Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Friday picks
By Chris Morgan
GOALIE
John Gibson, ANA vs. EDM ($27): Game 1 didn’t go great for Gibson, but a couple of the goals could hardly be considered his fault, including one that came on what was practically a five-on-two power play. In the regular season, Gibson had a 2.24 GAA and a .924 save percentage, and the Ducks only allowed 2.00 goals per game at home. Gibson is the cheapest goalie Friday, and that gives him the chance to be the best value of the bunch, especially considering how good he was this year.
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GOALIE TO AVOID
Pekka Rinne, NAS at STL ($39): Now that Rinne has had a mediocre game (three goals on 30 shots), the magical bubble around him has burst. He had a great first round, but in the regular season he had a .918 save percentage. What’s more, after the All-Star break the Predators allowed 2.78 goals per game, the most of any team left in the postseason.
CENTER
Mark Letestu, EDM at ANA ($14): It may surprise you to find out that Letestu averaged 2:32 per game on the power play this season, tallying 14 points in the process. He’s been excellent in the playoffs as well, notching five points in seven contests. That includes four power-play points, including two in Game 1 of this series. Getting that power-play potential at this price makes Letestu a fine option for your fantasy lineup, especially with so few players in action.
CENTER TO AVOID
Connor McDavid, EDM at ANA ($34): McDavid will cost you $10 more than any other center, meaning he really has to excel against the Ducks to be a good value. Having to deal with Selke finalist Ryan Kesler will make that hard, and Anaheim is at home so they have more control over the matchups. McDavid did pick up a point in Game 1, but it was on the power play, and he only had two shots on goal. If the Ducks are a little more disciplined in Game 2, McDavid likely won’t see close to 5:02 of power-play time again.
WING
Jakob Silfverberg, ANA vs. EDM ($18): Silfverberg has had the best year of any Ducks winger, averaging 7.0 fantasy points per game. He put 227 shots on net in 78 games, scoring 23 goals in the process. Silfverberg’s shooting hasn’t cooled down in the playoffs, as he’s notched 21 shots on net in five games, three of which have gone in. His power-play time has also been up in recent weeks, as in his last 16 games he’s averaged 2:54 with the extra man. After the All-Star break, the Oilers had the 25th-ranked penalty kill.
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Colin Wilson, NAS at STL ($13): It’s a bummer to note this, but the injury to Kevin Fialawill likely lead to increased minutes for Wilson. After Fiala went down, it was Wilson who got bumped up to replace him. Wilson also scored a goal on four shots in his first game after a six-game injury absence. Jake Allen started the playoffs playing excellent hockey, but he has a 2.90 GAA and a .907 save percentage in his last three starts. That may not mean much, but we shouldn’t overlook the fact that he had a .915 save percentage this year.
WINGS TO AVOID
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL vs. NAS ($30): Like McDavid at center, Tarasenko costs considerably more than any other wing. However, he only has one goal in this postseason. Rinne, despite a middling performance in Game 1, still has a 1.14 GAA and a .962 save percentage in the playoffs. Beyond that, in his last 14 games Rinne has posted a 1.40 GAA and a .950 save percentage.
Patrick Maroon, EDM at ANA ($18): Maroon picked up two assists in Game 1, but he only had 15 helpers in the entire regular season, so that’s a bit of an anomaly. He only put one shot on goal in that game, after having zero in the final game of the first round. Maroon also only tallied one point against San Jose in Round 1. As noted earlier, the Ducks only allowed 2.00 goals per game at home, and overall they ranked third in GAA.
DEFENSEMEN
P.K. Subban, NAS at STL ($20): Subban tallied three points in Game 1, including two with the extra man. On the other hand, he only had two points in the first round. Subban also has put five shots on goal in two of his last three contests and blocked 104 shots in 66 regular-season games, so he could add a little value there.
Cam Fowler, ANA vs. EDM ($15): Fowler is back and played 26:33 in Game 1, including 2:11 on the power play. Plus, he picked up an assist, and he had 39 points in 80 games during the regular season. Cam Talbot, had a .919 save percentage this year, and in the playoffs he’s allowed at least three goals four times. Fowler’s injury has dropped his price considerably, and that’s worth taking advantage of.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kris Russell, EDM at ANA ($17): Russell is a fantastic shot-blocker. In fact, he led the league in blocked shots (213) despite only playing in 66 games. However, he adds very little offensively. He has no points in the playoffs while recording just seven shots in seven postseason games. The Ducks averaged 55.2 shot attempts per 60 minutes, which ranked 19th in the league. That means Russell may not have as many opportunities to block shots as he needs to deliver value Friday.
Joel Edmundson, STL vs. NAS ($17): Edmundson has been weirdly involved this postseason offensively, but let’s not get too excited about that. Sure, he scored a couple big goals in the first round and had two assists in Game 1 of this series. However, he only scored three goals total in 69 games, and he only had 12 assists. He didn’t play on the power play, and he didn’t take many shots on goal (81) or block many shots, either (95). Even without a ton of options available, you can do better than betting on Edmundson’s luck to continue.
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