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An easy win against the Kraken on Friday wasn't enough for Jay Woodcroft to keep his job.  The most disappointing team in the league felt obligated to make a chance, and the easiest change is firing the head coach.  Do I think this was the right move?  Probably not.  Woodcroft led the team to three playoff series wins over the last two seasons, losing to the eventual Cup champion both times.  This season, McDavid rushed coming back to play the Heritage Classic and clearly isn't 100%.  Ekholm looks hampered as well.  Kris Knoblauch, who was their AHL coach and McDavid's former junior coach, takes over.  I expect the team to improve because they've simply played well below expectations so far.  So what does this impact in fantasy?  Generally, teams play more focused on the defensive end when a new coach comes in.  Is that even possible for the Oilers?  Hard to say.  If that does happen, Stuart Skinner could be the biggest beneficiary.  He's been a disaster to this point, but it's clearly his job now (I have a hard time seeing Knoblauch turning to Pickard, even though he's been coaching him).  We'll have to see tonight how the lines and usage change, but I suspect that he will ride the top players just like Woodcroft did.  Let's take a look at the highlights of the weekend:
Nobody was expecting much from the Ducks this season, but they're currently on a five game winning streak to get them to a 6-4 record.  On Wednesday, their best player (for now) carried them, as Troy Terry scored a hat trick and an assist with six shots in the 4-3 OT win.  That brings Terry to 5+4 in ten games, averaging exactly three shots per game.  Terry is one of those guys who is always close to the fringe one way or the other.  Right now, I have him as a bottom end hold, but I don't expect that to hold for the rest of the season.  However, unlike the past few seasons, the talent around him is at such a higher level that he has more upside than usual.  While it probably won't last, you can see the core coming together for the Ducks, and it's only a matter of time until they become a force again.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
It was quite the low scoring day on Thursday, with eight of the eleven games going under their betting total, two of which needed overtime to do so, plus there was a miracle in Boston (more on that later).  There were four shutouts on the night, all of which were quite surprising.  I'll go in chronological order.  The Avalanche were undefeated on the season, so naturally Tristan Jarry shut them out, making 31 saves.  Jarry now has two shutouts, two dreadful starts, and one mediocre start.  He's one of the highest variance goalies around.  I'm lower on him than most, but I acknowledge that he could be a bottom end #1.  Next, Jonas Johansson had his second consecutive shutout, making 23 saves against the Sharks.  He's clearly must own for now, although like Jarry, the downside is undeniable.  Joel Hofer shutout the Flames, making 27 saves.  I was high on him because I don't believe in Binnington.  Both have been off to a hot start, but I'm skeptical of the Blues being good defensively.  I'm bullish in Hofer for dynasties, but in redrafts, he's a selective streamer with upside.  Lastly, Jonathan Quick shut out the Oilers, making 29 saves.  He made a couple spectacular saves, but color me skeptical.  I think this says more about the Oilers without McJesus than anything.  Quick is a reasonable streamer in plus matchups for now, but know that it could blow up in your face.  Let's see what else happened on Wednesday and Thursday night:
One of the goaltending performances of the season came in the marquee showdown on Tuesday.  Toronto sure didn't make it easy on Matt Murray, taking seven penalties, but Murray stood up to the challenge and then some.  Murray had a 44 save shutout, leading Toronto to a 4-0 victory.  I thought the Toronto goaltending would be rough this season, but Murray has been very good when on the ice.  Same goes with Ilya Samsonov.  It could fall apart just like it did for Campbell last season, but the reason I liked these guys as #2 goalies is their floor is so high because of wins.  When Toronto gets this level of goaltending, it's extremely hard to beat them.  Here's to hoping Murray can stay healthy because he could be a big difference maker in fantasy.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Fifty-six goals.  That's how many Auston Matthews has on the season after another two goal performance on Thursday.  Not only does he have the most goals in a season in Maple Leafs history, he now holds the record for most goals in a season by an US-born player.  Matthews has 49 goals on 49 games, a run that hasn't happened in this millennium.  He's locking up the Hart Trophy with this run, and the fantasy question is where he goes in drafts next season.  I still couldn't bring myself to take Matthews over McDavid because the floor for McDavid is the highest we've seen in the fantasy hockey era, but I think Matthews has played himself into tier one being worthy of the second pick overall.  Can't wait to see how Toronto performs in the playoffs this year.  Let's take a look at what happened over the last two nights: