Viz

Doing It Donskoi

November 13, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 1 Comment

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A long time analytics darling, Joonas Donskoi is finally getting a chance on the first line in Colorado because of injuries, and he has taken full advantage.  Donskoi scored a goal and added two assists with two shots playing 20 minutes in the 4-0 win over the Jets on Tuesday.  That brings Donskoi up to 9+5 in 18 games, but with 6 points in the last 3 games.  With this workload, I would be holding Donskoi.  The Avs play every other day for the next week plus, and they’re all on the road.  That could mean even more minutes for the first line in Colorado as Bednar attempts to match MacKinnon (and therefore Donskoi) against the top players of the opposition.  It’s not going to last, but for the short term, Donskoi is a great option.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:

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Viz

Koskinen Keeps On Keeping On

November 10, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 16 Comments

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One of my main focuses as far as team projections go is coaching, especially when it deals with goaltending.  I always love the Isles goalies because of Trotz, or Arizona because of Tocchet.  Well, I made the mistake of not giving enough credit to Dave Tippett going to Edmonton.  Tippett has always had great defensive teams in Arizona, and that’s continued in Edmonton.  The biggest beneficiaries have been the goalies, and over the weekend, that was Mikko Koskinen.  Koskinen had a 29 save shutout on Friday against the Devils before saving 31 of 33 shots in the 6-2 win over the Ducks on Sunday.  His numbers are spectacular as are Mike Smith’s.  Do I love these guys going forward?  No, I still prefer the Isles guys, for example.  That said, I probably undersold both of these guys.  I think both Koskinen and Smith need to be held and could be decent #2’s for the rest of the season.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:

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Viz

MacKinnon Making MVP Push

November 7, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 8 Comments

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I wrote in this space two seasons ago that Nathan MacKinnon deserved the Hart Trophy.  While he didn’t ultimately win, he’s been one of the best players in the league for a few years now.  Right now, he’s making a legitimate case again in the early going.  With both of his star linemates injured, MacKinnon has continued to dominate.  His best game yet came on Thursday, where he scored a goal on ten shots and added three assists.  In his last four games, he has 34 SOG!  MacKinnon now has 9+13 in 16 games with over five shots per game.  We haven’t seen a shot rate like this since prime Ovechkin.  Obviously there’s a long way to go, but MacKinnon has a great chance to finally get to 100 points this season.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Viz

Marchand’s Got Five On It

November 6, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 14 Comments

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The gap between Brad Marchand and the rest of the league right now for fantasy hockey is incredible.  Marchand scored five points on Monday, tallying two goals and three assists and a +4 rating.  It’s nothing new, but the first line in Boston has managed to find a way to get even better.  Marchand is crushing every category with 10+18 in 15 games with a +13 rating, 28 PIM and 41 SOG.  He’s as good of a bet as any to finish as the #1 player in fantasy this season.  Honestly, he’d be my pick as long as he avoids a lengthy suspension.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Viz

Vroom Vroom Vrana

November 3, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 21 Comments

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The last lottery pick for the Washington Capitals has really come into his own.  Jakub Vrana had an incredible weekend, starting with two goals on eight shots against the Sabres.  He followed it up with a hat trick on five shots against the Flames on Sunday.  That brings Vrana to 9+5 in 16 games with just under three shots per game.  He’s a main stay on the second line and second power play unit, so the question is whether or not he’s a hold.  For now, I lean towards yes.  I don’t think it’ll last all season, but Vrana is playing excellent hockey right now and I want to take advantage of it.  The 23 year old has made a jump in every season of his career and looks to be down that path again.  Given that he had 24+23 last season, another slight improvement will get right right onto the fringe.  Vrana isn’t an automatic add given that Washington has only two games this week, but I’m holding onto him while Vrana has his foot on the accelerator.  Let’s take a look at what else happened this weekend:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Viz

Boeser Buries The Kings

November 1, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 13 Comments

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The best line in hockey remains in Boston, but the second best at the moment resides in Vancouver.  On Wednesday, they were led by Brock Boeser, who had a hat trick and an assist with seven shots and two PIM in the 5-3 win over the Kings.  Boeser is now up to 7+7 in 12 games with over three shots per game, +6, and six penalty minutes.  He’s doing a little bit of everything, and with how well the Canucks are playing, there’s no reason he can’t finish with 35+40 or better.  I’d bet on Boeser being a top 50 player at this point and it should only get better in the years to come.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Viz

Radulov Ravishes The Wild

October 30, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 19 Comments

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To say the start of the season for Dallas has been disappointing is an understatement.  It looked like it was going to continue being 3-0 late in the second against Minnesota.  To quote Lee Corso, “not so far my friend!”  The Wild scored six goals over the last 21 minutes of the game to win 6-3, and they were led by Alexander Radulov.  Radulov entered the game with only 1+3 in 13 games, and he managed to match those four points in this one.  Radulov had three goals and an assist with a whopping 10 shots on goal.  This game might have blown the chance to buy low on Dallas players, but I would still attempt to do so given the opportunity.  These guys are too talented to not have strong seasons, Radulov included.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Sven

Buy/Sell/Hold – Duck Season! Not Wabbit Season!

October 25, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Buy/Sell/Hold | 2 Comments

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Hey guys! Sven back with the Buy, Sell, Hold segment for the second year. It’s pretty straight forward, players who are buys: you should pick up. Players who are sells, you should think about dropping. Players who are holds, you may be thinking about dropping but don’t just yet! Just for clarification, the % I am going to put next to the players’ stat line is their %own on ESPN. For Buys, I usually focus on guys with a %own less than 50%. Let’s get started!

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Viz

Horvat Heats Up

October 23, 2019 | 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes | 24 Comments

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For two periods, the Red Wings were locking the Canucks down defensively.  They went into the third period up 2-0 but that lead didn’t last long.  In fact, the Canucks ended up scoring five goals in the third to win with ease.  They were lead by their captain, Bo Horvat, who had his first career hat trick in the victory.  Loyal Razzballers know how much I like Dr. Bo as a player.  It’s been a slow start, but here’s why I’m buying Horvat (and another Canuck I’ll talk about later).  One, Horvat is shooting the puck at an excellent rate.  He’s over three shots per game on the season.  Two, and the main reason, is that Horvat is back on the first power play unit.  In fact, two of his goals came on that unit.  There’s a ton of potential in that group and Horvat should be a beneficiary.  He’s an easy hold and should push the top 100 going forward.  Let’s take a look at what else happened on Tuesday night:

Please, blog, may I have some more?