- ESPN.com Fantasy Contributor since 2010
- Part-time anchor at NEWSTALK1010
If you sometimes feel overwhelmed by a full weekend day’s slate of 13, 14 or even more games – this Saturday is for you! A lean total of eight contests round out this December 10th, offering fans and fantasy managers alike the chance to dig into and savor the action available. More so than usual, in any case. Highlights include the second chapter of this weekend’s home-and-home between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, Nazem Kadri’s first trip to visit the team that drafted him 7th overall (2009) after winning the Cup and as member of the Calgary Flames. There should be plenty of family and friends in attendance, cheering on the former Leaf, who grew up down the road in London, Ontario. The second installation of the battle of Florida is also set to go down in Tampa between the Panthers and Lightning. Don’t look now, but Matthew Tkachuk and crew have won three of their past four.
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All times Eastern.
Favorable scoring match-ups
Minnesota Wild at Vancouver Canucks
10 p.m., Rogers Arena, Watch live on ESPN+
Both the Wild and Canucks have been scoring and allowing goals in bunches in recent play, which sets the table for a spirited late affair in Vancouver. We might even expect Minnesota – presumably backstopped by No. 2 Filip Gustavsson after Marc-Andre Fleury starts against the Oilers – to be a little looser defensively, after the club visits Edmonton on Friday. Vancouver’s Ilya Mikheyev – rostered in 3.3% of ESPN.com leagues – is one standout sleeper candidate in particular. Skating on Elias Pettersson’s wing, the former Leaf has a total of three goals on six shots through his past pair of games – Pettersson earning the primary assist on two of them.
Mid-tier fantasy forwards
Viktor Arvidsson, Los Angeles Kings (54.3%): No, he didn’t score in Thursday’s tilt in Toronto but, to be fair, no one from the Kings’ side managed to push one past Ilya Samsonov. Before that 5-0 blanking, Arvidsson had managed to collect four goals and nine assists in 14 games. By my math (and everyone else’s) that’s a thin strand less than a point/game. Play the second-line winger against the Canadians in Montreal.
See also:
Mikael Granlund, Nashville Predators (47.7%)
Carter Verhaeghe, Florida Panthers (62.0%)
Deep league/Daily Fantasy value forwards
Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning (15.6%): Fully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, the versatile forward is already three assists to the good through three games. Now skating on a scoring line with Braydon Point, Cirelli provided a primary helper on one of the red-hot center’s goals in Thursday’s 5-2 win over Nashville. It’s only a matter of time before the points start to pile up for the exceptional 200-foot player.
Paul Stastny, Carolina Hurricanes (3.4%): With Sebastian Aho hurt and expected to miss Saturday’s contest versus the Islanders, Stastny is slated to center Carolina’s top line between Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas. As such, the veteran forward sits in excellent position to relive his old scoring days, to some degree. I’d give him a DFS whirl, for sure. One doesn’t accumulate 806 career regular-season points by accident.
See also:
Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars (0.7%)
Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens (5.4%)
Mid-tier fantasy defensemen
Filip Hronek, Detroit Red Wings (67.4%)
Sean Durzi, Los Angeles Kings (46.9%)
Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers (43.5%)
Deep league/DFS value defensemen
Jordan Gross, Nashville Predators (0.7%): The AHL call-up was paired with Roman Josi and blocked six shots in Thursday’s loss to Tampa. Gross also skated nearly 23 minutes, threw three hits, and rifled one shot on net. From a fantasy view, it all adds up. Handsomely, on that particular occasion.
Goalies
Pyotr Kochetkov (projected), Carolina Hurricanes (14.7%): If offered the opportunity to redeem himself after Tuesday’s streak-ruining overtime loss to the Ducks, Kochetkov appears in solid shape to escape with the victory over an Islanders club emerging from battle with the Devils the previous evening. Before falling 4-3 in Anaheim, the rookie netminder won three-straight on the road, including two starts and one performance in relief of Antti Raanta. He’s been good. Plus, unlike New York, Carolina is well rested – off since that last loss – and they don’t play again until next Tuesday.
See also:
Pheonix Copley (projected), Los Angeles Kings (0.4%)
Bench ’em
Dan Vladar (projected), Calgary Flames (6.6%): The Calgary netminder has been fabulous, in his run of being called upon in place of No. 1 Jacob Markstrom. No question. But the hosting, and surging, Maple Leafs have outscored their competition 43 to 22 since Nov. 22.
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