So Max Pacioretty ended a 16 game goal scoring drought which felt like longer in a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The problem is Montreal needed more consistent scoring from him but that usually separates your 40 goal scorers from the 30. All it takes is a few less slumps. The “Yo-Yo” schedule brought us two games last night and one wild third period in St. Louis that we may soon not forget and really Johan Franzen won’t either. It was definitely a fun night but nothing compared to the insanity that will be tonight. Also you can watch some of the youngsters as the Frozen Four is on tonight as well.
Fishing out the Fantasy POTN was pretty easy even on a night where there was a lot going on. We had three basic choices and here is who our pick was for last night.
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FANTASY POTN:
Max Pacioretty, LW, Montreal Candiens — It was nice to see that first line lighting up the scoreboards for Montreal last night. So if you still held on to Pacioretty last night, you finally were rewarded for what was about a month of frustration. Pacioretty potted two goals, one assist, was a +4, and had three shots on net. With a couple games left, maybe that first line rides off into the sunset so to speak. Erik Cole and David Desharnais have been quite the pleasant surprise during the last 2/3 of the season. Therefore, their draft stocks will go up next year.
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THE MULE KICKS BACK:
Johan Franzen, RW, Detroit Red Wings — The biggest problem with Franzen is the style he plays is just not a way to play all 82. He is probably a 60-65 point guy at least without all the nagging injuries. Last night he scored twice in a 2:15 span to lift the Red Wings into Overtime where they eventually won in the shootout. It was a huge two points for a team who is still battling for the four seed in the West. For Franzen owners, he has 28 goals, 27 assists, and is a +22 on the year. That triple 20 usually indicates an extremely solid fantasy player. That is just what “The Mule” is. He may just be a 30-30-20 next year. That is how good he is especially if Jiri Hudler makes that next breakout.
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SCHEDULE TIME:
Thursday, April 5, 2012 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | at | Toronto | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Winnipeg | at | NY Islanders | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| NY Rangers | at | Pittsburgh | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Buffalo | at | Philadelphia | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Florida | at | Washington | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Montreal | at | Carolina | 7:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Boston | at | Ottawa | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| New Jersey | at | Detroit | 7:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| Dallas | at | Nashville | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Chicago | at | Minnesota | 8:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Columbus | at | Colorado | 9:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Vancouver | at | Calgary | 9:00 PM | Gameday | ||
| Anaheim | at | Edmonton | 9:30 PM | Gameday | ||
| San Jose | at | Los Angeles | 10:30 PM | Gameday | ||
Look at the really big schedule tonight. Your fantasy season (if you are still in it) comes down to tonight and Saturday. That is the “Captain Obvious” statement of the century. There is no easy way to play this one as everyone you are facing has the same full roster as you do. However the question is do they? Keep an eye on lineup changes and “restings”. As we all know certain teams are not starting their best because they have sewn up seeds besides playoff spots. After tonight, more teams will be locking up seeds so Saturday may be even more of a scramble. Remember this, especially if you have a limited amount of transactions.
If you are in rotisserie or points league, this is the most painful week for all of you and I apologize. I feel the pain very well as I am battling for several league trophies while trying to negotiate all these “restings” and “maintenance breaks” for players as the playoffs approach. This is “our playoffs”. Yes there are playoff pools but those are separate. The time is now!
We are taking over for Ian Gooding for the rest of the week as we do today’s Pick Six. Are you ready? Now what are you waiting for? Let’s get into this already!
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PICK SIX:
Tim Thomas, G, Boston Bruins — BENCH
Claude Julien will not make people very happy right now but Tim Thomas is likely to start Saturday. As a matter of fact, Thomas is not even making the trip to Ottawa. We wish we were making this up but sadly we’re not. The starting goalie against Ottawa does not really matter because he is not a good start in Ottawa tonight honestly. It is hard to gauge how Boston may even come out. However, it is a rival. One thing we do not know is they will not be coming out with Thomas and the fact that he starts Saturday may not be reason to start him then either.
Nicklas Backstrom, C, Washington Capitals — START
Backstrom and the Capitals face the Florida Panthers tonight in a must win game. The last time they had a situation just like this at home? They stomped the Panthers down 4-0 and that was without the talented pivot. If he is going to break out, tonight may just be the night in what is expected to be a game that “pops” once the first goal is scored. Jose Theodore will likely be in net for Florida and Washington should be able to score at least a few goals on him. A multi point night is not out of the question and fantasy owners could use that in these final days.
Jakub Voracek, RW, Philadelphia Flyers — ADD/START
Voracek is riding one hot wave as the season ends. He has nine points in his last five games which includes an astonishing 23 shots on goal in that span. The only kind of black mark on Voracek’s season is while his numbers did not improve on the surface that much, he had zero power play goals despite 11 assists on the man advantage. With more and more ample chances on the second unit and maybe the first next year, Voracek is going to have to start burying his shots. Tonight against a hungry Buffalo team could be a good thing for Voracek owners as there will be plenty of chances. Every Buffalo-Philly game has that. It is good for offense.
Ryan Miller, G, Buffalo Sabres — BENCH
WHAT? Are we nuts? Okay, do not answer that. If Ryan Miller is too busy about guarantees, maybe he should be worried about how he played against Toronto and no it was not pretty. Miller has been on the wrong kind of streak for about a week or so. Now Buffalo has to win two games, in Boston and Philadelphia just to make the playoffs basically (have to think Washington does not get the bagel). On a night where there are more likely lower scoring games, this does not seem like one of them as Buffalo is missing Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Myers while Philadelphia just cannot shut down much of anything. They have to play high tempo. Even if Miller wins, he is likely to give up at least three goals which hurts GAA. There are better options.
Jonathan Quick, G, Los Angeles Kings — START
We could be wrong about this but Quick has ten shutouts, a sub 2.00 GAA, and a save percentage over .930 playing a San Jose team that is playing better but can get sucked into a low scoring tilt just as easily as Los Angeles can play one. San Jose comes into town with a goaltender who can be good but look shaky at times. This is playoff hockey and Quick has been playing like it has been the playoffs for close to a month now. There is no retreat, no surrender on this pick. Let’s ride this one out.
Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins — START
This ie one Pittsburgh has to have as they try to hold off the Flyers for the four seed and home ice advantage in the first round. Simply we will throw all the numbers out the window and say this, Crosby must have a big night to at least get into Henrik Lundqvist’s head a bit. This is a message sending statement game for a team that needs to ride a wave into the playoffs. Also it is a statement game for Marc-Andre Fleury who needs a really solid performance. He has not played like a very valuable Penguin of late.
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We are ready to go for tonight! Good luck and we will answer all questions and all comers tonight via Twitter. Thanks again for reading.
