We’re back with part two of this two part series. In today’s post, I am going to talk about the rest of the league that I didn’t talk about on Monday and hit on one or two things that are interesting for fantasy hockey. After today, I will be back to normal daily notes on Wednesday. Let’s get to it!
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Montreal is falling apart at the moment having lost their last eight games. Carey Price has been a disaster with his season numbers below .900 sv% and his GAA above 3. It’s to the point where I wouldn’t be playing him every night. With the Islanders on the second of a back-to-back, I don’t mind playing him tonight, but I definitely wouldn’t play him against Colorado later in the week.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Juuse Saros received three starts in a row before Pekka Rinne posted a shutout. Saros beat the Blues twice before losing a game with 0.3 seconds left to Vegas (followed by an OT winner). I know the overall numbers haven’t been great for either goalie, but I do think it’s going to be better going forward.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
The Devils are currently missing Jack Hughes and have done a massive line shuffle. The only guys who are easy holds are Hall and Palmieri. Even Nico Hischier and P.K. Subban aren’t automatic holds right now. Subban is nice for the PIM and SOG, but 5 points and a -10 rating (before Monday’s game) is simply unplayable.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Honestly, nothing has really changed for the Islanders. Brock Nelson has solidified himself as a hold but that’s about it.
NEW YORK RANGERS
The Rangers are on a massive tear right now and while it’s somewhat unsustainable in terms of winning, their offense looks legit. Adam Fox is an easy hold in all formats while Brendan Lemieux has moved up to a great streamer now that he’s on the left wing with Zibanejad and Buchnevich.
OTTAWA SENATORS
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is finally getting power play time! He’s still available in almost 40% of leagues and I don’t understand it. Anthony Duclair is also approaching an elite shot rate and while I’d prefer to stream him, it’s very close.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
The Flyers are really trying to get Morgan Frost going offensively since his recall as he’s currently centering Giroux and Konecny. Sure, he only has 2+1 in 7 games, but he does have three shots per game. I’d like to see Vigneault have faith in him throughout the entire game to make sure Frost gets true first line minutes, but he’s a player to keep an eye on going forward.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
While the Penguins haven’t been a disaster without Crosby, they have been defensively. Matt Murray has been dreadful lately and he’s an even more extreme case than Price. I would still be holding Murray, but I wouldn’t be playing him until whichever game of the back-to-back he gets this coming weekend against the Coyotes or Red Wings.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Martin Jones has played his way into a step above desperation with his recent play. Their schedule is pretty brutal in the short term though. Brent Burns has really taken a step back and it looks like his decline phase has begun. I wouldn’t be trying to buy low as his shot rate has plummeted.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
What the Blues are doing despite Tarasenko going down is quite impressive. Jaden Schwartz has picked it up lately and is starting to get more ice time. He’s available in 45% of leagues and he’s making a strong case to be held.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Ondrej Palat has played his way back into elite streamer status. He’s playing with Point and Kucherov on the first line and getting second power play time. The shot rate has been better as well. They’re playing every other day this week which isn’t necessarily ideal for streaming, but use Palat while he’s playing well.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Ilya Mikheyev is right on the fringe of hold vs. streamer but is available in over 80% of leagues. Keefe has him on Tavares’ wing and that’s not going to change any time soon. Now imagine how good it could be with Marner as the right winger, and Marner should be back in the next week or so. Mikheyev is my favorite spec add at the moment.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
How is Quinn Hughes still available in 25% of leagues? Makes no sense. Granted, I ranked him super aggressively as a top 25 D so I own him everywhere, but he’s been terrific. Also, Tanner Pearson is relevant again? Pearson is playing very well on Horvat’s wing and gets PP2 time. He’s a solid streamer now and I didn’t expect that to happen again.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Neither guy is exciting, in fact I would call both yawnstipating in these parts, but Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt should be held in 12’ers. Theodore is available in almost 50% of leagues despite decent points and a quality shot rate. Schmidt is available in about 75% of leagues and has 10 points in 16 games. He’s also doing it all at even strength and the power play points should be coming. Vegas should straighten things out sooner than later and these guys should be a part of it.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Until Backstrom comes back, Lars Eller is an elite streamer. Unfortunately, that might be tonight. The good news is that after a brutal start, Braden Holtby is 6-1-1 with a 2.18/.929 stat line. There is some hope there unlike most of the other guys I had in a tier with Holtby in the preseason. Also, if you need help, pick up Ilya Samsonov because he’ll be starting Wednesday against the Kings.
WINNIPEG JETS
Neal Pionk is running the first power play unit. It seems to be consistently shifting between Pionk and Morrissey, but even if it’s a short term thing, Pionk is worth grabbing.
THREE POINT CHALLENGE
We will be doing the three point challenge for Tuesday night. That means you can pick a player to get three points on Tuesday, but they can not be in the top 10 in the NHL in points. We have a massive tie in 10th in points as of this writing, so that means you can not take the following: McDavid, Draisiaitl, Marchand, Pastrnak, MacKinnon, Carlson, Eichel, P. Kane, Panarin, Ovechkin, Matthews, Pettersson, Huberdeau, Barkov. For Tuesday’s games, my pick will be Mark Stone against the Devils.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Wednesday recapping the action from Tuesday night. Be sure to ask any questions, give any comments, or leave any suggestions below. Feel free to make Three Point Challenge picks in the comments section as well. Thanks for reading, take care!
