Gäste Forum » and is averaging only 8.8 points and

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers hope they are finally out of their funk.Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Cam Talbot made 31 saves for his third shutout of the season, helping Edmonton beat the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 on Monday night.Theyve been playing some good hockey lately so its not an easy team to shut out by any means, Talbot said. We played a great team game. Thats a huge statement win for us tonight.Oscar Klefbom, Andrej Sekera and Anton Slepyshev also scored for the Oilers, who have won two straight since ending a five-game skid.Connor McDavid had two assists to move into the NHL scoring lead with 24 points in 20 games.Theyve been playing really well and for us to get a win like that is definitely big for the confidence moving forward, McDavid said. Weve been able to snap out of a bit of a funk and were looking to go on a run now. Once you get out of one of those, it is important you take off from there.The 19-year-old McDavid set up a goal 2:39 in by skating the length of the ice before centering the puck for Klefbom, who blasted a shot past Crawford.McDavid also assisted late in the first when Draisaitl tipped in Klefboms shot from the point on a power play for a 2-0 lead.Corey Crawford made 22 saves in the loss as the Blackhawks had a two-game winning streak snapped.That wasnt our team, it was a tough loss and we just have to forget about it and worry about the next game, Crawford said. I dont take anything away from this one. We created a few good chances, but it was one of those games where nothing was going right.Talbot kept Chicago from getting on the board four minutes into the second when he stopped Duncan Keith on a point-blank power-play shot.Sekera scored on a long wrist shot with just 7.6 seconds left in the second shortly after a power play expired to make it 3-0.Edmonton took a 4-0 lead seven minutes into the third period when Slepyshevs deceptive shot from a bad angle handcuffed Crawford.Draisaitl scored his second of the game late in the third on the power play to put the game away.Thats the closest weve come to a complete game, Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. Its a really good sign for our team going forward.Game notes It was the first of three games between the two teams this season. Chicago swept the season series last year, with McDavid missing all three contests for the Oilers due to injury. ... Despite their 13-5-2 record, the Blackhawks were last in the NHL on the penalty kill at just 69.5 percent coming into the game. ... Veterans Benoit Pouliot, Mark Letestu and Eric Gryba remained healthy scratches for the Oilers. ... The lone injury listed for Chicago is Trevor van Riemsdyk (upper body), while Edmonton is still without Iiro Pakarinen (knee), Brandon Davidson (upper body) and Mark Fayne (lower body).UP NEXTBlackhawks: Play the fifth in a season-high seven-game road trip in San Jose on Wednesday night.Oilers: Start a two-game trip at Colorado on Wednesday night. Fake Panthers Jerseys .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. Florida Panthers Pro Shop . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. https://www.panthersjerseycheap.com/ . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Custom Florida Panthers Jerseys . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Florida Panthers Gear . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Say this about the NBA - the storylines never stop. From injuries to suspensions to depth chart changes to hot and cold streaks, theres always a lot to stay up on from week to week.Heres a list of the most fantasy relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league heading into the third week of the season:Atlanta Hawks: Mike Muscala dedicated the summer to changing his jump shot, and so far the hard work is paying off. Muscala leads all qualified players with a 71 FG%, which isnt sustainable over the course of the season but is an encouraging sign for the former Bucknell star. He shot 50 percent from the field last season and 55 percent in 2014-15.Boston Celtics: Al Horford suffered a concussion at practice last week, giving more opportunity to the likes of Tyler Zeller and Amir Johnson in the Celtics frontcourt. Horfords return appeared to be imminent after Celtics radio play-by-play broadcaster Sean Grande reported Sunday night that Horford was aiming for a Wednesday return. However, he did not practice Monday, and coach Brad Stevens indicated he has not progressed in the concussion protocol.Brooklyn Nets: With Jeremy Lin sidelined for at least another 10 days due to a strained left hamstring, the point guard position is in a rough place for the Nets. Rookie second-rounder Isaiah Whitehead made his first NBA start in Fridays loss to Charlotte, finishing with 8 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 23 minutes.Charlotte Hornets: Which small forward leads the NBA in rebounds per game? If you guessed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, give yourself a trophy. MKGs 9.2 RPG is indeed tops in the game at the position, even ahead of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo (if you count him as a small forward) and Kevin Durant.Chicago Bulls: One big change thats come to the Bulls this season is the way coach Fred Hoiberg is divvying out the minutes. Overall, the team is relying on its depth to relieve the heavy workloads of many of its top players. Jimmy Butler has felt that as much as anyone, playing just 32.5 minutes a game after being at 36.9 or above each of the last three seasons. That and Chicagos 23rd-ranked pace are two factors that are limiting Butlers fantasy upside early on this season.Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompsons lack of scoring prevents him from ever being a huge fantasy option, and hes hurt by the fact that his greatest asset (rebounding) is the easiest to find in fantasy hoops. But theres no denying how strong he is in that category. Thompson has pulled down at least 10 boards in each of the last five games while also averaging 7.8 points and 1.8 blocks in that span.Dallas Mavericks: One of the few bright spots in Dallas 1-5 start is the impressive play of veteran point guard J.J. Barea, who is averaging 17.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 33.8 minutes per game. The 32-year-old played 46 minutes in the Mavericks first win of the season on Sunday, as Deron Williams sat out, and so far, Barea is shattering his career highs in just about every statistical category. Entering this season, he has never scored more than 11.3 PPG or played more than 25.2 MPG.Denver Nuggets: Shooting continues to be a big issue for second-year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. After shooting 36.4 percent as a rookie, that number has dropped to 34.1 percent this season, but heres an encouraging number as far as his fantasy upside is concerned; entering Monday, Mudiays 27.3 usage rate ranks 10th among all NBA point guards and is ahead of the likes of Chris Paul (27.1) and Kyle Lowry (24.8).Detroit Pistons: Reggie Jackson may be nearing a return to the court. Monday will be four weeks, and he will be able to start doing activities, said Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. He can start running a little bit and start back to activity, and then its a ramp-up from there. Jackson averaged 18.8 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 79 games for Detroit last season, and his scoring has been sorely missed on the Pistons 19th-ranked offense.Golden State Warriors: The addition of Durant was supposed to lead to more open looks for Klay Thompson, but through six games, Thompson is in one of the biggest shooting slumps of his six-year career. He is 9-for-46 from 3-point land (19.6 percent), but thats not the most perplexing part. More startling than the numbers is how Thompsons misses have come, wrote Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. Though the Durant addition has afforded him a host of clean looks, he is making only 28.6 percent of his three-pointers when there is nobody within six feet of him. Thompson completely missed the rim on an open attempt in the second quarter Friday against the Lakers.Houston Rockets: Many people argued that James Harden was effectively already a point guard on last years Rockets team, and that the move to that position under coach Mike DAntoni would have little impact on his assist numbers this season. Well, Harden currently leads the league in assists (12.3 per game) and is well ahead of second place (LeBron, 10.7 APG). This is worth keeping an eye on, especially when you compare Hardens distribution numbers to that of fellow fantasy star point guard Russell Westbrook (9.7 APG).Indiana Pacers: Defense was a staple for the Pacers under former coach Frank Vogel, and youd think itd be the same under a defensive-minded coach like Nate McMillian, but that simply isnt the case so far in McMillans first year as the Pacers main man. Indiana enters Monday ranked 27th in defensive efficiency, allowing 108.5 points per 100 possessions this season and is a good team to stack players against in daily fantasy.Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers lead the league in defensive efficiency and are off to an impressive 5-1 start, but some key statistics are down for their star point guard Paul in the early going. The 12-year veteran, who hasnt averaged fewer that nine assists a game since the 2006-07 season, enters Monday averaging 8.7. Thats 1.3 fewer than last season, but theres a decent chance that this is an anomaly that will correct itself over the course of the season.Los Angeles Lakers: Realizing the importance of floor spacing, first-year Lakers coach Luke Walton moved veteran scorer Nick Young into the starting lineup from Day 1 this season and gave him the green light to shoot the 3-ball. So far the move looks brilliant. Now in his fourth season in L.A., Young is not only averaging 13.7 PPG and 2.1 3-PPG but is attempting a career-high 6.4 3-PPG. His previous season high was 5.5.Memphis Grizzlies: James Ennis filled in well during the Grizzlies first six games of the season, when Chandler Parsons was out of the lineup, and the thought was that Parsons return on Sunday would decrease Ennis role. While Ennis did move to the bench in that game against Portland, he still managed a team-high 35 minutes, which is worth noting going forward. Theres a chance Ennis will be counted on to play right around 30 MPG all season long, regardless of Parsons availability.Miami Heat: Justise Winslow is being recognized for his attention to detail on thhe defensive side of the ball, but his efficiency on the offensive side of the ball is troubling in the early going this season.dddddddddddd While Winslow continues to fire up shots, taking 15.4 per game so far, he is shooting only 33.8 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers are going to have to improve or else his 36.8 minutes per game will likely come down in the weeks and months ahead.Milwaukee Bucks: Jabari Parkers early-season play is an encouraging development for the young Bucks in a number of ways. Not only is the third-year forward averaging a career high 17.6 points per game, hes doing it in new ways. The 6-foot-8, 250-pounder has extended his range beyond the 3-point arc, connecting on 5-of-13 attempts thus far after going a cold 13-51 in his first two seasons.Minnesota Timberwolves: So far, Andrew Wiggins hasnt lived up to the lofty expectations of becoming the NBAs next great superstar, but he quietly has made improvements to his game -- particularly in terms of 3-point shooting. Though we are just five games into the season, the early numbers are encouraging. Wiggins, who shot 31 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie and 30 percent last season, ranks second in the league among qualified players with a 54.5 percent mark from long range.New Orleans Pelicans: Terrence Jones is hoping a new start in New Orleans can resurrect a once-promising career that got off track in Houstons crowded frontcourt, and a breakout game against Phoenix on Friday was a great start. The 24-year-old went for 19 points and 7 rebounds, adding 6 assists, 4 blocks and 1 steal in 28 minute, while Dante Cunningham served a one-game suspension. This battle for minutes between Jones and Cunningham is worth watching closely in the weeks ahead.New York Knicks: The season is young, but at the age of 21, Kristaps Porzingis steady improvement and versatile skill set is making Knicks fans forget about the teams league-worst defense. Porzingis has seen his minutes rise from 28.4 to 32.2, his scoring go from 14.3 to 18.8, his shooting percentage go from 42.1 to 49.4 and his threes made per game go from 1.1 per game to 2.2. This is a fantasy star in the making and who was simply drafted too low in most leagues this season.Oklahoma City Thunder: Victor Oladipo was never a huge distributor in his three years in Orlando, even in his rookie season when the team groomed him to be a point guard. In fact, Oladipo never averaged more than 4.1 assists per game in any season with the Magic. Still, few envisioned his assist numbers to fall the way they have so far in Oklahoma City, where he has just nine assists (1.5 APG) in his first six games with the Thunder. Throw in 39.5 percent shooting and the fact that his steals are way down (0.7 vs. 1.6 last year) and Oladipo -- a top 40 pick in most fantasy leagues this season --? is one of the biggest fantasy busts so far this season.Orlando Magic: Serge Ibaka was once the NBAs top shot-blocker, but that part of his game has faded for a number of years now. Since averaging 3.7 blocks a game in 2011-12, his averages have fallen for five consecutive years (3.0, 2.7, 2.4, 1.9 and now 0.8). Its almost unfathomable to think of Ibaka as a forward who isnt blocking at least one shot a game, but thats the reality through his first six games in Orlando.Philadelphia 76ers: Overlooked amidst all the hype surrounding rookie big man Joel Embiid is his early success from 3-point range. He is 6-for-9 from beyond the arc in his first four NBA games, and though the sample size is minuscule, its encouraging to see the 7-footer attempting 2.3 threes per game.Phoenix Suns: Though fantasy circles would love to see Tyson Chandler take a seat in Phoenix to allow for Alex Len to get a bigger opportunity, theres a reason why the veteran remains a big part of the Suns plans this season. In short, he continues to be one of the games most-dominant rebounders. Chandlers 40.2 defensive-rebound rate ranks second in the league behind only Dallas Andrew Bogut (45.4) and is much better than Len (25.8). Not surprisingly,? Chandler is averaging 28.7 MPG compared to 19.4 for Len.Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard is known for his scoring and long-range shooting ability, but many are surprised to learn that hes averaged just 42.8 FG% for his career. It almost seems wrong, doesnt it? Well, after shooting 41.9 percent from the field last season, Lillard appears to have turned things around in 2016-17; he enters Monday ranked fourth in the league among all point guards with a 65.4 true shooting percentage.Sacramento Kings: Darren Collison has completed his eight-game suspension and will be available when the Kings host New Orleans on Tuesday. The Kings waived veteran Jordan Farmar on Monday, which will leave Ty Lawson as the other point guard with whom Collison will have to battle for minutes. Collison averaged 30 MPG last season under George Karl, often playing alongside Rajon Rondo, and hell likely see similar minutes under new coach Dave Joerger, but the style of play will be much different. The Kings played at the fastest pace in the league last season (102.2 possessions per game) and enter Monday ranked 2pth (94.9) thus far this season.San Antonio Spurs: Danny Green was recalled from the Developmental League on Monday after missing the first seven games of the season due to a left quad strain. The 29-year-old shot a career-low 37.6 percent last season, far below his 42.8 percent average, and can be expected to play between 23-27 minutes again this season, as he works his way back into the rotation.Toronto Raptors: ESPNs Marc Stein reported Saturday that the Raptors are among the teams that have expressed interest in Philadelphias very available Nerlens Noel, but sources say Torontos initial preference in the wake of losing Jared Sullinger (foot) to injury is to give more minutes to various younger players (such as rookies Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl) so they get first crack at filling the void.Utah Jazz: While Gordon Hayward is getting the attention, as he returns from injury, the struggles of Derrick Favors in his return from IT band syndrome might be the bigger story. This six-year veteran is shooting just 38.5 percent from the floor, nearly 13 percent under his career average of 51.1, and is averaging only 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game. If Favors doesnt start to show improvement in the coming weeks, he could be at risk of losing minutes to Trey Lyles.Washington Wizards: Kelly Oubre Jr.s eye-opening preseason hasnt carried over to the regular season, at least not yet. After playing 22 minutes in the season opener, the 20-year-old, selected 15th overall in 2015, has combined for only 24 minutes over the last three games, including a DNP-CD against Atlanta. Meanwhile, Otto Porter Jr. has picked up the slack by playing 33.4 minutes a game, up from the 30.3 he averaged last season. ' ' '