Ice and Fire: Daily Frustrations

The THL daily head-to-head league is comprised of multiple Rotowire hockey writers and is arguably the most interesting league in which I've participated. It's not a typical head-to-head league. It's also not a daily league in the sense of a one-day league with cash payouts. The THL season consists of 85 matchups that take place on evenings when the NHL has six or more games scheduled. Typically, THL game nights are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with the odd Sunday or Friday sprinkled in.

It's quite simple in some respects and rather complex in others. We start three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie. Scoring is straightforward: a point each for a goal or an assist, with an extra bonus point each for a specials-teams goal or a game-winner. Goalies get two points per win, one for an overtime/shootout loss, and an extra two for a shutout.

Your lineup can look particularly lethal one night, then a patchwork of reserves and waiver acquisitions the next. Some nights, you simply don't have a goalie. We keep three players. Teams receive two points in the standings for a win and one for a tie.

Since not every NHL team plays every THL game night, this league has a different system of valuing players. At the top end, Dallas (66) and Nashville (65) play on more than 75 percent of THL's 85 game nights, which makes guys like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Roman Josi and Shea Weber even more valuable. Most teams play somewhere between half and two-thirds of the game nights. Clubs such as the Blackhawks and Rangers have less than 50 games for the season, lowering the value even of stalwarts like Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Toews. Even Patrick Kane takes a slight hit simply because he doesn't play as often in this league.

Imagine having Kane on your roster and not being rewarded for all his production. I don't have to because I own Kane following a trade last winter. Despite his career offensive season, much of Kane's damage has been done on non-game nights. For instance, he grabbed a hat trick and an assist in this past Friday's 4-1 win over Toronto, with one goal a power-play game-winner. That would have been six THL points. It's been typical this season to watch Kane be incredibly productive on nights when it doesn't benefit my squad. He's been solid the nights the Blackhawks have had THL games, but those simply haven't been often enough.

Every owner in this league has seen their players explode for multiple points on non-game nights; it's simply one facet of this complex league. Six points is more than enough to grab a win most evenings. Some nights, games are decided by scores of 1-0 and 2-1.

Making roster decisions on a daily basis for THL games isn't always simple. The only thing worse than seeing a player put up a huge game when it doesn't count is seeing a player have a monster game on your bench. Owners in any type of fantasy league can relate to that scenario.

You simply make the best roster decisions based on matchups, trends and production. It's been especially frustrating of late for my squad, which has gone 1-5 in its last six contests with modest point totals. This swing has caused my team to drop precipitously in the standings; I went from vying for a playoff spot to seriously considering selling off assets.

What Can You Do?

I have both Tuukka Rask and Cory Schneider on my roster and both were active on Saturday. New Jersey faced Arizona while Boston battled Toronto.

Trends indicated Rask was the better play, considering the Leafs' general struggles, which included two recent losses to Columbus and Chicago. Both Boston and Toronto had played Friday evening as well, so I couldn't exclude one of them for playing in a back-to-back situation. Despite the Leafs' current state, the Bruins hadn't exactly been lighting the league on fire. Boston had a record of 2-4-1 so far in January, but Rask still seemed like the better play against a Toronto group that struggled at both ends of the ice.

Adding certainty to the Rask decision, recent trends were not favoring Schneider and the Devils against Arizona. Schneider has been remarkably strong on an inconsistent offensive team this season, but the Devils hadn't been playing well. New Jersey had lost five of its last six games, which included being shut out by both Detroit and Colorado. They'd managed to score no more than two goals in any of those six contests.

Worse, the Devils' leading scorer, Michael Cammalleri, remained out with an upper-body injury, while Adam Henrique had scored just twice in the past five weeks – a span of 16 games. Conversely, the Coyotes entered the game with one of the league's best power plays over the last month and no regulation losses (4-0-2) in six games since the calendar turned to 2016.

The sort of events that transpired on the ice Saturday can vex hockey poolies to no end. Sure, Rask and the B's pulled out a 3-2 win over their Atlantic Division rivals. However, Schneider earned the NHL's first star honors for the night with a 38-save shutout, stealing a 2-0 win.

The Devils had no business winning that game – it was far from a balanced affair that saw both teams trade scoring chances. During the second and third periods, the ice was decidedly tilted toward Schneider. Arizona outshot the Devils 28-8 in the final 40 minutes and 38-16 for the game. New Jersey also blocked 27 shot attempts and fended off six Coyote power plays. To say they were besieged is putting it lightly. Both Devils goals came clearly against the run of play while Schneider turned in one of his best efforts of the season, leaving the Coyotes looking skyward in disbelief.

The frustrating part was that Rask delivered for my fantasy lineup, snatching that late win over as the favorable matchup suggested. Schneider simply delivered more. Of course, even had Schneider been in my lineup, I'd still have lost by one point.

My opponent Saturday rolled with Carter Hutton and benefitted from Nashville blanking Minnesota. He also snagged more production from the rest of his team, as my five skaters earned one total point to go with Rask's win. The lack of scoring from the likes of John Klingberg, Shayne Gostisbehere and Jack Eichel to name a few has been a recurrent theme the last two weeks.

The THL is a different animal than other head-to-head leagues. My only win the last six game nights was a gift against the league's best team solely because of Blake Wheeler's overtime goal Thursday against Nashville. But what helped my cause the most in that win was the fact that many of my opponent's best players were off that night. The cycles and swings in this league are maddening at times.

When your squad loses despite you making the right decisions, it's frustrating. The weeks leading up to the All-Star Game are when owners in keeper leagues attempt to either bolster their teams or sell off quality parts for draft picks with an eye on next season.

Those in keeper leagues will want to seriously assess their squads now that season is on its back nine. Does your team have a legitimate chance to get in the money? Has it seemed like bad luck more than bad execution on your part? Is adding those extra pieces worth the players and picks you'd have to move to make a run?

You've got to be honest with yourself about your team's chances. It's great to have a squad that can win the league or finish in the money, but most teams won't.

Looks like it's time for me to sell.