BENCHING Anaheim goalies / Andersen until things get better.......

[lektrix]

@CHI, @DAL next 2 games, yikes... sucks for those in a H2H league and need him for starts. Sucks even more for me if he picks up a shutout which always seems to happen when I overthink my matchups.

[rangerfan2430]

I wouldn't bench them if your starters. You never know, Anaheim has to win eventually right

[GrinningBuddha]

I'm playing Anderson over Andersen this week. Until Anaheim shows me that they remember how to play hockey, Freddie's going to be riding the pine.

[Dikoi]

I have the same dilemma as well, not sure I should bench him or not

[Zorro]

Smart choice!! I've already benched Bobrovsky for the month, HaHaHa..

[Pengwin7]

It goes unnoticed among fantasy hockey... but Anaheim might've been hit hard with the departure of Francois Beauchemin.
This is a guy who threw down +17, +26, +19 in his last three years as a Duck. That's a combined +62.
I wouldn't be surprised if that's a top ten number over the past three seasons of NHL hockey.

People probably view Anaheim as Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler AND... and assume that a loss like Beauchemin was minor.
I think it was huge.
A few years ago I speculated that Francois was almost Norris-worthy - and got laughed at a bit... and fairly so... but he can play like a top 20 NHL D-man.

I think the ANA defense is a little lost right now without their anchor.
I drafted Francois in several leagues AND a Dynasty this year... he's doing just fine in his new location... the Ducks, not so much.

[MarmotKing]

I really want to play him this week (4 games), but with Anaheim's play so far and BB being BB, I have to go with Dubnyk who has 3 games.

Hopefully they will fire BB and Andersen will be back to form.

[lektrix]

Pengwin, not doubting your research, but if we go by that reasoning, why is COL struggling so much with their D and goaltending?? I know Roy's system sucks, but shouldn't Beauch's defensive talent be making a greater impact and improving Varlamov's numbers immensely???

Andersen's not the problem, defense isn't really the #1 problem either even though they are getting out-shot, out-chanced, out-possessed..... it's the lack of god damn offense, constant line juggling, and lack of creativity on PP. Getzlaf playing with Perry for years and you suddenly split them up, now they don't even know how to play with each other. You can't win games if you don't score. What is it now, 6 or 7 total team goals in 8 GP? That is just horrible. Last year Ducks had the highest number of one goal victories too. Looks like fortunes are reversing this year.

I'd be crapping my pants these next 2 games against the class of the West on B2B nights. Would not be surprised to see them outscored 8-0 again the way Chicago and Dallas have been moping up teams. Glad I'm in a roto league and don't have minimum starts to meet.

[lektrix]

For those who played Andersen last game, count your blessings because the score was closer than it should have been. If not for Andersen's SOTY candidate and other saves it could have been 5 or 6-0 for Minny. We really dodged a bullet there.

[Pengwin7]

Pengwin, not doubting your research, but if we go by that reasoning, why is COL struggling so much with their D and goaltending?? I know Roy's system sucks, but shouldn't Beauch's defensive talent be making a greater impact and improving Varlamov's numbers immensely???

re: COL
COL's shot splits last year were 27.9sog/gm with 33.2soga/gm. Net -5.3
COL's shot splits this year are 25.9sog/game with 31.1soga/gm. Net -5.3
It's the same net.
ROR OUT departure made the shots-for go down.
Beauchemin IN arrival made shots-against go down.

Varly's numbers are pure Varly sucking.
He was a .920+sv% goalie the last two years.
He's at .869sv% right now... and obviously Reto Berra (.975sv%) is proving the COL defense is just fine.
GOALIE NUMBERS can greatly skew how well/poor a team is playing.
Colorado is not a great team, but they are essentially of same quality (by shot differential) as they were last year... improved in shots against. (Beauchemin)

re: ANA
ANA last year was 30.0sog/gm with 27.9soga/gm. Net +2.1
ANA this year is 27.6sog/gm with 31.0soga/gm. Net= -3.4

Now, I can't tell you why ANA is 2.4 shots down... (???)
But I'd certainly say that not having Beauchemin is a key reason why there are giving up 3.1 more shots per game than last year.


The defensive SOGA numbers for both COL & ANA suggest that Beauchemin had benefit to both COL & ANA (SOGA).
Good defense also leads to good offense, by simple puck possession/dispossession.

btw. Goalies are completely MENTAL.
Nut jobs.
You take a good defenseman off a team and the goalie might start to believe the team in front of him sucks... give it up a little more.
[My goalie yelled at me last night because he gave up a long goal from the blueline - said I was screening him - I wasn't - but usually I stay in the lane to block the shot and he didn't know what to say. Crazy, I tell you! They are crazy!]

[BillyD.]

It all depend on your other options, cause overall he is not that bad 1.86 GAA and .938 SV%. It's only the 0 W that looks bad for now !

Ex.: For Lektrix he better play him since Greiss and Khudobin are no better option.

[2014olympicgold]

i have to start him. It's either sink or swim for me, there's no floating by benching him.

[Dikoi]

i have to start him. It's either sink or swim for me, there's no floating by benching him.

I like your style 2014olympicgold, I think I'll be doing the same.

[lektrix]

You're victimized if you play H2H with 4 min. starts and it's the beginning of the week... absolutely zero wiggle room.

You have a choice if you play roto or fantasy points (if you can score negative points i.e. GA = -10 points, is it worth it)?

[icet88]

I would play him against Chicago. They are not a very high scoring team (ranked 22nd in GFA this season, and were 17th last season).
Against Dallas, I would strongly consider benching him, especially if he's playing back2back against one of the highest scoring teams in the league.