If you streamed Laurent Brossoit on Friday, he got the job done for you and then some. Brossoit made 21 saves as the Jets easily handled Anaheim by a score of 6-0. Brossoit has now posted shutouts in back-to-back games and has five consecutive wins and quality starts. It would behoove the Jets to keep Connor Hellebuyck well-rested for the playoffs, as he is among the league leaders in games played (48 GP). As well, Hellebuyck’s numbers (3.18 GAA, .902 SV% in last 7 GP) have looked rather ordinary recently. The Jets next play back-to-backs next weekend, so Brossoit would receive at least one start next week. See if that can fit into your schedule if you need goaltending help.
Gabriel Vilardi has been diagnosed with an enlarged spleen with no timetable for return. If this sounds familiar, Mark Stone has a lacerated spleen and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. I’m no expert on spleens, but you can probably drop both players in non-keeper formats if you don’t have the IR space to keep them. Vilardi has been out of the lineup since early March. He’s had a productive season (30 PTS in 38 GP), but he may end up missing more than half of Winnipeg’s games this season.
Tyler Toffoli‘s two goals on Friday were his first two points as a Jet in his third game. One of his goals was on the power play, while he also led the Jets with five shots. Toffoli’s value is maximized on the top power play, and that’s where he finds himself in Winnipeg. The Toffoli acquisition seems all the more important for the Jets now that Vilardi is out indefinitely.
Josh Morrissey chipped in another three assists, two of which were on the power play. Morrissey has been en fuego since mid-February with 21 points (20 of them assists) in his last 14 games. That’s an average of a point and a half per game. That makes him the hottest defenseman in the league over that span. Morrissey probably won’t surpass last season’s 76-point career best, but 70 points is still within reach.
Mason McTavish (lower body) and Radko Gudas (upper body) were both late scratches for Friday’s game. Man, those late scratches are annoying, as you often don’t have time to find a replacement. Even if you have an IR+ spot where you can stash the player.
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The other game on Friday was just as one-sided, with the Kings taking care of the Blackhawks by a score of 5-0. Anze Kopitar scored a pair of goals, which were his first points in four games and his first goal in seven games. Prior to Friday, Kopitar had scored just one goal over his past 13 games. Despite the lack of goals recently, Kopitar has reached 20 goals again. He is on pace for just under 70 points, which is typical for him over the past several seasons.
Pierre-Luc Dubois hasn’t scored nearly as often as fantasy owners were expecting before the season, but he managed to score a goal and register an assist on another. He’s on pace for 37 points, which would make him one of the biggest non-injury busts of the season. Dubois also played in his 500th NHL game on Friday, which begs the question: Do we know who the real Pierre-Luc Dubois is by now? Usually we have a read on a player by now, but Dubois hit the 60-point mark in his previous two seasons, yet he was on a similar 37-point pace the season before (when he was traded from Columbus to Winnipeg). One stat to note: Dubois’s icetime is down nearly three minutes per game in LA compared to what it was in the ‘Peg. Some but not all of that icetime lost is power-play time.
Cam Talbot made 28 saves in earning his third shutout of the season. After failing to record a quality start between mid-January and mid-February, Talbot has reeled off eight quality starts in his last 10 games. Talbot was playing less often than normal during that period when he was struggling, so perhaps the rest was beneficial. His recent resurgence has forced David Rittich back to the bench most games.
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Dating back to January 27, Rasmus Andersson has four points in his last 18 games. Andrew has him as an “odd man out” in this week’s Looking Ahead, and I’d have to concur based on the recent production. Andersson has also been losing power-play time to newly acquired Daniil Miromanov, as the Flames are unlikely to make the playoffs and are thus in a situation where they can experiment with things. The fantasy playoffs are not the time to be patient with a player, so I’m on board with dropping Andersson if needed.
With four points in his last 14 games after a strong start to the season (32 PTS in 52 GP), Mackenzie Weegar might be in a similar boat to Andersson. Weegar does provide peripherals at a higher level than Andersson, which is why I’d hesitate to drop him if you’re in a multicategory league. Weegar is third in the NHL in the combined shots/hits/blocks category (477 SOG+HIT+BKS).
Flipping over to a hot Flame, Yegor Sharangovich has eight points in his last five games and eight goals over his last eight games. Considered a downgrade on Tyler Toffoli when the two were traded for each other during the offseason, Sharangovich is tied with Blake Coleman for the team lead in goals with 28. He is on target to reach both 30 goals and 50 points for the first time in his career. Seems like the trade to Calgary helped his value, although a decline in goals might occur next season if he doesn’t continue to take at least two shots per game. Sharangovich is normally a 14% shooter but has a career high 19.4% this season.
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If you’re trying to win your head-to-head matchup this week, maximize your games played by adding players from one of the following teams: Carolina, Columbus, Detroit, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, San Jose, or St. Louis. All of these teams play on both Saturday and Sunday. Among these teams, I’m going to dig deep and mention three names that could help your team, especially if you’re in a deep league where decent waiver-wire pickups are hard to come by.
One player that might help you and is very widely available (3% Yahoo/24% Fantrax) is Fabian Zetterlund. The Sharks winger has been on a heater recently with six points in his last five games. San Jose is hardly a goldmine of fantasy talent at the moment, but Zetterlund is receiving prime deployment from what’s left over. He’s received top-unit power-play minutes for much of the season, and more recently has received over 20 minutes in six of his last eight games. He’s also been lining up on the top line with Mikael Granlund and Alexander Barabanov, if you can call it a top line. Whenever I’ve watched the Sharks play this season, I’ve noticed Zetterlund.
A player that is rostered in even fewer leagues that Zetterlund is Brandon Saad. I know, he’s not what you thought he’d be or what he used to be. But hear me out. Saad has five points in his last five games, and over the past month he has been half decent with seven goals and 11 points over his last 14 games. Saad has also taken a minimum of two shots per game in eight of his past nine games. I’d prefer Zetterlund over Saad if your league counts power-play points, as Saad doesn’t receive as much power-play time. Yet from a pure goals-and-assists perspective, the two players are practically indistinguishable.
Need help in goal? Head over to GoaliePost for the latest updates. I like the new win probability feature on each matchup, which suggests which goalie has a better chance of winning and the strength of that probability. One goalie who is in a great spot to win and is rostered in under 30% of Yahoo and Fantrax leagues is Semyon Varlamov, who faces Ottawa in a home matchup. The Senators are about a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of scoring, but the Isles will be trying to pull out all the stops in winning to firm their grasp on the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Keep in mind that this is a very early game (12:30 pm ET, or 9:30 am where I live), so you’ll need to act quickly on this one.
As for the schedule next week, all teams play either four games or three games, so no team is at a heavy disadvantage with one or two games, or at a heavy advantage with more games than just about everyone else.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
