This article is part of our Frozen Fantasy series.
It's the last week of the season. Championships hang in the balance. So I'll keep this short and sweet.
Push your chips forward.
Close only counts in horseshoes. And hand grenades, according to the great Frank Robinson.
You have to dump and run on guys who are questionable. Even stars. Hoping they can return is not a strategy.
You can't get points if you don't have guys playing. Period.
Let's take a look at guys who caught my eyes this week. Guys on an upswing with games left.
Matty Beniers, C, Seattle (11 percent Yahoo!) – Beniers has been outstanding for the Kraken since his arrival. He's poised with the puck in all zones and the team is using him on the first line. Impressive for a 19-year-old. Beniers has a point in each of the five games he's played (three goals, two assists) and Seattle has five games left starting Saturday. He'll get a couple shots a game and win about five faceoffs each night. Modest, yes, but the kid is fun to watch and those five games matter.
Ross Colton, LW/RW/C, Tampa Bay (6 percent Yahoo!) – Colton is hot – he has five points, including four goals, in his last two games. And seven goals, 24 SOG and 21 hits in his last eight. Colton is worth the grab – the Bolts have five games left (starting Saturday).
Evgenii Dadonov, LW/RW, Vegas (15 percent Yahoo!) – Dadonov has been playing lights-out hockey since
It's the last week of the season. Championships hang in the balance. So I'll keep this short and sweet.
Push your chips forward.
Close only counts in horseshoes. And hand grenades, according to the great Frank Robinson.
You have to dump and run on guys who are questionable. Even stars. Hoping they can return is not a strategy.
You can't get points if you don't have guys playing. Period.
Let's take a look at guys who caught my eyes this week. Guys on an upswing with games left.
Matty Beniers, C, Seattle (11 percent Yahoo!) – Beniers has been outstanding for the Kraken since his arrival. He's poised with the puck in all zones and the team is using him on the first line. Impressive for a 19-year-old. Beniers has a point in each of the five games he's played (three goals, two assists) and Seattle has five games left starting Saturday. He'll get a couple shots a game and win about five faceoffs each night. Modest, yes, but the kid is fun to watch and those five games matter.
Ross Colton, LW/RW/C, Tampa Bay (6 percent Yahoo!) – Colton is hot – he has five points, including four goals, in his last two games. And seven goals, 24 SOG and 21 hits in his last eight. Colton is worth the grab – the Bolts have five games left (starting Saturday).
Evgenii Dadonov, LW/RW, Vegas (15 percent Yahoo!) – Dadonov has been playing lights-out hockey since his trade was nullified. As in 14 points, including nine helpers, in 12 games lights-out. He has to be the only guy who could shake off that debacle and be better than he was before it. Dadonov's ripping and the Knights have four games remaining.
Vince Dunn, D, Seattle (28 percent Yahoo!) – The Kraken still play five games and Dunn runs the top PP. He blocks shots, lays a few hits and drifts a few pucks at opposing goalies. Did I say five games? Dunn can help as long as you can absorb the plus-minus risk.
Mason Marchment, LW/RW, Florida (20 percent Yahoo!) – The kitties have five games left starting Saturday. They're home and cooled in the Atlantic, and will likely rest their stars. That means more ice time for Marchment, who has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last four games. He'll even throw a few hits.
Vasili Podkolzin, LW/RW, Vancouver (5 percent Yahoo!) – First-line winger? Check. Hot team pushing for a playoff berth? You bet. Podkolzin rang up four goals and two assists in a three-game streak last week. With four games to go, he's as good a bet as any to ring up more points before season's end. Besides, the Orcas are actually fun right now.
Robert Thomas, RW/C, St. Louis (68 percent Yahoo!) – Get him if he's out there. Slim chance, of course. But if he's there, Thomas is elite. He's riding into the weekend on a 15-game, 27-point scoring streak (eight goals, 19 assists). The Blues have four games left.
Logan Thompson, G, Vegas (16 percent Yahoo!) – Robin Lehner's health is in serious question. Did he have season-ending knee surgery or will he be at practice Saturday? Yikes. Thompson has been the better of the two tenders lately anyway and the Knights have four games to try to get into the playoffs. He could get all four starts. That's worth the play.
Back to pushing your chips forward.
Keep working every angle you can. Your hard work has gotten you this far. It'll get you the rest of the way.
Good luck. And may your team win 16 games this postseason. I'm not holding my breath, but I will be getting out my Leafs jersey.
Until next year.
