalier jersey retirement night, Andrei Vasilevskiy stole the show with this save. Sure, he allowed three goals in this game, but he did so on 47 shots and earned the win.

GRAND. THEFT. ANDREI.

HOW DOES HE DO THIS?! 🤯 #LAKvsTBL pic.twitter.com/hP3XpqomTB

— #VL4 (@TBLightning) February 11, 2018

Dustin Brown might be in some hot water with the league for this knee on Mikhail Sergachev. Fortunately, Sergachev was able to return to the game.

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Devan Dubnyk’s shutout on Saturday was well-earned, as he had to stop 44 shots. You’re probably normally starting Dubnyk anyway, but you’ll want him in your lineup especially when the Wild are playing at home. Dubnyk is 14-2-4 at the Xcel Energy Center this season, while the Wild are 9-0-3 in their past 12 games there.

It’s been mainly a down season for Charlie Coyle, but he rewarded his remaining fantasy owners with two goals on Saturday. It’s worth mentioning that his points-per-game pace this season (0.59) isn’t much lower than last season’s (0.68). Sometimes there’s a fine line between success and failure in fantasy.

Elias Lindholm assisted on both of Brock McGinn’s goals in an identical fashion (from behind the net). Lindholm now has four points over his last three games. At his current pace, Lindholm will reach 47 points. Maybe he’s settling in as a 40-50 point player, although he still is only 23 years old.

In a game that saw the Sharks take a 3-0 lead, only to see the Oilers storm back to take a 4-3 lead, then the Sharks retake the lead for good, Joe Pavelski was able to pile on some impressive numbers. Pavelski scored two goals and added two assists on six shots on goal, which gives him two goals in back-to-back games. While Pavelski has a 5on5 SH% as low as 5.8, you could trade for him at a lower price than you would have at the start of the season.

The Joe Thornton injury hasn’t impacted Pavelski as much as it has young scorers Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier. Since Jumbo Joe’s injury, Labanc has seven points over his last eight games and has been added to the first-unit power play. Meier, meanwhile, has four points over his last four games while playing on Pavelski’s line. Both players are worth keeping an eye on, as it appears that Thornton won’t be back anytime soon – maybe even at all. Remember that Thornton is on a one-year contract worth $8 million, and GM Doug Wilson could decide to move on from him after this season.

If you’d like to hear me discuss fantasy hockey, I’ll be on Nick Alberga’s podcast this weekend. Follow him on Twitter @thegoldenmuzzy for the details.

And of course, for more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-marner-rebounding-gallagher-fired-up-feb-11/

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