Zach Parise – McKeen's Hockey

2024 NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche

Jesse Marshall — Tue, 07 May 2024 13:18:34 +0000

DALLAS, TX - NOVEMBER 18: Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) and Dallas Stars defenseman Ryan Suter (20) set up in front of goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche on November 18, 2023 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire)

Traditionally speaking, the last two winners of the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights series have gone on to progress to the Stanley Cup Final. In Dallas’ case, their immediate reward for slaying last years champion and looking to repeat the trend is a well-rested Colorado Avalanche squad that is forechecking as well as anyone remaining in contention right now. This series is one of many second round match-ups that feature two heavy hitters that are right in the mix to win the Stanley Cup from an odds perspective. Whereas you had a lot of dissimilarities between Colorado and Winnipeg in a match-up that featured an offensive powerhouse and a defensive juggernaut, we’re getting something a bit different this time. Recent history would have seen a Stars team that may have presented us with a similar dichotomy, as previous iterations of the Stars featured the same defense-first mantras as Winnipeg. However, make no mistake about it; this is a Dallas team that is good at puck possession, good at scoring, and has the offensive horses to get into a real back-and-forth battle with Colorado.

To that effect, I expect a lot of quick breakouts in this series and both teams to bring heavy forechecks with them into the battle areas of the ice. Colorado’s destruction of Winnipeg was largely driven by an exposure of Winnipeg’s defense and its lack of ability to operate under pressure. Colorado thrives in situations where they can get north in a hurry and create a bit of chaos in the opposition’s breakout. In this matchup, names like Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, and Nils Lundkvist dot a Dallas blueline that is fully capable of skating or passing its way out of danger, despite the fact that Lundkvist’s minutes have been extremely managed and sheltered. Given the tenor of Dallas’ last series, I expect their defense to be up to the task of working around the Colorado forecheck. We saw from the first round that defensive specialists for Colorado were also capable of making these plays. Cale Makar, Josh Manson, and Sean Walker all exhibited calmness in the face of Winnipeg’s forecheck. Both of these teams will be looking to control the tempo of the game and create counter-attacking options from heavy forward presences in the opposition’s breakout.

With these teams featuring similar penalty-kill structures, I am excited to see which can break through and be a difference-maker in this series. The star power on both sides is going to be very real and I expect both teams to allow a wedge-like player to aggressively pressure the opposition power-play while the remaining group looks to tax any high-leverage passing lanes and converge on their respective goaltenders. The fact that these similarities exist make the special teams aspect of this series even more intriguing. For Dallas, they’ll need to find a way to get Roope Hintz on the scoresheet more than one time and the power-play could be the ticket to accomplishing that.

KEY MATCHUPS

Jake Oettinger vs. Alexandar Georgiev

Fans and pundits were waiting with baited breath to see if Jake Oettinger’s performance in the stretch run of the regular season was an anomaly and turns out, it was not. Oettinger’s flexibility and quick reflexes were on display, especially in the later half of the series, as he rounded out with a 1.95 goals against average against a rather potent Golden Knights offense, the definition of hot hand. On the flip side, Georgiev had a forgettable start to the Jets series that saw Avalanche fans calling for him to be pulled before game two. The result was a complete turnaround of form for the next four games that saw him stabilize and calm down in the net. That will have to continue against a Stars team that features pure snipers up and down the lineup. If Oettinger remains dialed in while Georgiev struggles, this could be a short series. On the flip side, if Colorado can continue to attack in transition and create odd-man breaks, Oettinger will be tested in major way. The easiest way to disturb a dialed-in netminder is to score some garbage-quality goals, and the Avalanche are fully equipped to do just that.

The Mittelstadt Line vs. The Johnston Line

I fully expect to see large swaths of this series where the opposing coaches opt to go power-for-power and directly line match as opposed to looking for specialized deployments. If that is the case, the Dallas Stars will need more out of Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski on their second line. Wyatt Johnston has been a revelation for them and is as good of an off-puck player as you’ll find out there, but Casey Mittelstadt, Artturi Lehkonen, and Zach Parise are coming off of some dominant performances versus Winnipeg. While Benn and Pavelski have struggled to get going, Lehkonen scored in every single game of the Jets series. The Avalanche second line is intimidating and capable of long periods of possession in the offensive zone. Dallas will have to make sure their second line finds its scoring legs in order to keep this series from becoming lopsided.

Jason Robertson vs. Valeri Nichushkin

Both of these plays are phenomenal snipers and game-breakers in their own right. I expect a lot of fireworks between these two in terms of exchanging scoring chances and getting good looks at the net in high quality scoring chances. Robertson had a bit of a slower start with only three goals in his first seven games while Nichushkin blasted out of the game with seven goals in five games. These players are master manipulators with the puck and are cutting edge in terms of their release and snipe-ability. As critical pieces to their respective top lines, a trademark performance from either of these two players could significantly change the scope of this series.

X-FACTOR

Dallas Stars: Wyatt Johnston is your NHL leader in shots through the first round of the playoffs and has showcased why he’s such a 200-foot threat throughout the course of the year. Per NHL edge statistics, Johnston covered the third most distance of any player in the first round, a testament to his motor and off-puck ability to hunt down and pressure puck carriers and passing lanes. The breakout performance has been really fun to watch and if Dallas is going to win this series, they’re going to need more of the same from him moving forward. I expect Johnston would be in line for a promotion if the Stars top line shows signs of disarray and struggles to get going.

Colorado Avalanche: It seems like a cop-out to list Nathan MacKinnon here, but I haven’t mentioned him in this piece yet and he’s simply playing too well for me to not dive into it. MacKinnon showcased his ability to fool even the games best goaltender in round one by keeping his release hidden and posturing his body in unique ways that hide his next action. With Hintz struggling to score for Dallas, getting over the slump and onto the scoresheet becomes a lot harder when you have MacKinnon controlling the puck in the offensive zone for large periods of time. He only scored two in the first round but could have had a handful more.

FANTASY PLAYERS TO TARGET

Jake Oettinger has been downright stellar for Dallas in goal, and I expect him to continue to show fight into the second round. The Golden Knights tested him in transition shooting and crease-to-crease work, but he showed no leaks in either area. His work in high-danger save situations was strong from open to close in the first round. He’ll be under siege from a strong Colorado transition game and in-zone cycle, but he’s playing extremely large in the net and showcasing the mobility that created a buzz about his game in the first place. I have to give a tip of the hat to Jason Robertson here as well. With only two goals in the first round, you have to expect his shot is going to produce some serious scoring chances for Dallas in the round to come.

If you took Artturi Lehkonen as an anytime goal scorer in the first round, you’re probably retired on an island somewhere. The Avalanche forward scored in every game of the first round and is playing on a line that is controlling the game at even-strength with authority. There’s a potential mismatch here with a Dallas second line that hasn’t quite got going yet outside of Johnston’s performance at center. I have to wonder what Peter DeBoer does with Chris Tanev in this series. Has the Avalanche second line been good enough that we potentially see DeBoer throw Tanev at it, or will he take the big minutes against MacKinnon? That will ultimately effect Lehkonen, but it may not matter either way with how well he’s been driving to scoring areas.

PREDICTION

I picked Dallas to win the Cup, so I have to stick with them here. Despite the stabilization we saw from Georgiev in goal, Oettinger is decidedly the better performer right now and gives Dallas a distinct advantage in net. I could see this series being another seven-gamer for Dallas, but I ultimately think they bring the battle-tested attitude they had from the Knights series right into this one. Facing down a 2-0 deficit, we saw Dallas become discernibly better in puck battles and breakouts. Their defensemen can shake their way out of danger and should be able to avoid some of the mistakes we saw Winnipeg make in turnovers in zone exits. I’ll take Dallas in seven games.

NHL:CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Lindholm and Kuzmenko are traded, plus Logan O’Connor, Ivan Barbashev, Adam Henrique, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and much, much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 18:31:42 +0000

Elias Lindholm (28). (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Elias Lindholm and Andrei Kuzmenko are traded, plus Logan O’Connor, Ivan Barbashev, Adam Henrique, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and much, much more!

#1 The Calgary Flames were likely to be a team to watch this season, with so many quality players in the final year of their contracts. The Flames started their trade season in earnest when they moved Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. Lindholm has logged a career-high 20:45 of ice time per game for the Flames this season, but has a modest 32 points (9 G, 23 A) in 49 games. Part of the problem is that he has scored on just 6.9 percent of his shots, his lowest rate since 2015-2016. While Lindholm has typically been a solid play driver for most of his career, he has struggled in that respect this season, so a new situation may help. It will be fascinating to see how Lindholm fits in Vancouver. It’s entirely possible that he is the second line centre, behind Elias Pettersson, which could put a limit on his offensive upside, but there could very well be opportunities for Lindholm to play with Pettersson, too. At the very least, he should be able to expect positive regression on his shooting percentage, so there is some reasonable hope that his production improves down the stretch.

#2 Heading to Calgary in exchange for Lindholm is second-year winger Andrei Kuzmenko, a 27-year-old winger who burst onto the NHL scene by scoring 39 goals for the Canucks last season. This season, he has just eight goals in 43 games and had been a regular resident in Rick Tocchet’s doghouse. Kuzmenko scored on 27.3 percent of his shots last season, so he was among the most obvious regression candidates in the league, but he had also been healthy scratched for multiple games and had seen his ice time cut by nearly two minutes per game. With the Flames, Kuzmenko should see his ice time pick up, with a regular role on the top power play unit. He could be worth a speculative pick up, just because he has to be better than he showed in Vancouver this season, but the Flames are not about to get better, so it could be a challenge for Kuzmenko to put up big numbers the rest of the way.

#3 A couple of Flames players to monitor in the aftermath of the deal are wingers Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich. If Kuzmenko is going to get a chance on the top line, one of those wingers will slide down the depth chart. Sharangovich has tallied 24 points (15 G, 9 A) in his past 24 games, and it would make sense for the Flames to keep him in a prime scoring role. Huberdeau has been wildly disappointing this season, managing 26 points (6 G, 20 A) in 48 games, though he does have nine points (1 G, 8 A) in his past 10 games. As a setup man, Huberdeau may get first crack to play with Kuzmenko, but his performance hardly indicates that this is a surefire solution for either of them.

#4 Although the big stars at the top of the depth chart command the attention in Colorado, one of the unsung heroes for the Avalanche has been right winger Logan O’Connor, a 27-year-old high energy forward who has 16 points (9 G, 7 A) and 30 shots on goal in his past 16 games. O’Connor has zero power play points among his 24 points this season, scoring 21 at evens and three while shorthanded. While it is to his credit that O’Connor has more even-strength points than Nick Suzuki, Steven Stamkos, or Mats Zuccarello, a regular role on the power play helps raise the floor of a player’s potential offensive production.

#5 While the Vegas Golden Knights are battling through some injury trouble, winger Ivan Barbashev has stepped up his game and heads into the All-Star break with 11 points (4 G, 7 A) and 14 shots on goal during a six-game point streak. While he has been productive recently, Barbarashev has seen his ice time drop by more than two minutes per game compared to how much he played for Vegas last season.

#6 A prime candidate on the trade market heading into the All-Star break, Anaheim Ducks centre Adam Henrique has nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 20 shots on goal during a six-game point streak. While he is not going to score a point-and-a-half per game over the long haul, it is very encouraging that Henrique is generating shots at that rate, even in a relatively small sample of games.

#7 After scoring 39 points in 82 games during his sophomore campaign last season, Carolina Hurricanes right winger Seth Jarvis has taken his game to a new level this season. He enters the All-Star break having scored 10 points (1 G, 9 A) with 21 shots on goal in his past eight games and he has scored 38 points (15 G, 23 A) in 48 games. He plays primarily with Sebastian Aho on the Hurricanes’ top line, which is obviously a favorable spot for Jarvis to continue his high level of production.

#8 At the start of the season, the Buffalo Sabres were really giving rookie netminder Devon Levi every opportunity to claim the starting job, but he just couldn’t do it. It turns out that the young goaltender who was ready to handle the starting job was 24-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He has really made his case in the new year, posting a .944 save percentage in eight games since the calendar turned to 2024. Wins don’t come that easily in Buffalo, but Luukkonen is a goaltender who could help provide answers at a position that has tended to offer plenty of questions marks this season.

#9 The Colorado Avalanche inked 39-year-old left winger Zach Parise, which should give them better depth up front. It is unlikely that Parise will step into a significant scoring role, but that can’t be guaranteed, either. As a 38-year-old with the Islanders last season, Parise had contributed 34 points, including 21 goals. It is at least worth watching Parise, to see where he lands when he finally gets into the Colorado lineup.

#10 The fifth pick in the 2019 Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, centre Alex Turcotte had zero points in 12 NHL games coming into this season. He started the season in the American Hockey League, where he produced 23 points (7 G, 16 A) in 28 games, earning a promotion to a struggling Kings squad. Turcotte picked up a goal and an assist in just over 10 minutes of ice time in his second game with Los Angeles, and that might be enough to get him a longer look. Given his relatively slow progress for such a high draft pick, it’s probably wise to proceed with caution when it comes to Turcotte.

#11 Despite Ryan Johansen being a relative disappointment for the Colorado Avalanche, they are getting quality production out of centre Ross Colton. He enters the All-Star break having scored nine points (2 G, 7 A) with 16 shots on goal in his past seven games. Colton is getting a chance on Colorado’s top power play unit, which is enough reason to consider adding him in deeper leagues.

#12 Veteran centre Brayden Schenn was off to a slow start this season and was mired in a 16-game goalless slump when he found the net against Florida on January 9. That started him on the road to scoring 11 points (5 G, 6 A) with 23 shots on goal in his past 11 games. Schenn is skating on a line with Brandon Saad and Jake Neighbours at evens and has been moved to the second power play unit, so his upside is not that high but, right now, he could be a useful addition.

#13 Although wins are not coming easily in Chicago, goaltender Petr Mrazek has been playing very well, giving him surprising fantasy value. Mrazek has a .940 save percentage in his past seven starts, which is outstanding, but he was credited with two victories in that time, so that decreases his relative value.

#14 There are some potential goaltending battles taking place in Southern California. David Rittich has emerged as a viable option for the Los Angeles Kings, outplaying Cam Talbot in recent weeks. Rittich, who started the season in the AHL, has a .924 save percentage in 11 appearances for the Kings. Talbot, who was outstanding early in the season, has managed a .886 save percentage in his past 14 appearances, opening the door for Rittich to earn more time in the crease. In Anaheim, rookie Lukas Dostal is pushing veteran starter John Gibson. Dostal has a .918 save percentage in his past 10 games, which is good enough to earn more playing time. Gibson has a .882 save percentage in his past nine appearances, which is good enough to lose playing time. Gibson is a potential trade candidate for teams needing an answer in goal, which would obviously increase Dostal’s value if that were to ever happen.

#15 The Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin was the best goaltender in the world in 2021-2022, when he easily won the Vezina Trophy. He has fallen on hard times recently, though, posting a .863 save percentage in 10 starts since the calendar flipped to January 2024. It’s not as though the Rangers can give veteran Jonathan Quick a significantly larger role, so they just need Shesterkin to get back on track.

#16 Buffalo Sabres right winger Jack Quinn had missed the first couple of months after suffering an Achilles injury, but he stepped right into the lineup and produced 12 points (5 G, 7 A) in 17 games. Unfortunately, he will miss the next two months while he recovers from a lower-body injury that required surgery. The initial beneficiary in the Sabres lineup could be captain Kyle Okposo, who has just two points (1 G, 1 A) in his past 12 games but is looking at an opportunity to skate on the Sabres’ top line with Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson.

#17 It has been a tough season for the Columbus Blue Jackets and does not appear to be getting any easier for them heading down the stretch. Rookie centre Adam Fantilli will miss the next two months due to a lacerated calf. Fantilli ranked fourth among rookies in scoring with 27 points (12 G,15 A). The Blue Jackets also lost Patrik Laine to the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Laine hasn’t played since mid-December and was getting the lowest average ice time of his career (15:13 per game). Rookie centre Dmitri Voronkov, who has five goals and 24 shots on goal in his past seven games, is one Blue Jackets players that could get a bigger role, as could sophomore winger Kent Johnson, who is very talented but also has zero goals and two assists in his past 11 games.

#18 The New York Rangers have lost centre Filip Chytil for the rest of the season due to concussions. He had been out since November 2, but there was still some hope that he could return to his role as a valuable third-line centre before suffering a setback in his recovery. The Rangers were already candidates to acquire another centre via trade, but this situation makes that a virtual certainty now. As it is, journeyman Jonny Brodzinski, who has a career-high 11 points (2 G, 9 A) in 30 games, is the Blueshirts’ third line centre.

#19 Here are three forwards that could be buy-low candidates because of relatively low on-ice shooting percentages. Tom Wilson (5.2 OiSH%) last finished with an on-ice shooting percentage under 8.0% was 2014-2015. Matty Beniers (5.4 OiSH%) finished last season with an on-ice shooting percentage of 11.9% and maybe that was unsustainably high, but the pendulum has moved too far in the other direction this season. Jamie Benn (6.7 OiSH%) had a career-high 13.1% on-ice shooting percentage last season and regression has hit him hard in 2023-2024 as he is now at a career low.

#20 At the other end, here are three players that have benefitted from high on-ice shooting percentages and might be good sell-high candidates. Tyler Seguin (12.1 OiSH%) is rocking a career-high on-ice shooting percentage and the last time he finished a season higher than 10.0% was in 2014-2015. Casey Mittelstadt (12.7 OiSH%) finished last season with a 9.7 OiSH%, a career high, and he is obliterating that this season, so he is probably due for regression. Dylan Larkin (12.2 OiSH%) has never finished a season with an on-ice shooting percentage over 10.0% and is more than 20% beyond that mark right now.

NHL: Inside the Islanders Flawless Penalty Kill

Jesse Marshall — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:00:46 +0000

TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 22: New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) during the NHL Hockey match between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders on October 22, 2022 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire)

No one has scored a power-play goal against the New York Islanders in the Lane Lambert era.

Granted, there's a sample size discussion to be had here. While it's early in the season, the Isles have been shorthanded a total of 25 times for an average of just over six minutes per game, a number good enough for ninth in the league so far this year.

Lambert and his staff haven't reinvented the wheel. Rather, they've tossed their own wrinkles into a penalty kill structure that has been successfully employed across many eras of the game. It is equal parts patient and chaotic in its approach. Most importantly, it seems to be the perfect fit for the style of player Lambert & co. have employed within the system.

The Wedge Plus One is a system that has multiple goals within a four-man squad. It seeks to rob opposing man-advantage units of prime real estate in front of the net and in the slot area while simultaneously letting one player run amok in an attempt to disrupt the pace and quarterbacking of the at the top of the point. This system requires a high level of chemistry between the penalty killers. As we'll see in the video, a variety of reads are necessary to provide the proper pressure and ensure the critical areas of the ice are covered.

Before we get to the video, let's take a look at this system as it appears on paper so we can understand where players should be and what the base function is of the structure.

This structure is called a Wedge Plus One because that's exactly how it appears on paper. The wedge is a three-player triangle in front of the net that extends into the slot area and "wedges" out any player that attempts to enter the middle of the triangle. This robs teams of the ability to put a one-timer option directly in the middle of the slot. By fixing a player there, the power play nearly negates their personnel advantage by having one player eaten up by the wedge.

At the top of the system sits the plus one of the group. This player's responsibility is to disrupt the quarterbacks of the power play and force them into making decisions they aren't comfortable with. In short, they are a complete wrecking ball. They are designed to create chaos and prevent the opposing team from operating at their preferred pace.

It's important to note that the plus one will change throughout the kill. It is not always the same person. If the second forward within the wedge has a better play on attacking the puck, the forwards will swap out mid-kill and exchange spots with each other. This will also take place if the plus one needs a break and has been pressing for some time. Exchanges in plus one happen based on coverage or how winded a player might be.

To get a sense of how this coverage works on the ice, let's take a look at a short clip that shows the Islanders mid-kill. Within the video, I've made callouts to points where the plus one is changing based on the flow of the play. You can see the Islanders orchestrate this read very well, it's a seamless execution that affords the opponent no time or space.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IslesSwitch1.mp4

The reason these player exchanges within the system are so important is that the low forward in the wedge, often referred to as the "sagging forward," has a lot of responsibility in covering the back door and reverse angles of the play. If this exchange is not clean and these reads are not made appropriately, opportunities for scoring chances can manifest out of nowhere due to bad coverage.

That clip does a great job exemplifying why it can be so difficult to find space in high-traffic areas against the Islander's penalty kill. The wedge eats up a ton of space in important scoring areas and the plus one is busy forcing the puck to the exterior of the ice.

Another area of strength for the Islanders has been in how they approach draws and evaluate when it's time to press the opponent hard versus back up and enter into the preferred penalty killing structure. Off of this faceoff in the defensive zone, you'll see both Islander forwards press up ice to form a big box structure. This is because they aren't yet sure who will manifest as the power-play quarterback. Until its clear where this play is headed, the Islanders will hold off on splitting up into their Wedge Plus One structure.

Once the play establishes and the opposing power-play takes shape, the Islanders will establish the system and establish their wedge. The timing of this is, once again, the strongest part of this system.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Islesbigboxoffdraw.mp4

This is a very neat bit of business by the Islanders to make the right read in not only how they approach the system and enter into it, but again how they identify times to swap plus ones and maintain wedge structure at critical moments of the opposing power play. These adherences to the system in an early stage of the season with a new coaching staff are, to me, quite remarkable. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zach Parise, the forward ice-time leaders on the Islander's penalty kill, have been leading the charge in this area.

The main variations on this system I have seen from Lambert's staff have been a reservation around letting the defensemen be the ones to do the chasing out of the wedge. You're going to rarely see defensemen act as a plus one. The forwards will do the bulk of the skating. The preference seems to be to keep the defensemen at home within the wedge.

Another variation is in mitigating zone entries. The Islanders will often stack three players at the blueline to clog things up on zone entries, but when the opportunity presents itself, they'll start forechecking deep within the opposing team's zone and layer their pressure player after player to create a lot of chaos in the neutral zone. Take a look at the next clip to see them harassing the puck carriers all the way up the ice.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IslesUncomft.mp4

That constant pressure is enough to disrupt what Victor Hedman and the Lightning are attempting to do on the power play and forces them to retreat deep into their own zone, wasting valuable time to reset and try everything over again from scratch. These seconds add up on a penalty kill. The Islanders are successful in part because they force teams to regroup and try basic zone entry techniques multiple times.

That isn't the only area they've added their own bit of flair to. You'll also see Islanders players swarm the puck when they have an opportunity to win a board battle and clear the puck out of the zone. The idea here is to create situations where you possess a manpower advantage despite the fact that you're shorthanded and killing a penalty.

For instance, your team may be facing a four-on-five situation, but if the puck skirts to the boards and is up for grabs, you can easily use a system like a wedge to create a puck battle that features and three-on-two advantage for your own team. Or, at the very least, a three-on-three, even-up opportunity to win a loose puck.

Take a look at the Islander's response in the next clip. When given the chance to pounce on a loose puck and negate the other team's advantage, they take it and earn a strong clearing attempt. Also, keep an eye on the behavior of the plus one. As this clearing attempt matriculates, they make a correct read in pinching up ice to further disrupt the play.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Isleswalloverload.mp4

Penalty killing isn't something that is limited to the defensive zone. As you can see from these clips, a successful penalty kill is one that makes life easy for a goaltender, minimizes chances from high-danger areas, and doesn't allow the opponent any time to feel comfortable in any phase of the game. The Islanders are cooking with a bit of all of that courtesy of the Wedge Plus One structure and their adherence to it.

A final note about goaltending as it's truly the bedrock of any good penalty kill. You cannot successfully kill off 25 straight power play attempts with poor goaltending. While the Islanders system is working, it isn't immune to turnovers or missed assignments. There have been a few, and Ilya Sorokin leads the NHL with 4.24 raw goals saved above average in all penalty kill situations. That's in just over 32 minutes of power-play time, so he's not gone without tests in that regard.

Pair this high-pressure system with some above-average goaltending and you have a recipe for future success. As the Islanders' streak continues, keep an eye on how they're employing these strategies and driving a direct wedge into opposing power-play attempts.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 20:23:05 +0000

BOSTON, MA - MAY 31: New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (8) plays a pass along the blue line on the power play during Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on May 31, 2021, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Mathew Barzal

A dynamic skater who can be an electrifying presence on the ice, Barzal has not been able to duplicate his 85-point rookie season in 2017-2018 and last season he finished with 59 points in 73 games. Barzal is exceptional when it comes to transporting the puck from his defensive zone into the offensive zone – his skating ability allows him to dart and dodge his way through neutral ice. He is far and away the most dangerous offensive performer on the team, but his defensive work was suspect last season, so that limits the value of his overall impact. He also won a career-best 46.3% of his faceoffs last season, so there is still room to improve on the dot. Barzal is 25, so he is in his prime, and given his rare ability to carry the puck from one end of the ice to the other, he remains a valuable player. It’s up to the Islanders to find the right pieces that will fit around him. 65 points is an entirely reasonable forecast for Barzal, but it also feels like underselling him. There is potential for more, but he might not have the supporting cast to help him get back to scoring more than a point per game. Maybe a new coach behind the Islanders bench will help open things up for the Isles and if that is the case, Barzal could benefit as much as anyone.

Brock Nelson

Coming off a season in which he tallied a career-high 37 goals and 59 points, Nelson has been a productive second-line center who has surpassed 50 points three times in the past four seasons. A six-time 20-goal scorer who also scored 18 goals in 56 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season, Nelson has a track record of proven performance. With solid defensive play as part of his contribution, Nelson has been quite effective. He has been an above-average finisher throughout his career, owning a shooting percentage of 14.2%, but he will not likely duplicate last season when he scored on 21.6% of his shots. Even if 37 goals are an aberration, Nelson has shown that he can score, so 25-30 goals and 55 points is in line with Nelson’s past performance.

Anders Lee

The Islanders’ captain is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound power forward who returned from a torn ACL to score 28 goals last season, the sixth time in his career that he buried at least 20 goals. Since 2016-2017, Lee has scored 162 goals, ranking 22^nd in the league over that time. While his offensive production was back to typical levels, his defensive play was not as strong, so that is an area of some concern given that Lee is 32 years old and maybe not moving quite as well as he did during his peak years. Nevertheless, he is an established and proven scorer who has thrived on Barzal’s wing and that should continue in 2022-2023. That should bring Lee 25-plus goals and 45 points, which is fine, but may not necessarily elevate the attack enough in the way that the Islanders need.

Anthony Beauvillier

A 25-year-old winger who has flashed potential at various times through his six NHL seasons, Beauvillier is coming off what may be the worst season of his career. He finished the season with 12 goals and 34 points, his fewest goals since his rookie season. He has yet to hit 40 points in a single NHL season, so when his defensive play slipped last season, the overall results were poor. While some of those results would be better by simply scoring on his career shooting percentage, 11.9% of his shots instead of last season’s 7.8% shooting percentage, the play away from the puck needs to be improved if Beauvillier is going to remain secure in a top-six role. 15-20 goals and his first 40-point season is still an achievable target for Beauvillier.

Josh Bailey

Heading into his 15^th season with the Islanders, Bailey has been a capable second line forward that can contribute offensively, and last season was the fifth time in the past six seasons that he surpassed 40 points. He is a smart player and good passer but his ability to drive play has faded in recent seasons and Bailey is a reluctant shooter – his 1.18 shots on goal per game last season was his lowest rate since his rookie season. With his game in decline, it might be natural for the Islanders to elevate others ahead of him on the depth chart, but Bailey has been resilient and maintained a second line role. If he stays in that spot, another 45-point season should be expected.

Kyle Palmieri

A consistent scoring threat earlier in his career, which included five straight seasons with more than 20 goals, the 31-year-old winger has not had that kind of productivity for the Islanders and last season’s 15 goals and 33 points was his lowest in a full season since 2014-2015. Percentages play a part in that decreased production. While he is not generating shots at the same rate as he did during his peak seasons, Palmieri has scored on 9.1% of his shots in 86 games with the Islanders after scoring on 13.2% of his shots in 397 games for the New Jersey Devils. He has not been a major factor on the Islanders power play, which naturally hurts his overall numbers, but it is notable that even with lower scoring totals, Palmieri’s ability to drive play has been relatively strong with the Isles, which makes him a solid top-six winger, but maybe the production could return to a higher level with an increased power play role. With declining production in recent seasons, he might be a lot to ask for 20 goals or 40 points out of Palmieri, but that should still be in his sights if he can get a special teams boost.

Zach Parise

Now 38, Parise had a bit of a bounce-back season in 2021-2022, at least relative to the previous season in Minnesota. 15 goals and 35 points is a long way from Parise’s best production in the league, but he generated enough to be a competent middle six winger and getting that on a league-minimum contract is an obvious net positive for the Islanders. He also managed 1.68 shots on goal per game, his lowest since his rookie season in 2005-2006, so there are signs of decline that are to be expected for a player in his late thirties. How much Parise produces will be tied to ice time that could easily decline, but if he stays in a top-nine role for the Islanders, he should be able to contribute 30-35 points.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

A reliable third line center, the 29-year-old played 17:40 per game last season, falling behind only Mathew Barzal (18:01 ATOI) and, just barely, Brock Nelson (17:41 ATOI), so the Islanders are comfortable with Pageau playing a significant role, though he is probably limited to some degree by the quality of his linemates. Nevertheless, Pageau is a solid contributor who had 39 points last season and has surpassed 40 points a couple of times in his career. He plays a sound defensive game, too, making him an enviable third line center. If he produces 40 points, that could offer some value. If he adds to that with another 170-hit season, Pageau would have very specific category appeal. He has also won 55.8% of his draws since joining the Islanders, so Pageau does have a knack for doing those little things that can help a team win.

Oliver Wahlstrom

A 22-year-old winger who can really fire the puck, Wahlstrom has been eased into his NHL role, logging 12 minutes per game for a couple of years, but he could be ready to handle more responsibility because not only can he shoot the puck, but Wahlstrom has been able to play a sound defensive game in his limited role. With more ice time and a shooting percentage likely to improve on last season’s 8.3%, there is a reasonable path to Wahlstrom scoring 20 goals in the near future, possibly even this season. Without knowing that he will have an increased role with more ice time, though, Wahlstrom should probably be looked at for 15 goals and 25-30 points. An opportunity waits with Barzal and Lee on the top line representing tempting upside but use caution where you pick him.

DEFENSE

Noah Dobson

Emerging as a first-rate puck-moving defenseman, the 22-year-old erupted for 51 points in his third NHL season. After playing a depth role in his first two seasons, Dobson saw his ice time spike to more than 21 minutes per game as he became the quarterback for the Islanders power play, scoring 22 of his 51 points with the man advantage, which was tied for eighth among defensemen. On a team with a lot of veteran talent, Dobson is still young enough to be on the ascent of his career, so if he can continue to develop, he could become a major factor on the Islanders blueline. Since Dobson’s percentages weren’t wildly inflated last season, looking for another 50-point season is not unreasonable. Maybe a bit optimistic, but he is a young player that is certainly trending up in his career.

Ryan Pulock

Earlier in his career, the 27-year-old looked like he would be a power play threat because of his booming shot, but that was not enough to really handle the job, and that’s okay. He has rounded into a steady top-four role, playing more than 21 minutes per game for four straight seasons. He has blocked more than 100 shots in four straight seasons and has registered more than 1.50 hits per game for each of the past five seasons, yet Pulock plays an exceptionally clean game. In the past two seasons, he has played that physical style for 112 games and has a total of 10 penalty minutes, the fewest of any defenseman to appear in at least 100 games over the past two seasons. It should not be overlooked how much value exists in a defenseman that does not take penalties. Pulock is still capable of producing 30 points, but his offensive ceiling is lowered because his power play contributions have been getting smaller.

Adam Pelech

A standout defensive performer, in the classical sense because Pelech finished with a career high 28 points last season, but he is a first-pairing beast who has excelled in a shutdown role. He is a strong skater and while he is 6-foot-3 and will get involved physically, Pelech is not a punishing hitter. He is smart and responsible and massively underrated by many because he does not have gaudy point totals. Nevertheless, Pelech is a dominant play-driving defenseman who not only handles the toughest matchups, but excels in those matchups, so he should not be some hidden gem of a player, rather he should be getting more Norris Trophy votes if the 28-year-old continues to play as well as he has in recent years. The Islanders have outscored opponents 106-75 with Pelech on the ice in 5-on-5 situations in the past two seasons, 25 points is a fair expectation for Pelech but it barely scratches the surface when trying to represent his value to the Islanders.

Alexander Romanov

Acquired from Montreal in a blockbuster draft day trade, Romanov showed some potential through his first two seasons with Montreal, especially as a physical presence last season when he recorded 227 hits. He was one of 11 defensemen to finish with more than 140 hits and 140 blocked shots last season. The question is whether the 22-year-old can develop and display more skill because his offensive contributions have been very limited while he has had more of an impact defensively. He does not have to turn into an offensive star, but some improvement over his first two seasons with the Canadiens could help Romanov establish his credentials as a top pair defenseman. If he could score 20 points this season that would be a win, but Romanov is also likely to record rare hit and blocked shot totals, enough that he might still have fantasy appeal despite his lack of scoring.

GOALTENDING

Ilya Sorokin

It’s almost a little unfair that Ilya Sorokin has come into the league at the same time as Igor Shesterkin; one might wonder what sort of buzz he’d be producing if he had been the first one to arrive in the NHL, and just how much better his finish would have been in Vezina voting in the process. As it stands, he finished his 2021-22 campaign with a .925 save percentage and a .712 quality start percentage, posting 37 quality starts and a whopping seven shutouts over his 52-game campaign for the New York Islanders. And despite that performance – which in some years would have been a clear-cut Vezina Finalist performance – he still finished sixth in voting for the league’s most prestigious goaltending award; he barely made buzz in comparison to the hype happening on the other side of the city for the rival New York team, which is hard to consider anything but disappointing.

Luckily, the Islanders are set to watch him succeed for a long time yet. Even though the team has been the butt of too many jokes this past summer thanks to an antiquated general manager and a disappointing lack of free agent signings, the team should still be set up to help Sorokin establish himself as one of the most powerful netminders in the Metropolitan Division. In an era when most teams are struggling to figure out who to tandem and when a replacement for the mid-2000’s goaltending giants will emerge from their prospect pools, Sorokin’s smooth skating – combined with a willingness to temper some of his energy and structure his positioning a bit more for the North American game – will keep him thriving in the league for as long as he wants to play.

Projected starts: 55-60

No(Staal)gia – Minnesota Wild 2018-19 Season Preview

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:15:40 +0000

REVIEW / STATE OF PLAY – The 2017-18 campaign represented the sixth season since the Minnesota Wild made the bold move of signing UFAs Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to matching 13-year, $98 million contract that was designed to help push them into being a serious contender. Unfortunately, it hasn’t panned out as planned.

Last season was more of the same for Minnesota. The Wild posted a 45-26-11 record in the regular season to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year and earn at least 100 points for the third time in four seasons. However, they were expelled in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets over just five games, making it the Wild’s third straight first round exit. Minnesota still hasn’t gotten past the second round since Suter and Parise joined the team.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT – If 2017-18 had been an isolated incident then Minnesota’s mantra would probably be of patience, but with it being the sixth straight disappointing end in the postseason, a change at the top was warranted. With that in mind, Paul Fenton has been hired to replace Chuck Fletcher as the team’s general manager.

If you were expecting Fenton to immediately make his mark on the team though, you’ve probably felt disappointed this summer. Rather than make a big splash on the trade or free agent market, Fenton has simply made minor tweaks to the team.

A couple bottom-six forwards in Tyler Ennis and Matt Cullen are gone while new role players J.T. Brown and Matt Hendricks were brought in. The team’s defense has been largely left untouched with the exception of Greg Pateryn, who signed a three-year, $6.75 million contract and will probably end up on the third pairing. As for the team’s goaltending, Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock are projected to return as the starter and backup respectively. Should either get hurt, journeyman goaltender Andrew Hammond will be an option after he signed a one-year, two-way deal.

Those are the tweaks that were made and while there is still the chance that the Wild will make a significant trade either during the preseason or perhaps near the deadline, right now we’re looking at largely the same team as 2017-18, just with a different man at the top.

Ryan Suter and Zach Parise

WILL THEY BE HEALTHY? – That might actually be alright if the team has better luck on the injury front this season. After all, Zach Parise missed half of the 2017-18 campaign and then suffered a broken sternum in Game 3 of the first round. Ryan Suter was able to play 78 games last season, but fractured his right ankle and missed the Wild’s entire playoff run as a result. That’s two cornerstones of the team that the Wild lacked when they needed them the most.

On top of that, Jared Spurgeon missed the final 12 games of 2017-18 due to a hamstring injury. He did return for the playoffs, but was logging just 21:48 minutes per game, down from an average of 24:33 minutes in the regular season despite the fact that Ryan Suter, who typically eats 26:47 minutes, wasn’t available.

Those weren’t even the only noteworthy injuries. Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter took big steps forward in 2016-17 and both regressed in 2017-18, in part due to injuries. Coyle dealt with a fractured fibula early in the season that likely disrupted him and then played through tears in both of his wrists. Niederreiter suffered a broken fibula that was bothering him even after he returned. So you have to wonder what Minnesota’s season might have been like if so many of its key players were both available and functioning closer to 100%.

OUTLOOK – Even without making any noteworthy additions over the summer, the Minnesota Wild remain a competitive team that should at least make the playoffs. With a little better luck than they had in 2017-18, they could even be competitive in the postseason. However, when you look at the top-tier teams in the NHL today, Minnesota does appear to be just a small step below them. The Wild are a team with many of the right pieces like a strong goaltender, a good defensive core, and offensive depth, but the Wild aren’t necessarily in the very top tier in any of those areas. For as talented as Suter and Parise are, they also don’t have those one or two superstars that set them apart to the same extent as teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Training Camp Notes – October 3rd, 2017

Ryan Dadoun — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 22:25:53 +0000

Anaheim

Ryan Getzlaf – Sustained a lower-body injury last week and hasn’t resumed skating yet. A couple days back Ducks coach Randy Carlyle did say on Saturday that he expected Getzlaf to play in the opener, but that’s on Thursday so we’re cutting it pretty close now.

Patrick Eaves – Didn’t end up playing in any preseason games. His lower-body injury might keep him out of the season opener as well. He’s another player Carlyle projected to be available for the opener while speaking on Saturday though, so we’ll see.

Arizona

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Good news on this front. His recovery from his knee injury has progressed to the point where he’s been practicing with the Coyotes. It looks like he’ll be ready for the season opener.

Antti Raanta –A lower-body injury kept him out of the Coyotes’ last preseason game. He practiced with Arizona on Sunday though, so he’ll probably be fine for the opener.

Boston

Torey Krug – The Bruins are hoping that his jaw injury only sidelines him for the first three-to-five regular season games. In the meantime, he has been skating. For what it’s worth, when he does return he’ll be wearing a protective mask.

Buffalo

Benoit Pouliot – Was on a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo during Sunday’s practice. He had been practicing as a bottom-six forward previously, so it will be interesting to see if he ends up on that unit to start the campaign.

Zemgus Girgensons – It was bad news for Girgensons. He was previously on Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo’s line, but Girgensons was knocked down to the third unit with Sam Reinhart and Jason Pominville. The Sabres’ third line has potential though.

Rasmus Ristolainen – After averaging 26:28 minutes per game last season (up from 25:17 minutes in 2015-16), Sabres coach Phil Housley wants to cut Ristolainen down to 22-23 minutes per game. The hope is that will keep him fresher for the final stretch.

Calgary

Jaromir Jagr – Signed a one-year contract with Calgary that comes with a $1 million base salary. Not sure what line Jagr plays for, but here’s a fun aside: Jagr was drafted the same year as Matthew Tkachuk’s father Keith. Keith Tkachuk retired seven years ago.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak – His hip/back problems remain something of a mystery. On Monday Hurricanes coach Bill Peters remarked, "We've got to get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later." Stempniak is questionable for the season opener and how much time he might miss beyond that seems like anybody’s guess.

Chicago

Connor Murphy – Sustained a lower-body injury on Saturday and didn’t practice on Monday as a result. It’s not clear if he’ll be available for the opener.

Colorado

Jonathan Bernier – As mentioned before, he sustained a groin injury on Sept. 25. The good news is that he resumed practicing with the team on Monday.

Columbus

Brandon Dubinsky – Got into the preseason finale on Saturday after missing all the previous exhibition contests due to a wrist injury. He should be fine for the season opener.

Pierre-Luc Dubois – Although the Blue Jackets have experimented with using him as a center, it looks like he’ll be serving as a left winger to start the campaign. His projected linemates are Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Calvert.

Boone Jenner – His back injury will keep him out of the season opener. Beyond that there’s no timetable for his return. He hasn’t skated with the Blue Jackets yet.

Detroit

David Booth – Signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Red Wings. It sounds like he’ll be in the lineup for the season opener, probably alongside Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening.

Florida

Owen Tippett – He’ll be part of the Panthers’ roster for the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The downside is that it might be as a fourth line forward, so he might not be a fantasy factor for a while still.

Los Angeles

Mike Cammalleri/Jonny Brodzinski – The two might find themselves on either side of Anze Kopitar to begin the season. Obviously that would be great news for both of them, but it’d be a particularly big opportunity for the rookie Brodzinski.

Minnesota

Zach Parise – Is now expected to miss the first two games of the regular season due to his back problem. He also missed the Wild’s whole preseason schedule.

Nashville

Viktor Arvidsson – There’s been talk of him not opening the season with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg. Two potential candidates to replace him on the top line would be Kevin Fiala and Scott Hartnell. None of that’s been finalized yet though.

New Jersey

Jimmy Hayes – More of an FYI because he doesn’t have fantasy value, but he did earn a one-year, $700,000 contract with New Jersey after attending the Devils’ training camp on a PTO.

Pavel Zacha – He’s getting a big opportunity off the bat as he’s projected to open on a line with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. It’s not set in stone, but Devils coach John Hynes called it a “strong possibility.

NY Rangers

Kevin Shattenkirk – It’s not surprising, but it looks like Shattenkirk will be paired with Ryan McDonagh to start the season.

NY Islanders

Jordan Eberle – Another bit of anticipated, but nice to be basically confirmed news is that Eberle will be starting the campaign alongside John Tavares. The third member of that unit should be Anders Lee. Islanders coach Doug Weight has been happy with that trio so far.

Ottawa

Derick Brassard – Has been cleared for contact, so he might be able to play in the season opener. He’s been recovering from a shoulder injury.

Erik Karlsson – Still dealing with a foot injury, it’s now very unlikely that he’ll play in the opener. Not sure when he’ll be back.

Philadelphia

December 5, 2015:Philadelphia Flyers Defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) moves the puck out of the Flyers zone in the first period during the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

Shayne Gostisbehere – Sustained an upper-body injury during Sunday’s game. There hasn’t been an update yet, but he did join the Flyers’ flight to San Jose (ahead of Wednesday’s opener), so you could take that as an encouraging sign.

Travis Sanheim/Sam Morin – They were battling for a spot on the roster, but if Gostisbehere isn’t available then they could both stay on the roster for now. Fellow rookie defenseman Robert Hagg did make the roster so he should remain with the squad regardless of Gostisbehere’s status.

San Jose

Joe Thornton – He made his preseason debut on Saturday, clearing the way for him to participate in the opener. He underwent knee surgery to repair a torn ACL/MCL.

St. Louis

Scottie Upshall – Not of much fantasy relevance, but he did sign a one-year contract with the Blues. He began on a PTO with Vancouver, but found an opportunity with the Blues instead due to their injuries. Upshall is likely to enter the season on the fourth line alongside Kyle Brodziak and Chris Thorburn.

Washington

Tom Wilson – He’ll have a hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) for boarding the Blues’ Sam Blais. He already served a two-game preseason suspension over interference, so maybe this will be a harsher punishment as a result.

Brooks Orpik – Capitals coach Barry Trotz is tentatively planning to pair Orpik up with John Carlson to open the season. Orpik usually played alongside Nate Schmidt last season, but he’s not with the team anymore. Similarly, Carlson’s most common 2016-17 partner, Karl Alzner, is also gone.

Jakub Vrana – Not set in stone, but there’s a chance that Vrana not only opens the season with the Capitals, but does so on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Winnipeg

Matt Hendricks – Is on the injured reserve after sustaining an undisclosed injury during Wednesday’s preseason contest. He’s regarded as day-to-day.

Andrew Copp – Suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s preseason contest. Jets coach Paul Maurice hasn’t ruled out Copp for the season opener though.

NHL Training Camp Notes – September 29th, 2017

Ryan Dadoun — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 22:26:39 +0000

Anaheim

Ryan Miller – Missed Wednesday’s practice and Thursday’s preseason game with an upper-body injury. It’s not clear if he’s in any danger of missing the season opener or not.

Kevin Bieksa – In the same boat as Miller, in which I mean he missed the practice and game, but beyond that we don’t know much. The difference is Bieksa has a lower-body injury.

Ryan Getzlaf – Was also kept out of Thursday’s preseason game due to an ailment and we also don’t know much here. All three cases are wait-and-see, but we might get a better sense of things on Saturday given that it will be the Ducks’ last preseason game, so it will be interesting to see if one or more of the three can participate.

Arizona

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Latest on his knee injury is that he skated for roughly 35 minutes with an assistant coach on Thursday. Still appears to be questionable for the season opener.

Zac Rinaldo – He’s got a real shot of making the team, which would be noteworthy for those in fantasy leagues that use PIM as a category. He still has a five-game suspension he’d need to serve though if he does make the team (that incident took place back on Feb. 28, 2016 when he last participated in an NHL contest), so he wouldn’t be available for the season opener.

Buffalo

Jordan Nolan – Not too noteworthy, but he was claimed off waivers by Buffalo. He’s probably just going to end up being used as a fourth liner though.

Carolina

Justin Williams – He’s been skating on a line with Teuvo Teravainen and Jordan Staal. It looks like for tonight’s preseason game Janne Kuokkanen will be replacing Teravainen on that line, but that’s because Teravainen won’t be in the lineup.

Teuvo Teravainen – Speaking of that, Teravainen didn’t play in the third period of Wednesday’s contest either. It’s being billed as more precautionary than anything though, so unless there’s more here than meets the eye, I would assume he’ll be available for the season opener.

Lee Stempniak – Still has a hip/back injury and this whole has been on the vague side. Stempniak undergoing an MRI was mentioned last week, but Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said he didn’t know the results. What we do know is that he won’t play in Friday’s preseason game.

Chicago

Jan Rutta – He’s kind of a neat story. The defenseman is 27-years-old and has never played professionally in North America, but it looks like he’s actually won a spot with the Chicago Blackhawks out of training camp. He had eight goals and 32 points in 46 Czech league games last season.

Michal Rozsival – Not much of an update, but more of a no news probably is bad news scenario. He didn’t pass his training camp physical (upper body) and his status remains unchanged, so he’ll probably start the season on the injured reserve.

Colorado

A.J. Greer – Will probably start the season on the injured reserve list due to a concussion. The good news is that he’s started skating on his own.

Joe Colborne – He might not be available for the start of the season either due to his back injury. Colborne also didn’t play in any preseason games. It’s not clear if he’ll be with the Avalanche once he’s healthy or be sent to the minors.

Jonathan Bernier – Sustained a groin injury on Monday and hasn’t been practicing with the Avalanche as a result.

Columbus

Josh Anderson – He’s still not signed and on Thursday there were reports that he requested a trade (which, it should be noted, Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen has denied).

Detroit

Henrik Zetterberg – He hasn’t played in a preseason game yet because of a neck injury, but he’ll make his debut on Friday. His projected lineamtes are Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar.

Nick Jensen – A thumb injury will keep him out of Detroit’s last two preseason games on Friday and Saturday. It’s not clear if he’ll still be available for the season opener.

Niklas Kronwall – Had been dealing with a back injury, but he got into Thursday’s exhibition game, so it looks like that’s behind him.

Edmonton

Ryan Strome – He had been used on a line with Connor McDavid previously, but for Thursday and Friday’s practice, Strome has instead been centering the third line with Jussi Jokinen and Drake Caggiula. Oilers coach Todd McLellan seems to like Strome as a center, but obviously Strome’s best chance at having a big season would be with McDavid.

Leon Draisaitl – McLellan has already reunited the line of Leon Draisaitl, McDavid, and Patrick Maroon. Earlier in the preseason, Edmonton had been experimenting with separating Draisaitl and McDavid.

Minnesota

Zach Parise – Remains questionable for the season opener. He didn’t participate in Thursday or Friday’s practice though, so that’s not a good sign.

Nashville

Viktor Arvidsson – While Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg are projected to start the season together on the top line, Arvidsson might not end up as part of that trio this time. Kevin Fiala and Scott Hartnell are also in the running for that spot. This could have a meaningful amount of fantasy impact depending on which one of the three ends up on that top line.

New Jersey

Brian Boyle – Has been skating on his own, but he won’t start practicing with the Devils until Wednesday at the earliest. He might still end up playing in the season opener despite that.

Nico Hischier – He scored a goal in each of his four preseason games. While that has to be taken with a grain of salt, what is particularly noteworthy is that Devils coach John Hynes feels Hischier has earned a top-six spot.

NY Rangers

Filip Chytil – Defying the odds, Chytil seems to have secured a roster spot with the Rangers. Not only that, but he might open the season on a line with Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello.

NY Islanders

John Tavares – Just as an aside, teams have reportedly been told not to bother inquiring about Tavares until January 1 at the earliest. He wasn’t expected to be traded during the preseason or early portion of 2016-17 anyways – if he’s dealt at all – but this news just reinforces that.

Ottawa

Craig Anderson – He’s signed a two-year, $9.5 million extension. Obviously that doesn’t impact things much this season, which means that the Senators now have two veteran goalies signed through 2019-20 in him and Mike Condon.

Colin White – He blocked a shot during a preseason game and underwent wrist surgery as a result. He’ll start the season on the injured reserve list as he’ll be out for six-to-eight weeks.

Erik Karlsson – Was on the ice with the Senators on Friday, albeit while wearing a no-contact jersey. He’s doubtful for the season opener.

Philadelphia

Claude Giroux – The Flyers have continued to experiment with using Giroux as a left winger and Flyers coach Dave Hakstol has been happy with the results. As previously mentioned, if he does shift to the left wing then that would create an opening for Sean Couturier to center a top line that would also include Jakub Voracek.

Pittsburgh

Jake Guentzel – It comes with the standard disclaimer about preseason stats of course, but for what it is worth, Jake Guentzel has three goals and nine points in three preseason games. That’s enough to lead the league in exhibition points.

Patric Hornqvist – Is still dealing with a hand injury. He’s been skating, but not practicing. It’s still possible that he’ll play in the season opener, but Penguins coach Mike Sullivan wants to be cautious with him.

Justin Schultz/Kris Letang – When it comes to which one of the two will play on the top power-play unit, Sullivan talked about it being a fluid process. It could come down to who is better rested at the time or what Sullivan feels is best at that stage of the game.

St. Louis

Robby Fabbri – We already talked about this after I sent you my last update, but of course Fabbri tore his ACL again and will need to have surgery. He’s been ruled out for the playoffs as well as the regular season.

Scottie Upshall – It’s not official yet, but the St. Louis Blues have reportedly signed Upshall, which makes some sense given their injury issues. Upshall played for the Blues in each of the previous two seasons, but after going unsigned over the summer he joined the Canucks’ training camp on a PTO.

Toronto

Patrick Marleau – Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock has expressed displeasure in the trio of Marleau, Nazem Kadri, and Leo Komarov. Babcock liked how they were doing in the early part of camp, but he feels that group can be way better, quicker, and more diligent. He’s looking for them to develop more chemistry with each other. Perhaps that line will be broken up if Babcock doesn’t see improvements.

NHL Playoff Preview: Dallas Stars (1) vs. Minnesota Wild (WC2)

Daniel Friedman and Robert Howard — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 21:13:38 +0000

Summary: The Stars are a high octane machine in the offensive zone. Without the puck? Not as much.

Still, they should prove too much for their wildly inconsistent opponent (pun intended) to overcome. It is hard to like Minny's chances in this series, especially if Zach Parise's going to be sidelined for much of it.

It is uncertain how much further Dallas can go, but this is a series it can win.

PREDICTION: Stars in 6

Key injuries: MIN - Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, Erik Haula DAL – Tyler Seguin (to miss game one)

Critical Factors: The Wild have performed better (15-11-1) under interim coach John Torchetti, fighting their way into the playoffs after a tough year. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are one of the deadliest combos in the league and how quickly they re-establish their chemistry after Seguin returns from injury could be a factor early. Devan Dubnyk must find his Vezina-finalist form of a year ago on a nightly basis for the Wild to hold back the NHL’s leading offense, but he has not shown a consistently high level this season. Two capable starters in Dallas means a decision in net needs to be made between Antti Niemi (2.67 GAA, 0.905 SV%) and Kari Lehtonen (2.76 GAA, 0.906 SV%), but neither has distinguished themselves. Having allowed the most goals against amongst teams in the playoffs, defense is a glaring concern if they hope to go to a championship.

Potential Breakout Players: Patrick Sharp brings playoff experience along with Johnny Oduya. He joins Benn on the top line with Seguin out. Jason Spezza has averaged almost point a game through his career in the playoffs (56-17-35-52) and is coming off a 33 goal season, including 12 in the last 17 games (17-12-6-18). Ales Hemsky has been hot as of late with 15 points in 17 games – but remain wary. Ryan Suter is essential to Minnesota’s overall game and will need to produce for them to move on.

Season Matchup: Dallas 4-1 - three of five games decided in OT (Dal 2-1)

Key Stats:

CF% 5v5 (war-on-ice.com): DAL 52.6% (2^nd) 47.9% (23^rd)

PDO (war-on-ice.com): DAL 99.7 (16^th) MIN 100.7 (6^th)

Power Play (NHL.com): DAL 22.1% (4^th) MIN 18.5% (15^th)

Penalty Kill (NHL.com): DAL 82.3% (10^th) MIN 77.9% (27^th)

Goals For per-game (NHL.com): DAL 3.23 (1^st) MIN 2.60 (18^th)

Goals Against per-game (NHL.com): DAL 2.78 (19^th) MIN 2.49 (9^th)

Notes: A clear advantage to Dallas in both special teams and possession.

WILD HORSES

McKeen's Hockey — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 22:18:26 +0000

The Wild had another decent season finishing fourth in their division and 12th overall while qualifying for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Competition in the Central Division and Western Conference is tough. Minnesota has a good blend of veterans and youth throughout the roster but there are questions throughout as well.

The forwards are led by the likes of veterans Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and Captain Mikko Koivu. Minnesota scored 2.43 goals per game, a number they should be able to increase going forward. The addition of Thomas Vanek should provide a boost to the offense as a significant upgrade over Dany Heatley. The youth also arrived last season to provide secondary scoring and fantasy value. Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, and Charlie Coyle all enjoyed a breakout season, while Justin Fontaine and Erik Haula also had impressive performances. The Wild will be able to roll three offensive lines with good depth but may be lacking the role players who provide grit, toughness and defense.

The defense is anchored by the minute munching Ryan Suter who led the NHL in TOI with a whopping 29:24 minutes per game. There is a significant drop off after Suter with Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, and Marco Scandella in the middle tier. The final two roster spots should be contested by journeymen Keith Ballard and Jonathon Blum, and free agents Christian Folin and Justin Falk.

Perhaps the biggest question is in goal. Ilya Bryzgalov was brought in as a rental at the trade deadline to provide insurance but was not resigned. Despite their concerns in goal, the Wild declined to make any changes and will enter the season with Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding and Darcy Kuemper. Backstrom is aging, in decline, and fragile while Harding is dealing with M.S. and is a major question. Kuemper may be the safest fantasy option.

We have posted the following player profiles: Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Nino Neiderreiter, Erik Haula, Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Darcy Kuemper, Josh Harding

NHL: Fantasy Sprint Tips – 2013

Carl Lemelin — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:31:38 +0000

Finally! An exciting fantasy season is upon us. The one week mini-camps won’t allow for much data to clue us in on possible lines, pairings and specialty units. Nor will it give us any clues as to chemistry levels between new teammates. Coaches will scramble to install new systems without the benefit of exhibition games to test them out.

A short, compacted regular season is sure to produce its share of unpredictable events and stories. However from a fantasy standpoint, there are factors that can help us gage the level of production we can expect from certain players: game-shape (has the player been competing in a pro league during the lock-out?), projected lines and pairings, projected team strengths or weaknesses and coaching styles.

Throughout this specific analysis, it is also important not to lose site of the fact that the elite offensive players should remain the same. Remember the 1995 lock-out year? Eric Lindros and Jaromir Jagr tied for the scoring championship. There is no reason to believe a shortened season will mean any kind of drop-off for the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, Steven Stamkos, Erik Karlsson or Claude Giroux. Although if you draft them in a standard pool, you should weigh them differently than you would for a full 82-game season, simply because the total point differentials between them and second tier players will not be as dramatic.

As everyone scrambles to prepare for this frenetic-paced campaign, today we look at some of the not-so-obvious players (forwards, defensemen and goalies) we identified as “safe bets” or “buyer beware” and offer a brief explanation.

FORWARDS – SAFE BETS

Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin (BOS): Projected mates on the Bruins 1B line, both dominated the Swiss league. Bergeron had 29 pts in 21 games when he left Lugano and led Canada to a landslide championship at the Spengler Cup. Seguin was even more impressive scoring at a near goal-a-game clip (29-25-15-40) for Biel. The two had already started clicking in the second half of last season. They look like a scary pair!

Brad Richards (NYR): The playmaking center finally has a top-flight goal scorer to feed in Rick Nash. Richards had a mediocre season in 2011-12 for his standards (82-25-41-66) and his assist ratio is sure to improve. Now 32, the extra rest (inactive during the lockout) should only benefit the veteran.

Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Dany Heatley (MIN): The Wild’s new All-World line is a match made in heaven. Not all ultra-skilled lines find immediate chemistry, but the speed of Parise, smarts of Koivu and shot and hands of Heatley should create 5-on-5 and PP magic in the Twin Cities. Parise’s and Koivu’s work ethic and enthusiasm are also certain to rub off on a sometimes indifferent Heatley.

EDM’s young guns: Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall have arrived. NHL stardom is theirs to grab. They proved during the lockout that their precocious NHL success was no fluke, tearing up the best of all lockout leagues, the AHL. Moreover, their skill sets are complementary and will be augmented by PP quarterback and early Calder favorite Justin Schultz. Already in mid-season form, they present an explosive potential not seen in Oil-Town since the Gretzky-Kurri-Messier-Coffey combo.

FORWARDS – BUYER BEWARE

Kyle Okposo (NYI): It’s a common mistake fantasy owners make: overrating the third wheel on an explosive top line. John Tavares and Matt Moulson are proven commodities and will produce, even without their former linemate P-A. Parenteau (now with Colorado). But Okposo is a corridor winger and a shooter, a stark contrast to Parenteau’s playmaking skills. Tavares will become the playmaker on the line, but Moulson is likely to pick-up most of the goals, leaving only a few crumbs (in terms of points) for Okposo.

Ryan Callahan (NYR): The biggest fantasy loser with the arrival of Rick Nash, Callahan should be bumped from the first to the third line (going from Brad Richards to Brian Boyle as a centerman). He probably won’t see much time on the PP’s top unit either, since the Rangers will be looking for Derek Stepan to take on more of the offensive load.

DEFENSEMEN – SAFE BETS

Sergei Gonchar (OTT): Yes, the 38 y/o’s numbers have been down the past couple of seasons, but the sharp drop-off from three years back (when he was 62-11-39-50) suggests some kind of upward adjustment in his stats this year. The Sens have allot of skill up front and play an up-tempo offensive style. Add two impressive PP units that should produce and a solid KHL stint (36-3-26-29) and all signs point to a hot start for Erik Karlsson’s mentor.

Ryan Suter (MIN): See Wild’s All-World line above: he will be the only one pushing the puck up to those guys and the quarterback of a now elite PP unit. He’s officially out of Shea Weber’s imposing shadow.

Alex Pietrangelo (STL): Our best bet to have an Erik Karlsson-type breakout year. Same skill set and a young up-and-coming set of offensive forwards to feed the puck to. Coach Ken Hitchkock loves him and will keep riding his young horse to the tune of 25-30 minutes a game.

DEFENSEMEN – BUYER BEWARE

Here, we identify a few D-men that have exhibited offensive potential in the recent past, but find themselves in new circumstances that might hurt their chances of producing a significant amount of points this season. You should avoid over-evaluating these players based solely on their past production or potential.

Nikita Nikitin (CLB): A full season of James Wisniewski and Jack Johnson manning the points on the first PP unit means precious few quality offensive chances for Columbus’ bright light from last year.

Ryan Whitney (EDM): Justin Schultz will eclipse him and take over as the first unit quarterback. The Oilers are likely to use 4 forwards on the squad, bumping Whitney down to a much less threatening second unit.

Tom Gilbert (MIN): It’s a mistake to think Gilbert’s numbers will automatically improve because of his new explosive entourage in Minnesota. He should get top PP minutes, but he is the obvious weaker link of the unit. Make no mistake, most scoring plays will run through Suter and the forwards, and since there are only three points available on every goal, Gilbert will often be one of the two members left off the scoresheet.

GOALIES – SAFE BETS

Henrik Lundqvist (NYR): The defense in front of him is strong individually and also very cohesive under John Tortorella’s tight system. He’s been the most consistent netminder for the past three seasons. You can bank on Hank!

Tuukka Rask (BOS): His time has come. Tim Thomas’ one year hiatus has paved the way for the young Finn to backstop one of the elite teams in the East. No reason to doubt the Claude Julien lead squad will be anything but disciplined and responsible in their zone.

Mike Smith (PHO): Some might think last season was a fluke, but we have always believed this type of breakthrough was inevitable for this big, athletic stud of a goalie. Dave Tippett’s defensive system is a proven playoff-guarantying commodity and his defense is bolstered by the return of shot-blocking and under-rated Zbynek Michalek.

GOALIES – BUYER BEWARE

Carey Price (MTL): He is a young horse and the Habs do have a deep defense corps, but they will be grossly over-matched offensively on most nights. This will put enormous pressure on the wonder-kid and will mean more inconsistent play despite the added grit to the Montreal roster. The Canadiens need an influx of talented forwards to allow for more puck-possession time before Price becomes a prized fantasy asset.

Braden Holtby (WAS): Holtby’s incredible playoff run came under Dale Hunter’s strict defensive scheme. New bench boss Adam Oates has promised a return to the run-and-gun style of the past in the Capital, which bodes well for Alex Ovechkin and company, but might hurt Holtby’s numbers. He also got off to a slow start in the AHL this year, before finding his bearings.

Pekka Rinne (NAS): The loss of Ryan Suter’s steadying influence cannot be understated. Don’t expect a huge drop-off, as Rinne’s fantasy value has been well established over the past three seasons. But Nashville’s defense will feature three brand new pairings and very little experience. Rinne was also uncharacteristically inconsistent during his lockout stint in the KHL (.897 SP).

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