Everyone loses. This past week was finally our turn. After opening the season with four consecutive matchup victories, we fell to Donkey Kong Country 6-2-2.
MATCHUP AND SCORES
It was rather odd that our two elite goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury (Las Vegas) and Tuuka Rask (Boston), had off weeks, which showed in our matchup numbers. The duo only combined for one win, a sub 0.900 save percentage and an unusually high GAA of 3.29. We tend to clean up the goalie categories, but this week we were given a dose of our own medicine.
We also lost the Shots on Goal category, our first time this season. For a team that doesn’t pile up the assists or power-play points, we managed to lose one category by a handful and tie the other. The guys also finished with a plus-minus of zero, a trend in the right direction after finishing -2 in week four and -22 in week three.
This week’s matchup started out on a good note. By Wednesday, the score turned in their favour, and they never trailed again. Friday was the closest we came back, but a subpar weekend sealed the deal and got us two points.
STANDINGS & TEAM STATS
Even though we lost, we stayed in second place. We are now in a tie with Money in the Bank, our opponent in week six.
After writing up the previous week’s review of the matchup, it became even more evident that our focus should turn to assists and power-play points. When scouting for talent, the players we acquire need to contribute penalty minutes and shots on goals, but also be playmakers who also get power-play time.
Although our team is in second place with a 0.590 win percentage, there is plenty of stuff to clean up if we want to win it all. Ranking 10th, 11th, and 12th in three categories could be the difference between a first-round victory or defeat.
So far, the 10 power-play points we’ve left on the bench have us down six spots. We could have 43 on the season, which would be suitable for fifth place. Sadly, the seven assists left off the scoresheet would only close the gap from 11th to 12th. We are 15 assists out of climbing up one spot. When you factor in the -12 from the bench players, we would drop another place and be the second worse team in that category.
BENCH PLAYERS
When you breakdown the missed opportunities in week six, look no further than the bench players. We left 21 shots off the score sheet, which would have easily won the category 104-89. Alex Ovechkin (Washington) also notched a single power-play point, which would have broke the 4-4 in our favour.
The final outcome could have been 5-4-1 instead of 6-2-2.
STUDS & DUDS
Best Player – Dylan Larkin – Detroit Red Wings – 26 points
Worse Player: Tyler Myers – Vancouver Canucks – 7 points
TRANSACTIONS
As we prepare for our week six matchup, we went and acquired four players for our heavyweight bout with Money in the Bank.
In an attempt to clean up our plus/minus, we added Boston Bruin captain Zdeno Chara (+13) and dropped Vancouver Canuck Tyler Myers.
Next on the chopping block was New York Ranger Filip Chytil. We snagged Las Vegas Golden Knight Reilly Smith, who brings a more complete game to the table. He’s got more points on the season, with a +4 rating, and 47 shots on goal.
In one of the most challenging decisions we could make this season, we cut our most coveted draft pick, New York Ranger Kaapo Kakko. In his place, we claimed Ottawa Senator Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He brings a +16 rating to the team, with 47 shots on goal and 12 points. All numbers were much better than the Rangers rookie.
Sadly Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov broke his jaw and will miss action for the next several weeks. We didn’t want to be short a defender, so on Sunday night, we dropped him and signed Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki. Ottawa plays four games this upcoming week, and Borowiecki is a +7 rating on the season.
Weekly Move Total: 4/4
Season Move Total: 7/40
Stay tuned for next’s week recap of the Top of the Rock 2019-20 fantasy hockey season.
Keeping the Stats 