Los Angeles Kings - Fantasy News

Kings vs. Predators Start 'Em/Sit 'Em

by Jeff Gordon

1/31/18

NHL

Los Angeles Kings

Jake Muzzin

The Nashville Predators won the Western Conference last season, but they are fighting just to make the playoffs in 2017-18. The same goes for the Los Angeles Kings, who won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

The Predators host the Kings on Thursday in a showdown telecast by the NBC Sports Network. Will we see a goaltending battle between longtime rivals Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick?

Quick declined his invitation to NHL All-Star weekend to recover from the season's wear-and-tear. That down time extended to the game at Dallas coming out of the break.

"I think it was just a point in time we felt like he could really use some maintenance in his health, and really with the heavy schedule coming in front of us, he just had some things that needed maintenance,” head coach John Stevens told reporters. “I don’t think it’s anything long-term. I think with the rest he’s had, he’s had lots of rehab over the break."

Start 'Em: Jake Muzzin
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 8.54

This emerging offensive defenseman plunged from 40 points and a plus-7 rating in 2015-16 to 28 points and a minus-21 rating last season. But Muzzin worked his way out of that offensive funk this year. He went into the break with a seven-game points streak and eight points in his last nine efforts.

That put him on pace for 48 points, which would be a career high. During a recent eight-game stretch he topped his Projected Fantasy Points seven times and broke even in the other game.

Sit 'Em: Tyler Toffoli
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 7.46

Overall he has enjoyed a nice bounce-back campaign. After plunging from 31 goals and 27 assists in 2015-16 to just 16 goals and 18 assists last season, Toffoli scored 18 goals and added 12 assists in his first 49 games of 2017-18.

His shot rate, shooting percentage and power-play production are all up from a year ago. But he has gone stone cold lately, producing just one goal and one assist and a minus-5 rating in his first 10 January games. Toffoli produced no points in his last seven efforts before the break.

Start 'Em: Viktor Arvidsson
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 8.29

He went into the break with five points in his previous four games. That gave him 15 goals and 15 assists in his first 45 contests this season. Last season Arvidsson scored 31 times after scoring just eight goals the year before, so this regression is not surprising.

Arvidsson produced a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win at New Jersey while exceeding his Projected Fantasy Points for just the second time in seven games. The return of winger Filip Forsberg to active duty could extend Arvidsson's upward trend, since he and Forsberg have had terrific chemistry in the past.

Sit 'Em: Ryan Johansen
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 5.84

An optimist could expect Forsberg's return to also boost Johansen, who produced just five points in his last 12 games before the break. But Johansen is strictly a pass-first forward with just five goals in his first 44 contests this season.

His peripheral statistics aren't great, either. Johansen is a low-volume shooter (just 66 at the break) and he is not terribly aggressive defensively (50 hits, 20 blocked shots, 20 takeaways).