Weekend Outlook: Playing the schedule

Happy Friday everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States! The Friday early slate is all but over, but there’s games to look ahead to tonight and over the weekend as well. Let’s dive in!

John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks (Rostered in 54% of ESPN leagues, 69% Fantrax, 46% Yahoo) 16 starts, 4 wins, 1 OTL, 3.87 GA/G, .895Sv%, 0 SO

I have to highlight Gibson here, not just for coming off a strong start versus the Rangers on Wednesday night, but because there is a very good chance here that’s it is the rare occasion where we can actually assume that Gibson will start in net. Anyone with a Ducks goalie in fantasy knows what I’m talking about.

With Anthony Stolarz getting the nod today against Ottawa it’s more than likely that Gibson will be in the starter’s net on Sunday. The Ducks are one of two(ish) clubs that it’s near impossible to get starter confirmation (especially when Anaheim is on the road) so when we have a good idea that Gibson will start it helps us set a lineup. Gibson looked good last time out in net against New York on Wednesday night, stopping 41 of 43 shots on goal. It might not be a play you would run to make in fantasy with some primary goaltenders going, but if you have Gibson on your bench, he might deserve a spot start here.

The 4-11-1 record might not be much to show confidence in, but the amount of shot volume Gibson could see Sunday helps make up for that. Wednesday was the fifth time all season that he's seen 40 or more shots in a game and that’s likely going to continue on this Ducks club with below average even strength numbers and a far below average penalty kill.

Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers (Rostered in 99% of ESPN leagues, 98% Fantrax, 97% Yahoo) 15 starts, 10 wins, 3 OTL, 2.38 GA/G, .917Sv%, 1 SO

It’s been just a little bit of an up and down season for Shesterkin and I’m not breaking any news here if he’s on your fantasy roster, but he is almost always a must start. Where I think he can help this weekend is not only in fantasy, but DFS as well.

Shesterkin had a slow start to Wednesday’s game versus Anaheim, letting in two goals early but looked to settle in following that. The Rangers will play at home against Edmonton on Sunday and I think that gives Shesterkin an advantage to come away with fantasy or DFS points for two reasons. The first being that Edmonton can get plenty of shots on goal with their top line. Although the Oilers aren’t top ten in shots on goal this year and only have two players in the top 25 in even strength shots (Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid), this is still McDavid and company we’re talking about. This club can pile shots on if given the space. I say that typing this out thinking about the goal McDavid scored versus the Rangers last season.

The second reason I think Shersterkin is in a great spot here though is for special teams, particularly on the man advantage. Edmonton is one of the most penalized teams in the league and for a Ranger’s club that relies heavily on the PP, I like this spot for the team as a whole to earn Igor a win on Saturday. If you have him in fantasy, easy plug and play. For DFS there’s a couple different ways to get unique adding Shesterkin in net. If you really want to get different throwing in a full Rangers power play stack with just forwards along with a filler stack, that could be a way to make a lineup work Saturday.

Dan Vladar, Calgary Flames (Rostered in 5% of ESPN leagues, 32% Fantrax, 34% Yahoo) 4 starts, 1 win, 1 OTL, 2.86 GA/G, .907Sv%, 0 SO

For a lower rostered option this weekend, I think Vladar makes sense if he’s indeed named the starter for the Flames next matchup tomorrow versus Carolina. The Flames played the Canes back in October for what was a very back and forth contest that resulted in a 3-2 Calgary victory in overtime.

Vladar will likely be the starter tomorrow and if you’re in need of someone lower rostered in a decent spot for shots on goal, I think Vladar makes sense. There’s not much tape on him this season but he looked sharp during his last start on Wednesday against the Penguins on the road. Keep an eye on this starter situation as the Flames have not been afraid to use Jacob Markstrom on a back-to-back as they did on November 7th and 8th on the road vs the Islanders and Devils, but I think Vladar should be named the starter and makes for a good option tomorrow.

For continued fantasy news and notes throughout the season, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz