Even the most casual of hockey fans know who Patrick Kane is. Last year, he was well on his way to his best regular season ever until an injury shut him down until the playoffs. This year, he’s well on his away again. In two games over the weekend, Kane had two goals, three assists and nine shots, putting him at 23 points in 15 games this season. A big reason for his big year is his new linemate, the rookie Artemi Panarin. Panarin had two goals, two assists and six shots over the weekend bringing him up to 15 points this year. With the injury to Connor McDavid, Panarin is arguably the front runner for the Calder Trophy now. Kane is pushing the top 5 overall for the rest of the season while Panarin has showed no signs of slowing down and is now a top 50 player.
Here’s what else happened over the weekend:
Petr Mrazek – 32 saves on 33 shots in the 2-1 win over Toronto, then 2 saves in 11 minutes of action on Sunday replacing an injured Jimmy Howard, who left the game after a collision. I’ve advocated owning both all season where possible but if this injury to Howard is serious at all, Mrazek is a borderline top-10 goalie going forward.
James Reimer – 22 saves on 24 shots Friday, losing in overtime to Detroit, then 29 saves on 31 shots in the shootout loss to Washington Saturday. Friday he was fortunate to get to OT with a late Toronto goal only to give up an OT goal to hurt his stats while Saturday the Capitals scored with less than a second left in regulation to cost Reimer the win. His numbers have been solid since being the workhorse after Jonathan Bernier‘s injury but the wins aren’t going to be there. I’m not owning in 12’ers unless I’m desperate for starts.
Dion Phaneuf – Goal on seven shots in two games. Amazingly, Phaneuf is +2 and has been one of the biggest steals in fantasy this year, especially in leagues that count hits and blocked shots. I think it’s pretty clear at this point he should be owned in any league with 10 or more people.
Morgan Rielly – Two assists with six shots. Consistently looks like a threat for the Leafs and with 10 points in 14 games, he’s been a solid value. He only has two power play points as well so there’s upside for even more improvement.
Corey Crawford – 10 saves on 13 shots before being pulled after the first period on Friday; bounced back with 34 saves on 36 shots in the win Sunday. Two horrible games makes Crawford’s stats for the season look average and if you had him in head to head leagues, that absolutely ruined your week. I still like Crawford plenty going forward.
Artem Anisimov – Goal and assist with two shots. Must be nice to be the third wheel with Kane and Panarin. Still only streaming him in 12’ers.
Michael Cammalleri – Two goals and an assist with five shots in two games. I have no idea what to make of this Devils team. They’re 8-5-1 and somehow scoring a lot of goals. What I do know is Cammalleri is a must-own fantasy player that I wouldn’t look to sell high on. The rest of the Devils (who are up next), I would strongly consider selling high on. I expect them to fall off sooner than later.
Adam Henrique – Goal, assist, eight shots and 5 PIM. He’s the only Devil I’d consider holding and not selling high. The Devils are finally giving him some freedom offensively instead of using him in a defensive role like in the past.
Kyle Palmieri – Two goals, two assists, eight shots and 2 PIM. Six of his 10 points are on the power play and that’s completely unsustainable. Four even strength points in 13 games isn’t going to get it done. Sell him if possible.
Lee Stempniak – Goal, three assists with two shots. I mean, I guess I like Stempniak a bit considering he plays with Cammalleri and Henrique but there’s no guarantee that lasts. I don’t know, I just can’t expect this type of production to keep up.
Travis Zajac – Goal, assist, one shot and 2 PIM. Hotter than a pistol right now but he has 6 goals on 18 shots for the season. Regression is in the near future.
Kari Lehtonen – 30 saves on 31 shots Friday, then 21 saves on 22 shots Sunday, both 4-1 wins for Dallas. Platooning the Stars goalies this season has been amazing for all owners. Lindy Ruff seems to be giving a goalie 2 or 3 starts in a row before turning to the other one. I’d try my best to own both if I own Lehtonen or Antti Niemi.
Jamie Benn – Assist on five shots in 2 games. One point only? What a bum.
Tyler Seguin – Goal, two assists, four shots and 2 PIM. Only four shots? What a bum.
Patrick Sharp – Two goals, assist and five shots. Okay, I won’t call him a bum. I’ll just say that this point streak was inevitable like I repeatedly mentioned.
John Klingberg – Two assists with four shots. He seems to get his shots in bunches so hopefully we see more games like that in the future.
Justin Faulk – Goal, assist, nine shots and two PIM. All of his goals have been on the power play which is a bit odd. I’d be worried about if if he didn’t have 0 power play assists. That should balance itself out. Faulk looks primed for a massive year, especially if you ignore plus-minus.
Eric Staal – Two assists with four shots. Shot rate is starting to decrease which is a bit worrisome but still has a solid 9 points in 14 games.
Jordan Staal – Two goals and an assist with six shots. Meh, I still don’t want anything to do with the lesser brother.
Henrik Lundqvist – 29 saves on 30 shots in the 2-1 win over Colorado. Not much to see here.
Rick Nash – Missed both games over the weekend. Doesn’t sound serious at all so I’d have him in my active lineup in leagues that set their lineup weekly unless you have a great alternative.
Kevin Hayes – Goal and an assist with eight shots and two PIM. The minutes aren’t great but his shot rate has improved quite a bit from last year plus he has 10 points in 14 games. Big fan of Hayes in dynasty leagues and should be solid for the rest of the season.
Chris Kreider – Goal and an assist with six shots and two PIM. Kreider has had a disappointing season so far but with only one power play point, I expect his pace to pick up soon.
Oscar Lindberg – Goal and an assist with four shots and six PIM. Like his linemate Hayes, the minutes aren’t great but he has 11 points in 14 games. His seven goals on 25 shots isn’t sustainable but coach Alain Vigneault is using the third line as a unit to take advantage of easy matchups so I do like Lindberg going forward.
Ryan McDonagh – Two assists with four shots and two PIM. The arrival of Keith Yandle (two assists, five shots) has really hurt McDonagh. He only has 3 points and 24 shots in 14 games. I’d drop him in 12’ers if you still have him.
Nathan MacKinnon – Goal on six shots in the 2-1 loss to the Rangers. Firmly in the top 25 for the rest of the season.
Mikael Backlund – Three assists with two shots in the 5-2 win over Pittsburgh Saturday. Doubled his point total for the season. The Flames top 6 should do well going forward but Backlund might be the least appealing of the group; at best he’s 5th. I’m not owning in 12’ers.
Sam Bennett – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. He’s finally starting to show the upside that made me put him in the top 100 preseason. Considering the horrible start, 9 points in 14 games is acceptable. Now we just need the shot rate to increase.
Johnny Gaudreau – Two goals on two shots with an assist. Up to 17 points in 15 games. Johnny Hockey!
Sean Monahan – Goal and an assist with five shots. I’m most excited about the five shots. His shot rate has taken a huge hit compared to last season. He also has zero power play points so far; a breakout could be coming.
Phil Kessel – Two goals on seven shots in two games over the weekend. Looks much more comfortable playing with Evgeni Malkin (assist with three shots) than he did with Sidney Crosby (assist with six shots and 2 PIM). With only one power play goal in 14 games, I still expect a surge.
Jeff Zatkoff – 27 saves on 28 shots in the win over Edmonton. I’m not sure he will get more starts going forward but I’ll be looking to stream him when he does start.
Oscar Klefbom – Goal and an assist with six shots and 2 PIM in two games. The shots have been generally poor but if you’re in need of power play points, he’s a solid option.
Jordan Eberle – Goal on five shots. Good to see him back.
Scott Hartnell – Scored both goals on his only shots in the 4-2 loss to Anaheim Friday; he also had 4 PIM. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down yet.
Ryan Getzlaf – Four assists with two shots in two games. Maybe the time off helped Getzlaf. Like I mentioned in the advanced stats article, a run from the Ducks is coming and it starts with the first line,
Corey Perry – Goal and three assists with four shots and 2 PIM. Hot streak coming.
Patrick Maroon – Goal and assist with four shots. Great streamer when he’s playing on the first line but he’s been bouncing around so I wouldn’t hold him in 12’ers.
Fredrik Andersen – 34 saves on 36 shots in the 4-2 win over Columbus. Three days later, he’s still confused as to how he received four goals of support. Oh, the Ducks weren’t going to shoot 4% all year? Look to acquire Andersen if you can.
Anton Khudobin – 31 save shutout over the Sharks. Doesn’t play much but a solid streamer when he does.
Linus Ullmark – 35 saves on 37 shots in the 3-2 win over the Canucks. Absolutely stole this game for Buffalo. That’s his fourth straight start so the Sabres look to be leaning on him for the near term. Considering his one poor start was against Tampa, I don’t expect him to play against them on Tuesday but he should be back in the net after that. The Sabres schedule is brutal in November but I’m still grabbing Ullmark for now if you need starts.
Jack Eichel – Two assists and a shot. What, you thought he would finish the year with zero assists? Hot streak coming.
Rasmus Ristolainen – Two goals on five shots. Mmmm I love me some Risto. Nice to be the only person who had him in the top 300 (I had top 200) and while the +/- is poor right now, everything looks great going forward, especially in dynasty leagues.
Nick Bjugstad – Goal on two shots. Starting to get rolling while getting top line minutes in the absence of Aleksander Barkov.
Jeff Carter – Goal and an assist with four shots and 2 PIM. Milan Lucic had a goal on two shots and Tyler Toffoli had two assists. This line has been outstanding and should continue to be so going forward.
Patrice Bergeron – Goal and two assists with nine shots and 4 PIM in two games. As good as Bergeron is in real hockey, I’d be looking to sell high in fantasy. He has 9 power play points in 14 games. That’s completely unsustainable.
David Krejci – Two assists with three shots and six PIM. I keep waiting for Krejci to slow down and it just won’t happen.
Alex Galchenyuk – Two assists and two shots. The shot rate has been poor and only 11:35 of ice time Saturday was disappointing but 11 points in 16 games is about where he should be. Still a big fan in dynasty leagues.
Brendan Gallagher – Two assists and a shot. Another guy I keep waiting to slow down but he keeps producing.
Nicklas Backstrom – Goal and an assist with two shots. He’s over a point per game on the season despite staying on the second line. Maybe people will start to give him the credit he deserves.
Alex Ovechkin – Goal on eight shots and the shootout winner. Again, no surprise. You expect this line from him against Toronto.
Michal Neuvirth – 28 save shutout against the Jets Saturday. He has three wins this year and they’re all shutouts. If you’re desperate for a goaltender, you can do worse than Neuvirth.
Claude Giroux – Two assists and four shots. He still hasn’t gotten going yet and it should only be a matter of time.
Jake Allen – 45 save shutout. It’s his job going forward, there’s no doubt about it. He’s a slam dunk top 10 goalie rest of season if he becomes the workhorse.
Colton Parayko – Goal on four shots. His minutes dropped with the return of Kevin Shattenkirk but he still has plenty of value. I’d probably sell high if I could but I wouldn’t blame someone for holding.
Alex Steen – Goal and an assist with three shots and 2 PIM. Through 14 games, Steen’s line is 8/5/+4/3 STP / 48 SOG / 18 PIM. That’s amazing; he’d easily be a top 20 player if that held. Again, the injury risk is there but I’m holding and praying he stays healthy.
Devan Dubnyk – 31 save shutout in the 1-0 win over Tampa Bay. He’s had a mediocre start to the season at best but he’s starting to lock in. With the injury to Zach Parise, I expect the Wild to play a tighter game which should boost Dubnyk’s numbers.
Streamers for Monday: There’s only one game tonight, Arizona at Anaheim, so here’s a few guys if you want to get some extra starts in early in the week:
Patrick Maroon (0.8% owned) – See above. First line right now and a great matchup with Arizona.
Chris Stewart (1%) – Mostly going with the matchup here. You never know what you’re going to get with Stewart but there’s big upside.
Tobias Rieder (24.1%) – Don’t like the matchup a lot but with only one game, pickings are slim. Rieder is on the first line and taking over three shots per game so he could surprise.
That’s all for now guys. With only one game, I won’t have a recap for Tuesday. Instead, I’ll be writing an update on the RCL’s and how things look so far. Be on the lookout for commentator articles as well. As always, feel free to comment or ask any questions below. Take care everyone!
