This is a bit awkward for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Following their game against the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 3, the Leafs could only see the Buffalo Sabres below them when they looked down in the power-play rankings. They had scored just four power-play goals through 40 opportunities. For comparison at that same moment in time, the Winnipeg Jets led the league with 15 power-play goals in 34 opportunities.
Something interesting happened at this stage.
Auston Matthews went on the shelf with an upper-body injury that still has him questionable as we speak. And the Leafs power play has thrived in his absence.
Without Matthews, the Leafs advantage has seven goals in just 13 opportunities across their past three games. The Matthews-less top unit of John Tavares, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly have accounted for all seven of those goals across 7:57 of ice time. They've generated a ridiculous 14 shots on goal in that time and an even more ridiculous 24 shot attempts (which is 6.04 per two minutes).
We can forgo the jokes about the Leafs being better off without Matthews. They aren't. No one is.
Jump ahead: Goalies | Power Play | Droppables
But hopefully this is enough for the team to realize they don't have to put the puck on Matthews' stick to score goals or try to force plays to the star center.
When Matthews does return, which will hopefully be this week at some point, it's unlikely the Leafs don't use him on the top unit. So the clock is ticking on Matthew Knies' time there. But I think there are still a couple of actionables here.
Rielly remains available in 14.2% of ESPN Fantasy leagues. First off, pick him up. Second off, if you have him benched, it's time to activate him. The hope is that the lessons learned during the time without Matthews will keep this power play rolling when he's back, too.
Second, this should at least be a confidence booster for Knies (available in 58.6% of leagues). He was getting top-six minutes when Matthews is in the lineup, so that should continue. Getting his offensive engine going without Matthews will hopefully translate going forward, even if his power-play time is down to second-unit minutes.
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Goalie notes
Anaheim Ducks in 14 games (three last week):
Lukas Dostal (crease share season/week: 78.6%/66.6%, fantasy points season/week: 32.4/-8.4, 36.9% available)
James Reimer (crease share season/week: 14.3%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: -6.6/DNP, 99.0% available)
John Gibson (crease share season/week: 7.1%/33.4%, fantasy points season/week: 7.6/7.6, 94.8% available)
As discussed last week, this run by Dostal was likely to come to an end. He allowed 14 goals across his past three games and now John Gibson is back to compete for starts. That's not to suggest Gibson is a lock for fantasy rosters either, as the Ducks still don't project as a driving force for fantasy goaltender statistics.
Buffalo Sabres in 16 games (five last week):
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (crease share season/week: 73.7%/92.3%, fantasy points season/week: 20.6/16.0, 61.2% available)
Devon Levi (crease share season/week: 26.3%/7.7%, fantasy points season/week: -8.0/-3.6, 98.2% available)
We had a few positive showings that reminded us how Luukkonen made his way into the top 12 goaltenders last season. It doesn't sound like his day-to-day injury status is anything serious, either. While I still might want to hang onto Dostal depending on the size of my league, now seems like a good time to pivot to Luukkonen for the longer term. He has a better track record and the Sabres are supposed to be winning more games -- at least, more than Anaheim.
Calgary Flames in 16 games (four last week):
Dustin Wolf (crease share season/week: 50.0%/74.0%, fantasy points season/week: 23.0/11.8, 82.4% available)
Dan Vladar (crease share season/week: 50.0%/26.0%, fantasy points season/week: 15.6/0.4, 94.5% available)
The Flames seem to be shifting to a hot-hand approach to the starter, as opposed to a rotation. It means that if Wolf is winning games, he'll be more likely to get more starts. On a per-game basis, his fantasy results do make him worth starting. He just needs more starts to be closer to a lineup-lock.
Nashville Predators in 16 games (five last week):
Juuse Saros (crease share season/week: 81.3%/80.1%, fantasy points season/week: 25.4/14.6, 6.3% available)
Scott Wedgewood (crease share season/week: 18.7%/19.9%, fantasy points season/week: -8.2/-6.4, 99.7% available)
Thanks to mixing in some of his patented huge outings, Saros has shaken off any early-season concerns. Even with the Predators still not winning enough games, he's getting the job done for fantasy. Assuming they figure out how to make their upgraded lineup work together, more wins will be coming. We might still be in a buy-low window for Saros.
Pittsburgh Penguins in 17 games (five last week):
Alex Nedeljkovic (crease share season/week: 46.7%/71.4%, fantasy points season/week: -3.2/-10.2, 97.5% available)
Joel Blomqvist (crease share season/week: 40.5%/28.6%, fantasy points season/week: 9.4/1.4, 97.1% available)
Tristan Jarry (crease share season/week: 12.8%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: -8.0/DNP, 78.5% available)
Just when I'm ready to declare that I'll stop looking at the Pens' crease for fantasy purposes, they recall Tristan Jarry from the AHL, where he went 4-1 with a .926 save percentage. Sigh. It's worth keeping an eye on, I guess.
San Jose Sharks in 17 games (four last week):
Vitek Vanecek (crease share season/week: 50.7%/75.8%, fantasy points season/week: 5.0/12.0, 98.9% available)
Mackenzie Blackwood (crease share season/week: 49.3%/24.2%, fantasy points season/week: 17.2/15.8, 97.7% available)
This past week will almost certainly go down as the best week for fantasy goaltending that the Sharks have this season. Let it be and move on.
Washington Capitals in 14 games (three last week):
Logan Thompson (crease share season/week: 50.6%/67.7%, fantasy points season/week: 28.6/13.4, 47.5% available)
Charlie Lindgren (crease share season/week: 49.4%/32.3%, fantasy points season/week: 7.4/-0.4, 45.2% available)
The Capitals have not come off their strict goaltender rotation yet this season. But maybe they should think about it? As fantasy managers, we'd all be happy with a little more Thompson and a little less Lindgren. Thompson has yet to lose a game as a member of the Capitals. Even if this 50-50 crease share holds, Thompson should be on rosters in more leagues.
Power-play notes
Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Colorado Avalanche (30.9%): As expected, the Avs have been all-in on Lehkonen getting big minutes, including 7:28 with the top power-play unit across the past three games. But there is only one more game before Valeri Nichushkin is expected back and Jonathan Drouin is getting closer and closer to a return. Will Lehkonen continue to get top minutes on and off the advantage? Will he dip back to the second line? Will Casey Mittelstadt also lose his role on the top PP? Changes are coming soon. As we wait and see there is only one thing to say with certainty: Make sure Nichushkin is rostered in your league, even if you have to do it yourself.
Pius Suter, C, Vancouver Canucks (99.2%): The unfortunate injury for Brock Boeser is an opportunity for Suter. He's replaced Boeser on the top power-play unit across the past two games and the unit has tallied twice. They've also kept about the same shot attempt pace as when Boeser is with them.
Charlie Coyle, C, Boston Bruins (57.7%): Coyle is moving in on Pavel Zacha's role as the fourth forward in the advantage, but the Bruins power play is still struggling. They may need to look outside the box to get this unit cracking again.
Timothy Liljegren, D, San Jose Sharks (99.5%): It's worth noting that Liljegren consumed almost all the key power-play minutes in the past three games with Jake Walman on the shelf. But the unit hasn't been scoring goals like they were with Walman, so we'll have to wait and see next steps. Either way, the unit of Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Granlund, Alex Wennberg, Macklin Celebrini and Liljegren posted 4.01 shot attempts per two minutes across 6:59 of ice time, which is a solid showing.
Matt Coronato, RW, Calgary Flames (98.2%): The Flames are still experimenting with getting the top unit just right. Lately, Coronato has been the fourth forward, and he did help the unit pot a goal against the Bruins. Overall, he's now second on the team in scoring despite sitting out five games.
Emil Andrae, D, Philadelphia Flyers (99.8%): With Jamie Drysdale and Cam York on the injured reserve, it's been Andrae taking up the power-play quarterback job for the past game and a half. He spent a total of 3:18 with Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov on Monday, resulting in four shot attempts and one goal. If these injuries to Drysdale and York drag out, Andrae has some short-term value.
Droppables
Brady Skjei, D, Nashville Predators (67.9%): It's starting to look like what we see is what we'll get from Skjei as a member of the Predators... and it's not enough for fantasy hockey.
Logan Cooley, C, Utah Hockey Club (61.7%): Don't go dropping him in keeper formats, as Cooley is a great long-term play. But you might do better with his roster spot in redraft leagues. Scorching start aside, Cooley is down to just 1.3 fantasy points per game this season and is still only getting 15:36 per game because he's not part of the top power-play unit.