This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Handicapping coaching is one of the most difficult aspects of fantasy sports. Last season, John Tortorella was utilizing Brandon Saad in a fourth-line role and failing to give him power-play time for stretches. Jack Capuano's line-tweaking carousel finally cost him his job recently, and for the past three games, Dave Hakstol has exiled Shayne Gostisbehere to the press box.
With all the complexities of evaluating talent, mining statistics and looking for an edge over the competition, it sure would be nice if coaches would just play their best players. Is that too much to ask?
After all, in Gostisbehere's case, he owns a 54.6 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five this season and boasts a fourth-ranked 1.82 points per 60 minutes among all defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes played the past two seasons.
It isn't Gostisbehere's fault that Philadelphia's team save percentage has dropped from a sixth-best .917 in 2015-16 to a third-worst .896 this season, right? He's still driving possession at five-on-five and also has 13 power-play points.
It does appear Gostisbehere will return to quarterbacking the No. 1 power-play unit against the Islanders on Thursday, which only makes sense after the Flyers were shut out in consecutive games without their best offensive defenseman.
Featured Matchups
Sharks (PP: 20, PK: 15) at Bruins (PP: 15, PK: 2), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Martin Jones (27-15-4, 2.25, .917), Anton Khudobin (1-5-1, 3.06, .885)
Key Injuries:Zdeno Chara (illness), Dylan DeMelo (wrist), Joonas Donskoi (upper body)
Claude Julien was hired June 22, 2007, and this will be Boston's first game without Julien behind the bench since. San Jose enters as an admirable opponent, but the Sharks have also lost consecutive games to Arizona and Buffalo. There will be plenty of motivation for both clubs Thursday, and there are also plenty of fantasy implications hanging in the balance.
The Bruins have shuffled some lines around, and David Backes landed on the top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron at Wednesday's practice, whereas David Pastrnak dropped down to a unit with David Krejci and Matt Beleskey.
It seems appropriate to highlight just how dominant Brent Burns has been. He's been especially hot of late with 27 points -- nine goals -- through his past 21 games, but the 31-year-old defenseman is also third in league scoring (56 points) and tied for the lead in shots (210). Additioanlly, among defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes, Burns is 0.37 goals, 0.28 points and 0.84 shots per 60 minutes clear of the next highest rearguard in each mark. It's historic production in this era of the NHL.
Islanders (PP: 26, PK: 19) at Flyers (PP: 11, PK: 18), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Thomas Greiss (16-8-3, 2.44, .921), Steve Mason (16-16-6, 2.90, .900)
Key Injuries:Cal Clutterbuck (lower body), Travis Hamonic (knee), Michael Del Zotto (lower body),Travis Konecny (lower body), Michal Neuvirth (illness)
These two teams are already against the wall and in need of a winning streak to find the playoffs. A spot out of the Metropolitan Division is already out of reach, so a wild-card berth is all that's left, and both clubs are in the thick of it.
The John Tavares-Josh Bailey-Anders Lee line has been the fuel behind the Islanders for a prolonged stretch and have combined for 19 goals and 43 points over the past 12 games. Bailey and Lee are surprisingly floating around on a number of waiver wires in seasonal leagues, too. For Philadelphia, aside from the hoopla concerning Shayne Gostisbehere, Claude Giroux has really struggled offensively. The 29-year-old Flyer captain has just one multi-point showing through his past 25 games and has been held off the scoresheet entirely in four of his past five outings.
With New York coming off a sloppy 6-5 overtime win, and Philadelphia being shut out in each of its past two games, the ante is raised and the stakes are high. At some point, Mason has to begin rounding into the form he showed (.921 save percentage) through his first three seasons with the Flyers, though, right?
Blues (PP: 5, PK: 6) at Maple Leafs (PP: 2, PK: 8), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jake Allen (19-14-3, 2.74, .900), Frederik Andersen (22-11-9, 2.81, .914)
Key Injuries:Robby Fabbri (knee)
These two teams met exactly one week ago, and St. Louis topped Toronto 5-1 in Mike Yeo's first game behind the bench for the Blues. St. Louis has gone 3-1 under Yeo and won two straight games while outscoring its opponents 8-0. After allowing 22 goals through the first four games out of the All-Star break, the Maple Leafs slowed down the high-octane Stars with a 3-1 win Tuesday.
The Blues have been going with an intriguing top trio of Alexander Steen, Paul Stastny and Vladimir Tarasenko the past two games, and Stastny's fantasy value is on the rise. The 31-year-old pivot has eight goals, 16 points and 31 shots through his past 15 games, and while the sample size is small, he's combined with Tarasenko for 3.42 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five this year. Stastny's also a ripe value in daily contests until his price matches his production.
For Toronto, the high-event hockey is always exciting, as the Maple Leafs rank second in scoring chances for (32.3) and third in scoring chances against (30.2) per 60 minutes. Additionally, the club has a league-high six players ranked among the top 50 in points per 60 minutes among all skaters with at least 500 minutes. What an offensive turnaround from a team that averaged just 2.34 goals per game last season.
Other Matchups
Ducks (PP: 12, PK: 5) at Sabres (PP: 3, PK: 29), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:John Gibson (20-13-8, 2.30, .920), Robin Lehner (13-14-6, 2.53, .923)
Key Injuries:Simon Despres (head), Clayton Stoner (abdomen), Sami Vatanen (lower body), Zach Bogosian (abdomen)
Anaheim has lost three consecutive road games and scored just four goals during the span. Additionally, with road tilts against Washington and Minnesota on deck, this is as close to a must-win game as you'll find in February. After all, the Ducks are a miserable 11-11-7 on the road this year. Buffalo continues to be a hit-or-miss club nightly, but the Sabres have also won six of their past seven home games, so this won't be a cakewalk for Anaheim. It's worth noting that Corey Perry has only recorded three goals and 11 points through his past 25 games and is scoreless through the first three contests of this current road trip.
Predators (PP: 18, PK: 9) at Rangers (PP: 10, PK: 11), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Pekka Rinne (21-14-6, 2.30, .923), Henrik Lundqvist (24-13-1, 2.69, .910)
While Nashville had traded wins and losses over its past six games, the Predators still own an active 9-3-1 record and have allowed the fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (8.53) in the league. It's a significant disparity, as the Rangers allow the sixth most (11.66). Additionally, before Lundqvist's sterling 43-save showing against Anaheim on Tuesday, the veteran owned a disappointing .891 save percentage and 3.32 GAA over his prior 13 starts dating back to the beginning of January. With Nashville's stout defense beginning to translate into more victories of late, the Preds could be peaking at the right time.
Red Wings (PP: 30, PK: 16) at Capitals (PP: 7, PK: 4), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Petr Mrazek (12-12-6, 3.07, .899), Braden Holtby (27-8-4, 1.94, .930)
Key Injuries:Jimmy Howard (knee), Niklas Kronwall (lower body), Frans Nielsen (upper body)
The Capitals are the class of the league again in 2016-17. Washington hasn't lost consecutive games since Dec. 27, and Dec. 29, and own a 17-2-1 record since while scoring a league-leading 4.45 goals per 60 minutes since. Detroit enters on an active 5-4-5 stretch and doesn't check out as an admirable road opponent. The Red Wings average just 2.32 goals and allow 3.12 goals per road game, after all. Additionally, Holtby hasn't been beaten since that Dec. 29 overtime loss to New Jersey.
Canucks (PP: 28, PK: 24) at Blue Jackets (PP: 1, PK: 14), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Ryan Miller (14-14-3, 2.64, .915), Sergei Bobrovsky (29-10-3, 2.18, .925)
Key Injuries:Josh Anderson (concussion), Sven Baertschi (concussion), Erik Gudbranson (wrist)
The Blue Jackets have allowed the most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (12.78) in the league over the past 25 games, and Bobrovsky owns a .914 save percentage and 2.50 GAA through his 18 starts during the span. Additionally, since the flip of the calendar to 2017, Columbus is 8-8-1 with only five regulation wins. This still isn't a favorable spot for Vancouver, though. The Canucks are 6-16-3 on the road this season while allowing the seventh-most goals (3.07) and high-danger scoring chances (11.92) per 60 minutes.
Stars (PP: 19, PK: 30) at Senators (PP: 21, PK: 10), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Kari Lehtonen (11-15-6, 2.89, .902), Mike Condon (15-9-5, 2.58, .911)
Key Injuries:Ales Hemsky (hip), Mattias Janmark (knee), Johnny Oduya (lower body), Jamie Oleksiak (hand), Jason Spezza (undisclosed), Craig Anderson (personal)
The Stars have been a serious disappointment this season, and of the 44 goalies with 1,000 minutes played across the league, Kari Lehtonen (.903) and Antti Niemi (.901) rank 35th and 37th in save percentage, respectively. Ottawa, meanwhile, has lost consecutive games and been outscored 10-0 in the process. Additionally, the Senators have allowed 28 goals through their past seven games. With Dallas' offensive depth, this could be a nice spot for the Stars, but they have also lost three straight contests and managed to score just seven times.
Kings (PP: 22, PK: 7) at Panthers (PP: 27, PK: 3), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Peter Budaj (25-16-3, 2.09, .917), Roberto Luongo (14-13-6, 2.53, .919)
Key Injuries:Jonathan Marchessault (undisclosed), Matt Greene (undisclosed), Jordan Nolan (lower body), Jonathan Quick (groin)
Florida has won three consecutive home games and are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Panthers have allowed the fourth-fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (9.62) over the past 25 games, and finally have a healthy offensive attack. The Kings are playing the final leg of a four-game road trip and have lost both of the past two games 5-0. In his first game back from a lengthy Achilles injury, Jonathan Huberdeau scored and registered six shots on net. He should be owned in all fantasy settings.
Penguins (PP: 4, PK: 22) at Avalanche (PP: 29, PK: 25), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Matt Murray (19-6-2, 2.40, .922), Calvin Pickard (9-14-1, 2.93, .907)
Key Injuries:Tyson Barrie (lower body), Rene Bourque (lower body), Erik Johnson (leg), Matthew Nieto (leg), Semyon Varlamov (groin),Carl Hagelin (concussion), Evgeni Malkin (knee), Conor Sheary (upper body)
Colorado is coming off an impressive 4-0 shutout over the Canadiens on Tuesday, and now they host another Eastern Conference powerhouse. The Avalanche have surrendered the most goals per game (3.34) in the league, but have won consecutive outings with just two goals surrendered. Pittsburgh is obviously dealing with a number of injuries, but Sidney Crosby continues to dominate and lead the charge with 18 points -- four goals -- through his past 14 games. Pittsburgh is just 8-5-1 during the span, which dates back to the beginning of the calendar year, though.
Canadiens (PP: 6, PK: 23) at Coyotes (PP: 25, PK: 26), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Carey Price (23-13-5, 2.39, .920), Mike Smith (12-15-5, 2.86, .917)
Key Injuries:Martin Hanzal (illness), Brad Richardson (leg), Brendan Gallagher (hand)
Arizona is allowing the most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (12.95) and third-most goals per game (3.14). Montreal is coming off a 4-0 loss to Colorado on Tuesday, so expect a bounce-back showing from the Canadiens. Max Pacioretty's 131 goals and 1.44 goals per 60 minutes rank third and second (among all skaters with at least 5,000 minutes) over the past four years. His goal scoring is underrated, and he's also underpriced in daily contests.
Recommended Pickup
Aaron Dell, G, SAN: San Jose has a road back-to-back set this weekend against the Flyers and Devils, and Dell should receiving the starting nod in one of those contests. Additionally, the Sharks also play consecutive nights next week at Arizona and at home against Boston. At this stage of the fantasy season, it's worth having these schedule spots on your radar. Dell has won six of his eight starts and owns an impressive .930 save percentage and 1.97 GAA through his nine appearances.
