Protas Pumped For Hats

The big man has caught fire for Washington.  Aliaksei Protas had his first career hat trick on Tuesday against the Ducks, scoring three goals on six shots.  He has seven points in his last three games, bringing him to 28+3o in 65 games.  Even with a poor shot rate, he’s a no brainer hold, especially considering his +39 rating.  I was absolutely shocked to see that he’s available in over 60% of leagues still.  Even the shot rate is starting to improve, as Protas has 26 SOG in his last ten games.  Protas is still only 24 years old and has greatly increased his stock in dynasties as well.   Yes, the shooting percentage has to regress over time.  After all, he had only 6 goals last season shooting 5.3%, and now he’s well over 20%.  Even with that impending regression, he’s getting to the right areas and Washington has turned into a powerhouse.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:

Jake Sanderson – Three assists with two shots over two games.  The plus-minus is rough, but Sanderson has stepped up to a #3/4 in 12’ers.  It’s only going to get better long term.

Dylan Cozens – Two goals on seven shots over two games.  He was running around like a chicken with his head cut off the first two games, hitting everything that moved but being way out of position.  On Tuesday, his line dominated Philly.  He’s a solid streamer, but I’m not rushing to grab him.

Linus Ullmark – 48 saves on 49 shots in the 2-1 win over the Red Wings.  Talk about stealing a game.  The overall numbers have Ullmark as a solid #2, with the GAA keeping him from a #1.

Scott Wedgewood – 20 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Blackhawks.  Wedgewood has been fantastic for the Avs.  He’s worth streaming every time he starts.

Nathan MacKinnon – Two assists with six shots on Monday, two shots on Tuesday.  He’s already reached 1,000 points in his career.  McDavid is still McDavid, but MacKinnon is right there.

MacKenzie Blackwood – 22 saves on 23 shots as the tough luck loser in the 2-1 SO loss to Filip Gustavsson (27/28) and the Wild.  Blackwood is a borderline top 5 goalie now, while Gustavsson is a bottom end #1/top end #2 with all of Minnesota’s injuries.

Leon Draisaitl – Two assists with four shots.  His point streak is up to 15 games.  Seems good.

Tage Thompson – Two goals on three shots.  He’s found some good chemistry with Norris right away, which is good to see.  He’s not quite at his level from two seasons ago, but Tage is back to playing at a superstar level.

Noah Hanifin – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Bottom end hold with Theodore out.

Pavel Dorofeyev – Goal and an assist with six shots.  Dorofeyev is an elite streamer for goals and shots.  It’s not quite good enough across the board for hold consideration.

Sidney Crosby – Two goals on four shots, both assisted by Rickard Rakell.  Crosby has built a cushion to stay over a point per game, and should become the first player ever to be over a point per game in 20 seasons.  Just a remarkable career.

Mathieu Olivier – Two goals on three shots with two PIM.  One of those depth guys that every team wants, Olivier is an elite streamer for PIM and hits since he isn’t a black hole offensively.

Jesper Bratt – Goal and two assists.  Nice to see Bratt have a big game with J. Hughes out.  The shot rate is actually down which is the opposite of what I expected.

Cody Glass – Two assists. I didn’t expect much from Glass at all, but he went onto the second line before this game.  He’s a mediocre streamer now with upside.

Luke Hughes – Goal and an assist with two shots.  He’s taken on a huge role with Dougie out.  Clear hold in all formats.

David Pastrnak – Goal and an assist with five shots and two PIM.  He’s doing his best to keep Boston near the playoff race.  After a rough start, Pasta is back to his usual levels as a top 10 forward.

Pyotr Kochetkov – 23 saves on 24 shots in the 4-1 win over the Lightning.  Even with a below average save percentage, the GAA and wins are elite.  Clear hold everywhere, even with Andersen healthy for now.

Cole Perfetti – Two assists with three shots.  Middling streamer this season, but I still think Perfetti has another level to his game.

Connor Hellebuyck – 21 saves on 22 shots in the 2-1 win over the Rangers.  Probably should have expected a defensive battle between arguably the two best goalies on the planet.  Hellebuyck has a real chance for a sub 2 GAA which is bonkers.

Alex Ovechkin – Three assists with three shots.  He even let Protas get the empty netter for his hat trick.  Just a remarkable season for Ovechkin, who is staring down Gretzky.

Pierre-Luc Dubois – Goal and two assists with four shots.  Monster surge from Dubois, who has 13 points in 10 games since the Four Nations break.  The shots are up lately as well, making him a clear hold everywhere.

Frank Vatrano – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Decent run for Vatrano, who is a solid streamer for his shot rate.

Drew Helleson – Goal and an assist with two shots.  The former second round pick who went to Anaheim from Colorado for Manson a couple years ago is starting to establish himself in the league.  He already has some deep league value as he provides very good PIM, hits, and blocks.  The offense isn’t there yet for more than that.  Welcome to the Razzball Database!

Pavel Mintyukov – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Mintyukov looked far more promising last season, but Lacombe has passed him by.  That said, Mintyukov is still only 21 years old, so I wouldn’t panic in dynasties.

Juraj Slafkovsky – Goal and two assists with four shots and two PIM.  The top line tore up the Canucks as Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield each had a goal and an assist.  Slafkovsky has not taken the step forward as expected, leaving him as a middling streamer.

Filip Hronek – Goal and an assist with three shots playing almost 28 minutes.  Hughes is out again.  While he’s out, Hronek should be owned everywhere.  When he’s back, it puts Hronek on the fringe, probably on the outside looking in.

Filip Forsberg – Goal and an assist with five shots.  On a team of disappointments, Forsberg is probably the least disappointing.  It’s a far cry from last season, but still very good.

Darcy Kuemper – 33 saves on 34 shots in the 4-1 win over the Islanders.  Talk about a win win trade for the Kings and Capitals.  Kuemper and Dubois were awful last season, and both have been fantastic in their new homes.  I was very bullish on Kuemper compared to ADP in the preseason because of the L.A. system, but he’s exceeded my expectations.  He’s the #6 overall goalie on the season now.

Three Point Challenge:  We will do Thursday’s games per usual.  You can’t select MacKinnon, Draisaitl, Kucherov, McDavid, Pastrnak, Connor, Marner, Eichel, Makar, Keller, Bratt, or Rantanen.  I’ll go with Robert Thomas against the Penguins.

That’s all for now guys.  As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below.  Thanks for reading, take care!