This article is part of our The Man Advantage series.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest edition of The Man Advantage, where we look at the power-play lineups of various teams and put them in some sort of fantasy context. This week, we look at four struggling teams -- Buffalo, Arizona, Dallas and Colorado -- as well as two powerhouse teams -- St. Louis and Detroit.
St. Louis Blues
Alex Pietrangelo effectively became the team's de-facto No. 1 power-play defenseman earlier this week following the injury to Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk, who was placed on IR and is week-to-week after undergoing abdominal surgery, ranked second on the team in PP minutes per game (3:23). In comparison, Pietrangelo played mostly a second-line PP role with this season (2:24). However, in the game in which Shattenkirk was injured (Feb. 1 vs. WAS), Pietrangelo was immediately inserted on the first line and saw 3:22 in PP minutes, more than any Blues defenseman, and finished with a game-high 32:15 total TOI, the most he's seen all season. For fantasy purposes, don't be afraid to lean heavily on Pietrangelo in the coming weeks, as the Blues will do the same in Shattenkirk's absence.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are enjoying a power-play resurgence this year. Last season, the Wings finished the season below median with a PP success rate of 17.7 percent, 18th in the league. This season, however, the team is first in the NHL at 23.4 percent. Of course, much can be said about the usual contributions from veterans like Henrik
Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest edition of The Man Advantage, where we look at the power-play lineups of various teams and put them in some sort of fantasy context. This week, we look at four struggling teams -- Buffalo, Arizona, Dallas and Colorado -- as well as two powerhouse teams -- St. Louis and Detroit.
St. Louis Blues
Alex Pietrangelo effectively became the team's de-facto No. 1 power-play defenseman earlier this week following the injury to Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk, who was placed on IR and is week-to-week after undergoing abdominal surgery, ranked second on the team in PP minutes per game (3:23). In comparison, Pietrangelo played mostly a second-line PP role with this season (2:24). However, in the game in which Shattenkirk was injured (Feb. 1 vs. WAS), Pietrangelo was immediately inserted on the first line and saw 3:22 in PP minutes, more than any Blues defenseman, and finished with a game-high 32:15 total TOI, the most he's seen all season. For fantasy purposes, don't be afraid to lean heavily on Pietrangelo in the coming weeks, as the Blues will do the same in Shattenkirk's absence.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are enjoying a power-play resurgence this year. Last season, the Wings finished the season below median with a PP success rate of 17.7 percent, 18th in the league. This season, however, the team is first in the NHL at 23.4 percent. Of course, much can be said about the usual contributions from veterans like Henrik Zetterberg (19 PP pts), Niklas Kronwall (15 pts) and Pavel Datsyuk (14 pts), however, the team is also benefiting from strong performances by relative newcomers Gustav Nyquist -- who leads the team in PP goals with 12, and points with 20 -- along with Tomas Tatar (13 pts), Riley Sheahan (8 pts) and Justin Abdelkader (8 pts). Even with Johan Franzen (11 pts) out with a concussion, the Wings still have what may be the most balanced PP attack in the league, rolling a first line of Nyquist, Zetterberg, Abdelkader, Kronwall and Stephen Weiss, with a second unit of Datsyuk, Tatar, Sheahan, Darren Helm and Danny DeKeyser.
Buffalo Sabres
As we all know, there hasn't been much to talk about this season from a fantasy perspective in Buffalo ... well, nothing positive anyway. The Sabres are last in the NHL, both in the standings (15-34-3) and on the power play (11.2 percent). However, one standout in recent weeks is Chris Stewart. Stewart, who years ago gained a reputation as one of hockey's emerging power forwards (64 pts in 77 games in 2009-10), has seen his career trajectory plummet after stints with Colorado, St. Louis and now Buffalo. Fifth on the team in scoring with just 18 points in 49 games, Stewart has suddenly caught fire with six points in his last seven games, five of which have come on the PP (four goals and a helper). Could be that he's auditioning for a trade out of Buffalo with the March 2 trade deadline approaching, but either way, he's part of a terrific line with Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons, who as a unit have combined for 11 PP points in the last seven contests.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes are another team having a dismal year, second to last in the West at 19-26-7 (only the Oilers are worse at 14-29-9). The Yotes are also the second-worst team in the league at even strength, with a 5-on-5 goals for/against ratio of 0.64 (only the Sabres rank lower at 0.58). However, with a PP success rate of 22.9 percent (good for sixth in the NHL), give this team a man advantage, and it makes you pay. Keith Yandle has been his usual brilliant PP self this season, tied for second in the league in PP production with 24 points (2G, 22A), just one point behind Claude Giroux. Put it this way -- the Coyotes have scored 36 PP goals, and Yandle has had a hand in all but eight. He really has almost single-handedly carried the Coyotes' power play this season, as the team has only three other players in double-digit PP point production -- Antoine Vermette (13), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (13) and Mikkel Boedker (12). That said, another guy to keep an eye on is Lauri Korpikoski, who has three PP points in his last three games (2 PPG, 1 PPA).
Dallas Stars
The pre-season acquisitions of Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky from Ottawa have not exactly worked out according to plan. The Stars are a disappointing 11th of 14 teams in the West, and their power play is a mediocre 17.4 percent, good for 20th in the league. In short, nothing to write home about. However, over the last 10 games, the Stars' PP has run at an exceptional 23.9 percent, with 11 PP goals in 46 opportunities. Perhaps the biggest contributor has been Patrick Eaves, who has three goals and an assist in five games -- all on the PP -- after just recently returning to the lineup following a 21-game absence due to an ankle injury. Other players who have pitched in the last 10 games are, of course, Tyler Seguin (1G, 5A), Jamie Benn (1G, 4A), John Klingberg (1G, 3A) and Spezza (1G, 2A).
Colorado Avalanche
The Avs' already disappointing season was dealt another blow just before the All-Star break when top PP defenseman Erik Johnson was placed on IR with a knee injury. Johnson, who was tied for first in goals among defensemen with 12 at the time of his injury, was usually the lone blueliner on the Avs' first PP unit, with Tyson Barrie and Nick Holden manning the points on the second line. However, since Johnson's injury, which figures to keep him out for up to eight weeks, Barrie and Holden have been bumped up to the top line and are now frequently skating with the likes of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan O'Reilly. Barrie, who is day-to-day with a hip flexor, has been particularly exceptional this season with 29 points in 50 games (including eight PP points) and should easily eclipse the career-high 38 points he posted last season, assuming his hip doesn't keep him out long term. Holden, meanwhile, has been less noticeable, with just 11 points (five on the PP), but the added PP responsibility he now enjoys should make him attractive to fantasy owners in deeper leagues. Also keep an eye on Stefan Elliott, who has been recalled from AHL Lake Erie and subbed in for Barrie on Feb. 5 against the Red Wings. He saw 3:20 in PP ice time that game.
