With two big games on tap (tonight vs. St. Louis and Saturday at Detroit), the Nashville Predators have an opportunity to make further progress in the Central Division, but what are the individual players’ prospects on the fantasy hockey front? Follow after the jump and we’ll break all the key Preds down for you…
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He’s still getting work alongside Martin Erat and Colin Wilson on Nashville’s second scoring line (both at even strength and on the power play), but his ice time rarely tops 12 or 13 minutes a night. Given the ability to leverage matchups, I’d expect that he’ll get more opportunity at home against St. Louis than on the road at Detroit, so if you’re on the fence between playing J.P. or another forward, that might help inform your decision. Status: Caution (ice time)
With 3 assists in his last three games, Erat is working his way up to speed after suffering from back spasms early on. He still hasn’t scored a goal, and doesn’t put a ton of shots on net, but that’s just Marty being Marty. Status: Good To Go
Steady as she goes for Hornqvist – his line is getting the best opportunities at even strength and the power play, and he’s putting pucks on net. He leads Nashville forwards in power play ice time, so he’s definitely a prime option for your lineup. Status: Good To Go
His line with Joel Ward and Jordin Tootoo is clicking a bit offensively, but his main job is to shut down the opponent’s top unit. He’ll certainly have his hands full matching up with Pavel Datsyuk in Detroit on Saturday, for example, and is working over 2 minutes per game on the penalty kill. All this, however, is typical for Legwand – he’s a talented, hard-working hockey player, but not much of a fantasy producer. Status: Caution
With his post-concussion status now described as “week to week“, Lombardi should be on the IR list in your league. Keep him there until we actually see him play. With the way head injuries are handled now, we don’t have a specific timetable for his return, so stay tuned. Status: Out Of The Lineup
Especially with Matthew Lombardi on the shelf, Cal has a tremendous opportunity to make an impact as Nashville’s top offensive center and power play workhorse (3:18 per game). In leagues which heavily weigh goal-scoring, his value is somewhat lessened as he’s still working with a pass-first mentality, but he’s racking up the points and showing more confidence with each passing game. Status: Good To Go
Pekka is looking sharp early on, earning his first shutout of the season last weekend at Dallas. With the day off in between, he should be a lock to start both tonight against St. Louis and Saturday at Detroit. In leagues which give credit for the number of saves made, the Preds are giving up the 5th-most shots in the league, so he’ll certainly get a chance to stop lots of pucks. Status: Good To Go
Sully is in the middle of everything for the Preds, leading the forwards in ice time (18:52 per game) and is constantly attacking the net. He seems to be getting a couple breakaways in just about every game, and hasn’t really buried his fair share yet, so there is perhaps some upside in his game. His line with Cal O’Reilly and Patric Hornqvist is consistently Nashville’s most dangerous trio. Status: Good To Go
He’s been on injured reserve since a knee-to-knee hit from Calgary’s Cory Sarich, and has been ruled out until at least Wednesday’s game at Phoenix. Status: Out Of The Lineup
He definitely misses his defensive partner Suter (just two shots on goal in his last three games shows how much), but Shea is too talented and plays too large a role to ever consider benching him. He scored his first goal of the season against the Lightning on Sunday, so we’ll see if things get rolling now. Status: Good To Go
Some have wondered why Wilson hasn’t received more ice time given his production so far, but Barry Trotz is taking a patient approach with his development. He’s largely getting matched up with favorable opposition and receives a healthy dose of offensive-zone faceoffs, so conditions look pretty good for him to keep producing. Status: Good To Go