Both divisions in the Western Conference are in the midst of a three way battle that will have a major impact throughout the playoffs. The Blackhawks found themselves playing three games in a row against their competitors and lost their third in a row. The Blackhawks were thoroughly dominated on Monday night by the Kings, losing 5-0 at home. Jonathan Quick posted the shutout for L.A. stopping all 32 shots he faced. Quick is currently the number 4 fantasy goaltender on the season with better numbers across the board than last season. The Kings remained in first in the Pacific while the Blackhawks remained in third. They have overcome being on the road before but it still makes things quite difficult for Chicago. On the other hand, the Kings getting home ice, a situation they’re rarely in, would be a nice bonus against the Ducks or Sharks. Expect Quick to get the majority of the starts down the stretch to be one of the biggest difference makers in the fantasy playoffs. Here’s what I saw around the league Monday night (spoiler: lots of goals!):
Roberto Luongo – 25 saves on 28 shots in the 3-2 loss to the Islanders. Luongo was cruising until he allowed 3 goals in the last 7:10 of the third to blow the game. For those who have daily moves, Al Montoya is getting the start tomorrow against the Canadiens and is a strong stream.
Aleksander Barkov – Goal and an assist with four shots. Outside of being a blank in PIM, he’s well on his way to becoming a fantasy star.
Jonathan Huberdeau – Two assists and two shots. It doesn’t look like it yet since he’s played 16 less games than last year but Huberdeau has improved across the board this year. He’ll be 23 going into next season and should continue to slightly improve as he inches towards his prime.
Thomas Greiss -23 saves on 25 shots in the win. It hasn’t been as great as it was since he’s taken over but Greiss should get all of the starts he can handle down the stretch with the Isles battling for home ice. Keep rolling him.
Josh Bailey – Goal on three shots. Streamer success! As long as he’s with John Tavares (assist and a shot), he’s a viable streamer.
Kris Versteeg – Goal and an assist with two shots. He was bumped up to the first line on Monday against his old team and delivered. Versteeg will be an elite streamer if he sticks in that role.
Luke Schenn – Two assists with two shots. And there’s your annual Luke Schenn update!
Vincent Lecavalier – Goal on two shots with two PIM. He’s a bottom end streamer at this point because the shots just aren’t there.
Troy Brouwer – Two assists and four shots. He’s been playing well lately but I’d rather leave him on the wire to stream.
Paul Stastny – Two goals. That’s seven points in the last four for Stastny. The minutes are there so he should be held in 12’ers although it’s close to bottom end.
Robby Fabbri – Assist with two shots and two PIM. More streamer success! He’s pushing hold status for me right now in 12’ers and will be one of my favorite players to target next season towards the end of drafts.
Michael Frolik – Three goals on seven shots. He’s a decent streamer with the minutes being up lately but I still wouldn’t hold Frolik.
Dougie Hamilton – Three assists. I’ve said it a bunch recently but it’s worth repeating: I think Hamilton is be undervalued next season because he burned a lot of people this year. He’s still only 22 years old so the next step in his progression should still happen.
Johnny Gaudreau – Three assists and a shot. Career highs across the board for Johnny Hockey now. Only thing stopping him from being among the top 20 is the PIM. He’s not far outside of it though.
Sean Monahan – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Like Hamilton, this year feels disappointing for Monahan until you realize he’s still only 21 and repeating his sophomore season isn’t a bad thing. Could be undervalued next season.
Mark Giordano – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. He’s just inside the top 20 defensemen which isn’t bad considering the disaster he was the first two months.
James Neal – Hat trick on four shots in the 3-2 win over the Oilers. Neal has been dominate across the board this season and is quietly a top 20 forward on the season. Not bad for a guy people expected to drop off after leaving Pittsburgh.
Calle Jarnkrok – Two assists and two shots. He’s a decent streamer but doesn’t put up the shot volume necessary to be a hold.
Connor McDavid – Assist and a shot. It really hurt his owners not having him for months this year but if he keeps playing 23 minutes down the stretch, McDavid should be a huge difference maker.
Jordan Eberle – Goal. At this point, we know what we are getting from Eberle on an annual basis. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the guy the Oilers move for a defenseman this offseaosn.
Michael Hutchinson – 26 saves on 28 shots in the 5-2 win over the Canucks. He came out of nowhere to be a big factor last season but Hutchinson has been brutal this season on the whole. I could see him lasting in the league as a backup but I don’t see much long term upside.
Marko Dano – Two goals and an assist with four shots and two PIM. My man! If you’ve been following from the beginning, you know how much I love Dano. I will want him on every single team next season. It still amazes me that he was in the minors for almost the entire season.
Mathieu Perreault – Two assists with a shot. He’s on a nice assist streak putting him firmly on the streaming radar for the time being.
Tyler Myers – Goal and an assist with four shots. It’s a shame that his rookie season was a fluke offensively because he looked to be a future superstar. Instead, he’s a nice guy on your second pair and somebody who has value in only 14’ers or deeper.
Alex Burmistrov – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. He’s a prime example of somebody who is a nice player in real life but holds little value in fantasy.
Mark Scheifele – Goal on two shots. Kid is hotter than a pistol and only going to get better.
Jake Virtanen – Goal on his only shot playing over 16 minutes. He arguably has the most upside of all of the young talent the Canucks have. He’s a very nice player in dynasties while I can see him being a last round flier next season in 12’ers.
Jared McCann – Goal on three shots. McCann also has a high ceiling, just not as high as Virtnanen’s.
Keith Kinkaid – 18 saves on 24 shots in the 7-1 loss to the Ducks. Yikes. This is why he’s in the “desperate for starts” category. The Devils could easily fall apart the rest of the season.
Devante Smith-Pelly – Goal on three shots. He was even +1 in a 7-1 loss. He will stay one of my favorite streamers down the stretch.
Jakob Silfverberg – Three goals and an assist with four shots. Three hat tricks in one night with only six games! I expected Silfverberg to take a step forward this season at 25 years old but it never happened. He’s a viable streamer although there are generally guys I prefer over him.
Ryan Kesler – Goal and two assists. In general, his game is really starting to decline and is only useful because of his PIM.
Andrew Cogliano – Goal and two assists with three shots and two PIM. Another guy who has a nice role in real life but doesn’t do enough in fantasy on a regular basis.
Korbinian Holzer – Two assists with a shot. And there’s your annual Korbinian Holzer update!
Josh Manson – Two assists with two shots. His minutes are coming up right now but Manson doesn’t have the offensive role necessary outside of the deepest of leagues.
Rickard Rakell – Assist and two shots. All three streamers had a point yesterday which is excellent. I’d hold Rakell right now in 12’ers.
Ryan Getzlaf – Four shots and -1 in the 7-1 win. What the? Not often you see that from Getzlaf. The shots are up a lot lately which is nice to see.
Fredrik Andersen – 24 saves on 25 shots in the win. Just roll your Ducks goalies without even thinking about it.
Tuesday Streamers – There are eight games on the slate tonight giving us plenty of options to choose from. Here are my three favorite:
Charlie Coyle (26.5%) – Again it’s a little higher than my normal streamer but Coyle is still widely available and should be owned in 12’ers. The matchup with the Senators is outstanding as well.
Kris Versteeg (5.1%) – See above. Look for the Kings to make another statement against the Stars tonight.
Joonas Donskoi (0.3%) – He’s on the second line and second power play unit right now. I expect the Sharks-Bruins game to be wide open tonight.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Tuesday recapping tonight’s action. As always, feel free to leave any comments and ask any questions below. Take care everyone!
