The first full week of 2015 is here and we have another quick hitting edition of the "Fantasy Hockey Mailbag". Please note that as 2015 goes on, there will be a bit of a scouting angle and possibly will be fielding some questions as far the 2015 NHL Draft and fantasy implications. People often forget that most of us in the business have many hats.
It is time to quickly get down to business, Please keep in mind that Week 14 is about the time where time stands still till about the All Star Break. Anyway, here we go.
Fantasy Hockey Mailba
So what do you expect from "Teuvo Time" in Chicago this time around?
Everyone needs to relax about the Chicago Blackhawks super prospect. The key thing is Teuvo Teravainen can be eased in on the fourth line this time. Kris Versteeg's injury opened up the spot which should be for almost a month. Do not expect magic promotions to the top six on a permanent basis for the 18th pick of the 2012 draft. Instead, you should inspect some occasional shifts with the top six which should bolster his ice time on some nights. There could be a wide range of 12-15 minutes a night depending on the night and the circumstances of how the game flows, etc.
His time in Rockford has served him well and ten points in his last 13 games there turned enough heads to make this call-up a reality. Watching him skate in the game against Dallas, Teravainen looks more polished and not as rushed as he did last season. Are there still rough edges? Naturally. However, after one game, it is a bit difficult to get too judgmental.
Also, the game between Dallas and Chicago was a bit of a wild one. It is fortunate that the Finn can be eased in to many situations without being thrown to the wolves. It is like getting the sampler for an appetizer. Here is a little of this situation and that one. See what you see and then adjust and learn from it. The key also is how the forward progresses from practice to practice. His hands are off the charts and vision but can he put everything together in this month long visit?
At this point if Teravainen can get say 5-7 points, I would consider that pretty good. If he gets more, that would be a bonus. He is a talented forward and as the month progresses, the skill will become more and more apparent. What happens at the end of the month may be more intriguing.
Saturday night saw a whopping 74 goals in 10 games. Can we expect more of these occasional outbursts?
The answer is undoubtedly yes! Now for daily fantasy, this is a frustrating experience. It drives up the threshold of what it takes to cash basically. There were 50/50's where 55 points did not cash. On normal nights, 36-40 points is likely enough. Whether the format is DraftKings, FanDuel, Victiv, Fantasy Aces, or whatever. The more goals usually equals more widespread scoring which means less variance between placings.
In English it means there are a greater amount of chances to find success only to see almost the same amount of success by the masses. This happens even more in tournaments because of the amount of entrants and multiple entries at that. Scoring is slowly becoming more frequent on high slate nights. There have been several in the last few weeks where over 6.5 goals per game have been scored. It really is only a matter of time. The key to winning on these nights is to be able to pile enough scorers and find that goalie that benefits from a lopsided game.
Just be sensible and ride the wave. Scoring is going to go up especially after the All Star Break and then things may tighten after the trade deadline with less frequent outbursts. Teams usually play tighter the last few weeks of the season also. Stay tuned! We are in for a bumpy ride. Good luck!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
See you next week with more questions. Good luck this week!