This is the fantasy playoffs in a nutshell. Your season can end as fast as a Shea Weber rocket. Unlike most Mondays, we are not taking any look back because if you have made it this far, it is all about today and onward.
Do not worry the Fantasy POTN will be back tomorrow with a special Fantasy POTW next Monday. However let’s take a look at the schedule…..
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Monday, March 26, 2012 |
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Teams | Notes | ||||
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Tampa Bay | at | Philadelphia | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
Columbus | at | Detroit | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
Ottawa | at | Winnipeg | 8:30 PM | Gameday | ||
Dallas | at | Calgary | 9:00 PM | Gameday | ||
Los Angeles | at | Vancouver | 10:00 PM | Gameday | ||
Colorado | at | San Jose | 10:30 PM | Gameday |
Remember what Garrett Rees said in his column yesterday with the balanced schedule…no three game snoozers this week. If you are in playoffs or roto and points leagues, take note. Say hello to Daniel Dobish and his daily take with our own personal twist via the Daily Joust.
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Daily Best Bets:
Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers 7:30pm ET
Lightning LW Ryan Malone has three points (1 G, 2 A) over his past three games, but he also has a poor minus-3 rating during the span. Still, he is averaging 11 fantasy points per game over the past three, and he has 10 or more fantasy points in six of his past 10 games. Flyers RW Wayne Simmonds has really cooled off, going scoreless in three straight. He has also gone 16 straight games without a goal, dating back to Feb. 21. He has a goal, assist and plus-1 rating in three games against the Lightning this season. Lightning RW Teddy Purcell is heating up again, posting three assists over his past three games. The key with Purcell is simply just let it ride from here on out.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Detroit Red Wings 7:30pm ET
After an extended cold streak, Blue Jackets LW Rick Nash is starting to put it together again. He has two goals with an assist and plus-1 rating over his past three games. At this price level, he is a solid addition. He has a goal, assist and minus-3 rating in four earlier games against Detroit. D Jack Johnson was scoreless with an abysmal minus-4 rating Sunday against Edmonton, but he is still averaging 16.2 fantasy points per game over his past five outings. At $124K, he isn’t a terrible play, but be mindful of a possible hit in the plus/minus category. Red Wings D Nicklas Lidstrom returned from a lenghty absence to post an assist and 15 fantasy points Saturday against Carolina.
Ottawa Senators at Winnipeg Jets 8:30pm ET
The Senators TG looks like a poor option since the team is 2-5 over its past seven games, but they are 6-2 in their past eight in the third game of a 3-in-4 (three games in four days) situation. The Sens seem to play better with less rest. Sens C Jason Spezza has heated up again, posting two goals with an assist and plus-1 rating over his past two games. He has 43 fantasy points during the solid span. Jets RW Spencer Machacek has picked up at least one point in all four of his games since being recalled from St. John’s of the AHL. He has a goal, five points and a plus-6 rating during the impressive span. The fact that Tim Stapleton is fantasy relevant is scary playing fourth line minutes!
Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames 9pm ET
Stars LW Jamie Benn lit the lamp twice in the first end of the home-and-home Saturday in Big D. He had six goals and nine points over his past 10 games. Flames D Mark Giordano picked up an assist on the team’s lone goal Saturday, and he has 11 or more fantasy points in seven of his past 10 games. Flames LW Mike Cammalleri returned from upper body injury Saturday to register the team’s only goal. At this price level, he might be a solid play against the Stars. This is a Flames elimination game so do not expect them to bow out quietly. If Jarome Iginla were to come out swinging, this may just be the night.
Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks 10pm ET
Kings C Anze Kopitar had a four-game goal-scoring streak from March 13-20, but he is scoreless over his past two games with a minus-2 rating. He is too risky at this price level. Canucks LW Alexandre Burrows is scoreless over his past five games, posting eight or fewer fantasy points in four of those contests. Kings C Jeff Carter is scoreless with a minus-3 rating over his past two games, posting a total of three fantasy points during the span.
Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks 10:30pm ET
Avalanche LW Jamie McGinn will play his first game against the Sharks since his trade from San Jose Feb. 27. He has 17 fantasy points in each of his past two games, and six goals with 10 points over his past 10. RW Steve Downie had cooled off a bit, but he has managed assists in back-to-back games, totaling 25 fantasy points during the span. Sharks C Logan Couture has no goals over his past six games, and he has managed just two assists with a minus-5 rating during the span. He has averaged just 4.3 fantasy points per game over the past six. Colorado almost has to steal both points in regulation so expect the intensity and animosity to be unusually high with this one.
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Thank you folks and good luck on this first night of the week. Here we go again…..