This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
What a weird night in the NHL. In terms of fantasy, a big night for Jeff Carter that continued his hot streak and a long-term injury to Mika Zibanejad headlined the night. But there were a couple of strange situations you don't see too often.
One being Nick Foligno's Oscar-worthy embellishment. In overtime, Foligno tossed his head back like a Pez dispenser after Nicklas Backstromdidn't hit him in the face with his stick. Foligno sold his wares to the ref and Backstrom took a minor. Columbus scored the overtime winner on the ensuing power play.
He didn't even touch him, what an awful, awful call. pic.twitter.com/lkGhe8iIMF
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) November 20, 2016
"I hope the League looks at that," said Caps coach Barry Trotz. "I mean if you look at that... if you see the replay, he doesn't really touch him. And his head pops up when Backie's stick is on the way down. That's just a little bit disrespectful to the game."
Even stranger still was Aleksander Barkov's game-winning shootout goal. He pulled a nice move on Henrik Lundqvist, but it didn't come off perfectly and started to trickle past the Rangers netminder. It eventually crossed the line, but if it had gone a centimeter less it might not have been called a goal. It was a strange way for the game to conclude.
Featured Matchups
Rangers (PP: 6, PK: 9) at Penguins (PP: 4, PK: 21), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Antti Raanta (4-0-0, 2.05, .938), Marc-Andre Fleury (6-3-3, 3.11, .908)
Key Injuries:Pavel Buchnevich (back), Mika Zibanejad (leg), Patric Hornqvist (concussion), Derrick Pouliot (undisclosed)
The defending Stanley Cup champions welcome one of the most electric teams in the NHL. While the Rangers success might not last forever based on their underlying numbers, things are going very well right now. They're rolling three lines worth of players capable of providing fantasy value. Though, their defensemen are still a mixed bag, at best.
It remains to be seen just how big of a blow the loss of Zibanejad will be. He will miss six-to-eight weeks with a broken fibula. It's not the same as the Lightning losing Steven Stamkos, but it messes with the chemistry of the depth chart at a time when things are going well.
The Rangers aren't a great match for anyone right now, but the same can be said of the Penguins. With the Rangers starting their backup netminder on the road during the second night of a back-to-back, the Penguins have an advantage. Those variables aren't a guarantee for success, but with the Penguins playing well and playing at home, it's just another reason to trust players that are producing.
Blackhawks (PP: 14, PK: 30) at Oilers (PP: 20, PK: 6), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Corey Crawford (9-4-2, 2.16, .928), Cam Talbot (9-7-1, 2.62, .916)
Key Injuries:Trevor van Riemsdyk (arm), Brandon Davidson (shoulder), Mark Fayne (undisclosed), Iiro Pakarinen (leg)
Don't let the special teams numbers fool you, this isn't that lopsided. The Blackhawks are winning almost every night despite having the league's worst penalty kill. Part of it is that they simply aren't taking many penalties. Chicago takes the 26th most penalties in the league, so Edmonton shouldn't expect many chances.
This is a matchup filled with marquee names, but like the special teams numbers, there are some deceptions lurking in the cursory glance. Chicago is stingy on defense and Crawford is quietly having a very good year. He could see a challenge with the Oilers generating the seventh-most shots per game. However, Chicago is tight defensively and the Oilers have been struggling.
Meanwhile, Chicago is producing the fourth-most goals per game in spite of a middling power play and ranking just 22nd league-wide in even-strength shot attempts. Their 10.93 percent all-situation shooting percentage is fourth in the league and likely a bit better than they'll shoot on the season. That's just to say that the team is playing well and there are a lot of players you should be interested in here, but the party may not last all season. We know players like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be fine, but whether Richard Panik and Artem Anisimov or rookies like Ryan Hartman and Tyler Motte will continue to perform at current levels is less certain.
Other Matchups
Flames (PP: 30, PK: 29) at Sabres (PP: 12, PK: 23), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Chad Johnson (4-3-1, 2.35, .910), Robin Lehner (4-7-2, 2.53, .919)
Key Injuries:Zach Bogosian (knee), Nicolas Deslauriers (knee), Jack Eichel (ankle), Tyler Ennis (groin), Dmitry Kulikov (back), Lance Bouma (shoulder), Johnny Gaudreau (finger), Ladislav Smid (neck), Kris Versteeg (groin)
A battle between two struggling teams is always interesting because it brings an element of chaos. Anything can happen. Though betting against the struggling Flames penalty kill is wise. They aren't showing many signs that they're about to pull things together and will be visiting Buffalo on the second night of a back-to-back.
Avalanche (PP: 15, PK: 24) at Blue Jackets (PP: 1, PK: 14), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Semyon Varlamov (4-8-0, 3.01, .901), Curtis McElhinney (0-0-1, 1.62, .943)
Key Injuries:Seth Jones (foot), Dalton Prout (back), Matt Duchene (concussion), Gabriel Landeskog (lower body)
The Columbus power play is a thing of beauty right now. They're running a unique 1-3-1 system and no one seems to be able to stop it. They're on a roll and even with a backup netminder getting the start, it's hard to bet against a team that is getting the job done. Most recently, Colorado beat the Wild without Duchene and Landeskog, but they allowed more than 40 shots that game. A big part of the win was outstanding play from goaltender Calvin Pickard. They'll want to make sure they aren't hanging Varlamov out to dry like that Monday because Columbus is making the most of their opportunities.
Lightning (PP: 2, PK: 18) at Predators (PP: 6, PK: 15), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Ben Bishop (7-5-0, 2.77, .909), Pekka Rinne (6-5-3, 2.12, .931)
Key Injuries:Miikka Salomaki (hand), Brian Boyle (upper body), Steven Stamkos (knee), Anton Stralman (upper body)
Nashville is taking the ninth most penalties per game and that's a tough reputation to carry into a game against the Lightning, whose power play is lethal, even without Stamkos. Nashville's struggles aren't as severe as they were early in the season. Yet, Tampa has been dominant and continues to be a club with many depth players you can roster confidently. Nashville boasts a solid defense and Rinne is playing well this season, but Tampa hasn't provided any reason to believe they won't continue plowing through teams even in the absence of Stamkos.
Wild (PP: 23, PK: 5) at Stars (PP: 13, PK: 25), 8:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Devan Dubnyk (7-6-1, 1.59, .948), Antti Niemi (3-2-2, 3.33, .900)
Key Injuries:Ales Hemsky (hip), Jiri Hudler (illness), Mattias Janmark (knee), Johnny Oduya (lower body), Zac Dalpe (knee), Marco Scandella (ankle)
The Stars can't catch a break. They get Patrick Sharp back on Saturday and Oduya gets hurt. That's a bit deal for the Stars. They continue to deal with significant injuries, John Klingberg can't get into a groove, and their goaltending is their Achille's heel, as it has been every season for a while. The Wild are struggling to score even when they're putting up a lot of shots.
The Dallas depth chart is still a work in progress and that's not helping what should be a high-powered offense. Their system requires lots of control and a power play that takes advantage of other teams. Right now, they're sloppy and the speed of last season is absent. Dallas will figure things out and get back to the team they were last year, but they haven't found that groove yet.
Devils (PP: 26, PK: 18) at Sharks (PP: 16, PK: 4), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Keith Kinkaid (2-0-1, 1.66, .944), Martin Jones (8-7-1, 2.31, .909)
Key Injuries:Yohann Auvitu (upper body), Michael Cammalleri (personal), Taylor Hall (knee), Tomas Hertl (knee), Melker Karlsson (ankle)
This isn't your dad's New Jersey Devils. You can produce offense against them and the Sharks may be getting the matchup at the perfect moment. The Devils are without their best offensive threat in Hall and they're giving one of the NHL's best goaltenders the night off. San Jose has a good chance to push the pace and get some offense rolling against New Jersey.
Recommended Pickup
Jonathan Drouin, LW, TBL — For some reason, there's still a question among some about what Drouin is capable of. He's a dynamic player who is going to score a lot and show off his creativity by setting up teammates. Just two games back from injury and he has two points in limited time, as well as seven points in 12 games (basically 11 games) on the year. Drouin is worth every penny and the price on him is going to start to rise as he continues to prove that he truly is the player we saw in the postseason last year.
