There is nothing like looking at your fantasy roster and realizing most of your players have home games. Let’s face it, most players thrive with home cooking. There are no hotels to worry about, etc. No one can underestimate the feeling of sleeping in your own bed with a nice, easy routine before the night of a game.
This week we take a quick look at the home breakdown for teams playing at least two home games and spotlight a player or two that may benefit from some of that home cooking.
Fantasy Hockey Home Cooking
Here is our team breakdown (minimum two home games).
- Edmonton — 3
- Philadelphia — 3
- Calgary — 3
- Pittsburgh — 3
- Florida — 3
- Nashville — 3
- Edmonton — 3
- Colorado — 2
- St. Louis — 2
- Detroit — 2
- Boston — 2
- Columbus — 2
- Carolina — 2
- Washington — 2
- Toronto — 2
- Tampa Bay — 2
- Dallas — 2
- NY Rangers — 2
Overall, seven teams have three home dates this fantasy week which means good news for you unless you have Edmonton players. Then maybe all bets are off.
Oddly enough, certain teams look a little more intriguing than others. Philadelphia has a few tough matchups. Even Florida has some potentially solid games that fantasy owners could feast on if you play it right.
Are there a few players we have in mind? Yes, three players, all of whom have three home games.
Three Home Wonders To Watch
Mark Giordano — D — Calgary
People forget that if Mark Giordano had not missed 18 games, he would easily be in the Norris Trophy conversation. One cannot ignore 43 points in 53 games and maybe on a better team that point average is even closer to a point a game. Giordano plays against the toughest competition, logs a ton of minutes, and is a threat on the power play (18 power play points). The defenseman has four points in his last two games and fill stats across the board. That is production which is tough to match.
Pekka Rinne — G — Nashville
Does one start mean something? We are going to find out this week as Pekka Rinne has looked better the last week or so. The most telling game was Sunday against Chicago with a huge 28-save shutout. Nashville will not make the playoffs, obviously, but I am curious to see what Rinne can bring down the stretch for owners who may have picked him up on the cheap. If you are in a tight playoff matchup and people are not paying attention in your league, you may have a shot at picking up a top 15 goalie for nothing. That is worth the gamble.
Lee Stempniak — RW — Pittsburgh
This would be more of a gamble but Lee Stempniak has played well for the Pittsburgh Penguins with seven points in ten games. It will be interesting to see if Stempniak can be a little more consistent. He only has points in four of his ten starts but the effort level has been rather high and, with a little home cooking, it may give the forward a chance to pile up a few points. There are worse options out there and the lower ownership rate may entice people to take a shot. Stay tuned and let’s see what happens.
