Anaheim Ducks - Fantasy News

Should I Start Ryan Getzlaf NHL DFS

by Jeff Gordon

1/26/18

NHL

Anaheim Ducks

Ryan Getzlaf

Injuries limited Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf to just six points in six games during the first two months of the season. He struggled with a lower-body injury out of the gate, then he suffered fractured facial bones at the end of October.

But Getzlaf made up for lost time once he finally got healthy. During a recent 11-game stretch, he scored four goals and earned 11 assists. Five of those points came in back-to-back games.

Over a longer stretch dating back to December 14, Getzlaf produced 24 points (five goals, 19 assists) in 18 contests. And he had 31 points and a plus-9 rating in his first 25 games of this season, between and after the injuries.

That points-per-game rate of 1.24 ranked fourth in the league behind Tampa Bay winger Nikita Kucherov, Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon and Boston winger Brad Marchand.

Despite missing time in 2017-18, Getzlaf built on his strong finish to last season. He scored 27 points and earned a plus-13 rating in his last 18 games of the 2016-17 campaign. Then he scored 19 points and earned a plus-7 rating in 17 playoff games.

This season Getzlaf has been clicking at even strength with Rickard Rakell, who scored seven goals and added two assists during a recent stretch of seven home games. But head coach Randy Carlyle separated them from power forward Corey Perry after sensing his lineup got stale.

The line shuffling produced a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers.

“What it does is hopefully it stimulates some people to understand that we’re not going to accept what’s going on out there,” Carlyle told reporters after the game. “And the other thing is if it works, you look like you’re a genius. And if it doesn’t work, you guys will be criticizing me. That’s just the way this business is.”

(The Ducks line combinations are something to keep an eye on. Coaches who bust up successful offensive combinations are the bane of the fantasy hockey player's existence.)

Getzlaf flourished recently on Anaheim's power play, too, again with Rakell on his flank. The Ducks converted 3 of 9 power plays in games against the San Jose Sharks and Rangers.

"Our power play has been working hard lately," Getzlaf told reporters after the Rangers game. "We gave one up and then we battled back. We responded properly. Those are always good signs for the group."

The sturdy Getzlaf traditionally posts strong peripheral statistics. In his first 25 games he delivered 36 hits, blocked 24 shots and earned 15 takeaways.

That helps explain how Getzlaf exceeded his Projected Fantasy Points total nine times during a recent 14-game stretch despite being a "pass-first" center who doesn't score a lot of goals or put many shots on goal.

With the Ducks lineup finally back to full strength, feel free to start Getzlaf in Dober Fantasy Games despite a PFP that has climbed as high as 10.0 in January.