This article is part of our FantasyAces NHL series.
East meets West in seven of the eight games on Tuesday's schedule, so there's a bit more intrigue in those matchups simply because we don't see them that often.
In Toronto, the key question is whether James Reimer can continue his current hot streak and solidify his status as the team's new No. 1 goalie.
In two other games, the focus is on two veterans whose careers will be defined by the time they spent (or didn't spend) with Tuesday's opponents: Jeff Carter was a signature player for the Flyers before he found ultimate team success in Los Angeles, while
Joe Thornton has to conversely wonder whether he would have a Cup ring if he had stayed with the Bruins.
Here are my recommendations for games on November 17, 2015:
C: Jeff Carter, LA at PHI ($5,150): He's a point-per-game player who's averaging more than 18 minutes of playing time, including top-line power-play duty, and has formed great chemistry with linemates Tyler Toffoli and Milan Lucic. That line has 22 of the Kings' 43 goals.
W: Tyler Toffoli, LA at PHI ($5,100): Speak of the devil. Toffoli leads the Kings with 10 goals, with five of those tallies coming on special teams duty. He's quickly gaining a profile as one of the league's top young power forwards and is producing at a career-best rate of just under a point per game. Like Carter, he could get plenty of opportunities against the suspect Flyers defense.
W: Joel Ward, SJ at BOS ($4,600): Ward has acclimatized quickly to the West Coast, moving into a top-six role that has seen him notch eight goals while playing an average of 18 minutes per game, including a key role on the power play. He'll look to take advantage of the inexperienced Bruins blueliners in Tuesday's matchup.
W: Scott Hartnell, CLB vs. STL ($4,750): After a sluggish start, the bruising power forward has produced eight points in his last seven games, all while bringing his usual amount of torment on a nightly basis. A less-than-physical Blues defense may give him too much room to operate on Tuesday.
W: P.A. Parenteau, TOR vs. COL ($3,900): Parenteau has three goals and two assists in his last seven games. He is also seeing more duty on the power play, with two of those goals coming on the man advantage. The playmaking veteran should also have a little extra jump against his old Colorado mates.
D: Mark Giordano, CGY vs. NJ ($4,850): He's back to playing more than 24 minutes per game, including quarterbacking the power play. Despite all these minutes, he has only produced six points in 19 games. Tuesday presents an opportunity for Giordano to break out with a big performance against a team that lacks quality depth.
D: Colton Parayko, STL at CBJ ($4,850): Despite ranking among the league's leading scorers on the blue line, Parayko's price is relatively affordable on my Tuesday game card. He's getting top-four minutes in the Blues' defensive mix, including almost three minutes per game on the power play. Parayko faces a team that has the league's second-worst goals-against average, so you know the Blues' deep roster will get lots of offensive chances.
W: Lee Stempniak, NJ at CGY ($4,400): Stemp comes in at a good price Tuesday because he's not yet getting the respect that his first-line profile on the Devils (which including plenty of power-play duty) deserves. His 14 points in 17 games is well above his career norms, but Stempniak has not usually been paired with talented scorers like Mike Cammalleri and Adam Henrique. He's averaging close to 20 minutes of playing time per night, which also helps.
G: James Reimer, Tor vs. COL ($7,250): Reimer has grabbed the Leafs' top goalie role with a string of five straight quality starts in which he hasn't allowed more than two goals. The Leafs may be lacking in talent, but they are sticking to their system and feeding off the battling style of their veteran goalie right now.
