Here is what I wrote about the Blues in my 31 predictions post: “Carter Hutton starts at least half of the games the rest of the way. There’s no way around it, he’s been much better than Jake Allen. You can tell Mike Yeo knows it lately as Hutton is starting to get more starts. Hutton is still available in over 75% of leagues; I’d go grab him now just because of the potential upside.” And that’s me quoting me copying what Grey does! Hutton received the start on Tuesday and stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Blues’ 3-1 win over Toronto. Hutton has started 17 games and has the best GAA and sv% in the league for qualified goalies. Is he going to stay at this level? Of course not. Could Hutton be a top 15 goalie the rest of the way if he gets 25+ starts? Absolutely. He didn’t have the best performance in the league over the last two nights but Hutton’s might be the most relevant. It’s worth repeating that you should pick up Hutton right now because he’s good enough to potentially be a huge difference maker in fantasy leagues this year. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Jamie Benn – 3 assists with 5 shots and 2 PIM over two games. Benn has been his usual self. That’s to say, a six category stud.
Alexander Radulov – Goal and two assists with three shots and four penalty minutes. Five game point streak for Radulov who has been excellent all season. The jump in shot rate to well over two per game has made a world of difference.
Jason Spezza – Two goals on four shots Tuesday after being scratched on Monday. It was encouraging to see Spezza go right back on the first power play unit. That said, it’ll take a few more games before I even consider using him.
John Klingberg – Three assists with five shots over two games. That gives Klingberg an eight game point streak. He’s also topped last year’s disappointing assist total. 60 assists for the season isn’t even out of the question.
Jonathan Bernier – 33 saves on 34 shots in the 3-1 win over the Ducks. Like his team, Bernier is on fire right now. He has six straight wins allowing seven goals total in those games. Bernier is must own while he’s playing this well.
Martin Jones – 35 saves on 36 shots in the 4-1 win over the Kings. Jones really needed this game given his recent struggles. He’s never been a fantasy superstar but he should get a little better, specifically in wins.
Aaron Dell – 30 saves on 32 shots in the 3-2 SO win over Arizona. Dell has been strong but I still expect Jones to get 2 out of every 3 starts, if not more, if he gets back to playing at his normal level.
Joonas Donskoi – Two assists with two shots on Monday; goose eggs across the board on Tuesday. He looks solid lately but Donskoi is only a middling streamer.
Dylan DeMelo – Two assists with three shots, +3 on Monday. One shot Tuesday. DeMelo could eventually turn into a decent deep league option but for now, he’s just waiver wire fodder.
Brad Richardson – Goal and an assist with two shots. And there’s your annual Brad Richardson update!
Antti Raanta – 20 saves on 22 shots getting the shootout loss. I still think Raanta is a viable option in decent matchups, mostly at home.
Andreas Athanasiou – Goal and an assist playing over 19 minutes. The minutes are huge right now and Athanasiou has 9 points in his last 8 games, including a few games with massive shot totals. He’s back to elite streamer status for the time being.
Tyler Bertuzzi – Two assists with two shots. The 22 year old has seven points in his last seven games. He’s an okay streaming option but I’ll probably look elsewhere unless I’m specifically looking for assists.
Keith Kinkaid – 25 saves on 26 shots in the 4-1 win over the Islanders. Cory Schneider was out with an illness and Kinkaid truly stepped up. I probably wouldn’t use him unless I was desperate.
Damon Severson – Two goals on five shots. I had high hopes at one point for Severson but that time has come and gone. He is only 23 but they don’t count on him offensively and I don’t see that changing.
Jesper Bratt – Two assists. The shot rate has gone completely down the tubes, the PIM are low, the points are fine but nothing special. I’m okay with streaming him but he’s far from a hold. That said, he is only 19 years old so the potential is still there.
Brian Elliott – 16 saves on 21 shots through 2 periods before being pulled in the 5-1 loss to the Rangers. At what point are the Flyers going to relegate Elliott to backup duty for Michal Neuvirth (8/8 saves in the third)? Elliott isn’t a complete dumpster fire like the Carolina goalies but he’s clearly below average.
Rick Nash – Two goals on seven shots. I’m very interested to see if the Rangers move Nash come deadline day. He certainly has a lot of appeal for his two way game and his ability to generate shots.
Henrik Lundqvist – 25 saves on 26 shots earning the win. He’s been nothing short of spectacular this season.
Paul Stastny – Two assists with three shots. Stasnty is one of those guys who is right on the fringe teetering between hold and streamer depending on how he’s playing. Right now, he has 8 points in his last 6 games so I’m probably keeping him for his next two games, Thursday at Ottawa and Saturday against the Coyotes.
Vince Dunn – Goal on seven shots. I’m posting about him not because of anything for this season, but because I don’t want people to forget that I believe Dunn has excellent fantasy potential down the line.
Frederik Andersen – The save percentage has moved into elite territory. The GAA keeps him from being a top end #1 but it looks like Andersen will settle in around the 10th overall mark for goalies this year. Not too shabby.
Juuse Saros – 43 save shutout in the 1-0 win over Vegas. Long term readers know my love for Saros goes deep. I have no doubt that one day, he will be an elite goaltender in the NHL. If you’re in a dynasty league and at the bottom of your standings, I would be targeting Saros as a keeper.
Ryan Johansen – Left Tuesday’s game after a hit to the head, did not return. Viktor Arvidsson was also placed on IR after being hurt in practice Monday so the Predators are really hurting offensively at the moment. I’ll wait for a prognosis before making any rash judgments but Kyle Turris could be the biggest beneficiary.
Marc-Andre Fleury – 26 saves on 27 shots getting the tough luck loss. The numbers are outrageous and are only getting better. It’s a damn shame Fleury had the concussion earlier in the year because he’s be in Vasilevskiy territory at this current rate.
Corey Crawford – It’s just a report, but there’s fear within the Blackhawks organization, according to Elliott Friedman of Sportsnet and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, that Crawford could miss the rest of the season with vertigo-like symptoms. It’s a damn shame for Crawford who is dealing with this for the second time in his career while he’s having an incredible season. You can stick a fork in Chicago’s season if he’s out for the rest of the year. I guess that means Jeff Glass and Anton Forsberg will be getting all of the starts going forward. Glass and Forsberg have been mediocre at best so I’d only use them in the best spots.
That’s all for now guys. The plan is to have a podcast come out at some point Thursday with the next set of daily notes on Friday. We will be doing the Three Point Challenge for Thursday’s games so feel free to make your pick in the comments section below, along with any questions, comments, or podcast suggestions. Thanks for reading, take care!
