Around The NHL: RNH Thrives

Who knew that McDavid and Draisaitl injuries would actually help Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?  It’s been a very disappointing season overall, but RNH is closing in a big way.  On Saturday, he scored a hat trick on five shots, playing over 23 minutes in the 5-4 win over the Kraken.  That was his third three-point game in the last four, making RNH a short term hold while he’s hotter than a pistol.  At the least, if he’s available in your league, I would be sure to grab him for his Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back against the Stars and Kraken this week.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:

Bryan Rust – Three goals and two assists with eight shots and two PIM over two games.  This Pittsburgh resurgence has come completely out of nowhere, although they’re still buried in the standings.  Whether or not you should hold Rust comes down to whether or not you can stomach his plus-minus.

Casey Mittelstadt – Goal on three shots over two games.  I brought up Mittelstadt because he is centering Pastrnak for the time being.  That bumps him up to a solid streamer if you need assists.

Jeff Skinner – Three goals on seven shots in his last two games.  He’s getting real ice time now, including on the PP, with the Edmonton injuries.  That puts him in elite streamer territory for the time being.

Tomas Hertl – Hat trick on four shots against Detroit, goal on five shots against the Lightning before leaving the game due to injury.  Hertl has been on fire, reaching hold territory.  Now, that’s in jeopardy.  Hopefully we get a good update today or tomorrow.

Brock Nelson – Three goals and an assist with five shots in his last two games.  Nelson has finally settled into Colorado.  It’s not a slam dunk, but I’ve been holding him in a 10’er, i.e. I’d hold him everywhere.

Filip Forsberg – Three goals and an assist with 15 shots over two games.  Even with a horrible plus-minus, Forsberg is a top 50 player.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he still tops a point per game.

Alex Ovechkin – Two assists with five shots.  Just an incredible season from Ovechkin, no way around it.  He’s been a top 25 forward despite missing over a month.

Logan Cooley – Two goals and an assist with five shots and two PIM.  Cooley is shaping up to a superstar in real life.  He probably won’t quite get to that level in fantasy because of the shot rate, but I’m all in on him from a points perspective.

Quinton Byfield – Two goals and two assists with five shots and two PIM over two games.  The Kings scored seven in back to back games with Byfield making a big impact.  He has eight goals in his last ten games as it looks like he’s finally putting it all together.  He’s on the fringe.

Jonathan Huberdeau – Two goals and three assists with six shots over his last two games.  While he’s not at Florida levels as a playmaker, Huberdeau could actually set a career high in goals.  Yes, it’s aided by a high shooting percentage, but we don’t care.  He’s on the fringe again.

Rasmus Andersson – Three assists with three shots.  Weegar was out so Andersson played over 26 minutes.  His value comes down to whether or not Weegar is in.

Joel Hofer – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 4-1 win over the Blackhawks.  He’s on quite the roll right now, as are the Blues as a team.  I would start both Blues goalies in all matchups for the time being.

Matvei Michkov – Three assists with six shots and two PIM over two games.  He’s cooled off a bit, but the shot rate is gradually impoving and the points are still solid.  He’s going to be a full blown superstar, no doubt about it.

Thomas Harley – Two goals on six shots.  I can’t say enough good things about Harley.  As I said last week, he’s a clear #1 the rest of the way in all formats.

Ryan McLeod – Goal and three assists with two shots on Sunday.  McLeod has provided more offense than ever could have been expected this season.  His value is much bigger in real life as he doesn’t contribute to any of the non-points category in a positive manner, but there’s still lots of deep league value.

Taylor Hall – Hat trick.  With eight points in his last six games, Hall is a solid streamer while he’s a hot schmotato.

Robert Thomas – Goal and three assists with four shots over two games.  He’s back to a point per game and with the shot rate staying over two per game, Thomas is a clear hold everywhere.

Jordan Binnington – 31 saves on 32 shots in the 4-1 win over Nashville.  Same as Hofer above.

Sam Reinhart – Two goals on five shots against the Penguins on Sunday.  He’s proven to be a top 25 player once again.  He’ll be ranked there next season, no doubt about it.

Three Point Challenge:  We will do Tuesday’s games per usual.  You can’t select MacKinnon, Draisaitl, Kucherov, McDavid, Eichel, Connor, Marner, Pastrnak, Bratt, or Makar.  I’ll go with a Guentzel revenge game against the Penguins.

That’s all for now guys.  I’ll be back on Wednesday recapping the action over the next two nights.  As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below.  Best of luck to everyone in H2H playoffs and down the final stretch for their roto leagues.  Thanks for reading, take care!