Well, we have a clear winner for craziest game of the season. Toronto went up 6-1 and 7-2 going into the third, only to allow four goals in the first 5:21 of the second, only to end up pulling away from the Red Wings. 10-7! 10-7!!! Absolutely bonkers. Toronto scored ten goals and didn’t even have a power play. The top line destroyed Detroit, led by Mitch Marner, who had four goals and two assists with six shots and two PIM. Michael Bunting had a goal and four assists with four shots, while Auston Matthews had a goal and three assists with four shots. Look, we know what we’re getting from Marner and Matthews. Bunting I’m still torn on. Even in this game, Bunting played under 14 minutes. It’s hard to sustain success with that workload. On the other hand, that line is as good as any in hockey right now, and Bunting has been going off. I’m still leaning towards elite streamer, but I can’t argue with anyone holding him. Seventeen goals in a game! Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Games
Dylan Cozens – Goal and an assist with three shots. Cozens has had a solid second season. He’s never going to be a fantasy star, but when the Sabres get him better linemates, he probably takes off.
Kyle Okposo – Goal and an assist. Okposo has been solid but he’s still only a middling streamer.
Jordan Kyrou – Two goals and an assist with four shots. I’m completely in on Kyrou going forward. I think it can get even better, but he’s a hold now regardless.
Ivan Barbashev – Three assists with two shots and two PIM. He’s a solid streamer, but Barbashev’s role keeps changing so I have little interest in holding.
Justin Faulk – Two assists with a shot and four PIM. It’s not exciting, but Faulk is definitely a hold.
Frederik Andersen – 19 save shutout in the 4-0 win over Columbus. Things couldn’t be going any better for Andersen this season.
Nino Niederreiter – Goal and an assist with two shots. Nino has been solid lately, but I still have him as a middling streamer.
Patrick Kane – Hat trick and an assist with six shots. Even with four points, Kane was -2. This is more proof that even though he’s dropped off at even strength, Kane can crush.
Brandon Hagel – Hat trick on five shots with two PIM. Two hat tricks in one game! Hagel is a solid streamer as long as he’s with Kane.
Seth Jones – Three assists with a shot. Even though Chicago has disappointed, Jones has bounced back in a nice way in Chicago. Solid #2 fantasy defenseman.
Alex DeBrincat – Three assists with five shots. DeBrincat still doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being an offensive dynamo.
Jonas Siegenthaler – Goal and two assists with four shots. Siegenthaler has taken a nice step forward this season for real hockey, but he’s still a fantasy afterthought.
Jack Hughes – Goal and two assists with five shots. Hughes is looking like a future fantasy superstar. He’s looking like a top 25 guy for next season already.
Damon Severson – Two assists. Severson is on the fringe now with Dougie back, although if he’s traded to the right spot, Severson could definitely be a hold.
Jesper Bratt – Two goals on five shots. The Bratt breakout is real. Slam dunk hold.
Pierre-Luc Dubois – Two assists with seven shots and twelve PIM. Quite the game from Dubois. He’s fallen off a bit lately, but PLD is still an easy hold.
Gabriel Landeskog – Hat trick on seven shots. The Kog has should easily set a career high in goals despite missing some time. Absolute monster season.
Mikko Rantanen – Three assists with three shots and four PIM. The big guns could not be stopped in this one. I don’t feel the need to go through everybody, but there’s no question in my mind who the top line in the league is.
Nathan MacKinnon. Two goals on fourteen shots. 14!!! It’s been forever since somebody had 14 shots on goal. My god. He’s so damn good.
Scott Wedgewood – 43 saves on 44 shots in the 3-1 win over Vegas. For as bad as they are, Arizona does get some crazy goaltending games. That said, Wedgewood is still only a desperation play.
Nick Schmaltz – Two goals on four shots. Man, Schmaltz is a borderline hold right now that he’s hotter than a pistol. I lean elite streamer, but it’s close.
Jakob Chychrun – Two assists. He’s not a hold right now, but I don’t mind grabbing him soon only for having Chychrun when he’s inevitably moved.
Jonathan Quick – 24 saves on 25 shots in the 4-1 win over the Ducks. It’s not exciting, but Quick is a middling to bottom end #2 which is clearly enough to hold.
Adrian Kempe – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Kempe playing at a 40 goal pace this season is bonkers. No doubt hold at this point.
Anze Kopitar – Goal and an assist with four shots. Still a superstar through and through.
Saturday’s Games:
Cam Atkinson – Goal and an assist with two shots. Atkinson has been one of the few bright spots for the Flyers. Still an easy hold.
Carter Hart – 27 saves on 28 shots in the 2-1 win over the Capitals. Hart has bounced back, but the team in front of him is much worse. I’d still lean towards holding in redrafts, but it’s worth debating.
Derek Ryan – Hat trick on four shots. Good for Ryan, but this is a one time deal for him.
Connor McDavid – Two assists with four shots and two PIM. Doesn’t it feel like McDavid is going to go on a big run and end up winning the points race by double digits? It does to me.
Aleksander Barkov – Two goals on ten shots. Barkov dreams of playing the Oilers frequently just so he can play 25 minutes. Borderline first rounder for next season.
Anthony Duclair – Two assists with three shots. Duclair has been stuck on the first power play unit so I lean towards a bottom end hold depending on your cats.
Tristan Jarry – 27 save shutout in the 1-0 win over the Rangers, making Igor Shesterkin the tough look loser. Jarry has bounced back in a big way, getting back to his level from two years ago. That’s a top 10 goalie. Igor is as good as it gets right now.
Artturi Lehkonen – Two goals on three shots. Big fan of Lehkonen as a player, but it doesn’t translate to fantasy. Only a bottom end streamer.
Andrew Hammond – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 2-1 win over the Senators. Revenge game! The Hamburglar may not play again this season so yeah, fantasy irrelevant.
Steven Stamkos – Goal and two assists with five shots. Stamkos is quickly approaching 500 goals and has been superb this season, on pace for 41+56. Just stay healthy!
Nikita Kucherov – Goal and an assist with two shots. The highest points per game in the league? Kuch.
Justin Holl – Three assists. Decent player in real life, but defensive defenseman do us nothing in most fantasy formats.
Filip Hronek – Goal and three assists with four shots. Moritz Seider (two assists, three shots) kind of stole Hronek’s thunder. Hronek is stuck on the fringe now, although I lean towards leaving him there.
Lucas Raymond – Two goals and an assist. Raymond is also on the fringe now, although in his case I lean towards holding.
Tyler Toffoli – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Toffoli has taken the fifth spot on the top power play which is enough to make him a hold.
Matthew Tkachuk – Two goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. I was the high man on Tkachuk and he’s still exceeding my expectations this season.
Blake Coleman – Goal and an assist with four shots. If Coleman was on a worse team, he could be a hold again like in Calgary. Now, he’s stuck as a solid streamer.
Elias Lindholm – Two assists with a shot. What, no goal?
Rasmus Andersson – Two assists. Andersson has had the full breakout this season, but it really hasn’t been talked about. He’s a solid #3.
Brad Marchand – Two goals and an assist with eight shots. As an owner of Marchand in the biggest league I play, can you please stay on the ice?
Jeremy Swayman – 15 saves on 16 shots in the 3-1 win over the Sharks. With Rask out of the picture, I think I would hold both Bruins goalies.
Noah Dobson – Two assists with four shots. I’m a massive fan of Dobson’s game. I am going to want all of the shares I can get next season.
Matt Roy – Goal and an assist with two shots. Roy doesn’t do much from a fantasy perspective.
Trevor Moore – Goal and an assist with two shots. Moore has been a pleasant surprise for the Kings on their second line. He’s only a middling streamer, but Moore wasn’t even on the radar to open the season.
Sunday’s Games
Michael Raffl – Two goals on three shots. Raffl is stuck in the Dallas bottom six. No thanks.
Teuvo Teravainen – Goal and an assist with three shots. That’s an eight game point streak for Teravainen who is rapidly approaching a point per game. Great seaosn once again.
Andrei Svechnikov – Two assists with three shots and two PIM. It’s crazy that he’s still 22 years old. Svechnikov is full breaking out and it should come as no surprise. He’s definitely a top 20 guy going forward.
Frederik Andersen – 29 saves on 30 shots in the 2-1 win over the Oilers. Andersen has been much better than anyone could have anticipated. Goalies are voodoo!
Jordan Binnington – 30 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Blackhawks. If anyone knows how Binnington is going to do the rest of the season, good for you, because it seems impossible to figure out. It looks like Husso has the reins for now, but that could change at any time if Binnington goes on one of his patented hot streaks.
David Perron – Two goals on eight shots and two PIM. Perron is starting to show signs of life again on the new STL first line. He’s firmly on the fringe.
Brayden Schenn – Two assists with two shots. Elite streamer.
Kyle Connor – Two goals on five shots. He’s scoring at an insane rate and doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Connor is on a 50+40 pace with almost 4.5 shots per game. Absurd.
Nathan Beaulieu – Two assists with two shots. And there’s your annual Beaulieu update!
Evgeny Svechnikov – Goal and an assist with two shots. He goes from middling streamer to unusable depending if he’s on the second line or not.
Pierre-Luc Dubois – Two assists with six shots and two PIM. After last season’s debacle, the Jets and Jackets are getting what they expected from both Dubois and Laine.
Loui Eriksson – Two assists with two shots. It’s incredible that Loui is still in the league.
Nick Ritchie – Goal and an assist with three shots. Maybe they’ll be some deep league value with consistent minutes because of the hits, but I kind of doubt it.
Jakob Chychrun – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. If you have the room to stash Chychrun until the trade deadline, I would strongly consider it. Otherwise, I’d leave him on the wire.
Barrett Hayton – Goal and an assist with two shots. His goal was incredible showing everyone the talent he has, but he hasn’t put it together yet. I wouldn’t even stream him in deep redrafts.
Evgeni Malkin – Goal and an assist with three shots. Malkin has been everything we could have hoped for in his first 19 games of the season.
Bryan Rust – Two assists with eight shots. Rust has managed to get even better this season. If he didn’t get injured, we’d be talking about him amongst the league’s elite.
Jack Roslovic – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. Roslovic has disappointed after his strong season a year ago. He’s going in and out of the dog house, making him a bottom end streamer.
Tyler Myers – Goal and an assist with two shots. Lots of hits and blocks, but it’s hard to believe it’s the same player from his first few seasons in Buffalo.
J.T. Miller – Two assists. Starting to think the Canucks keep him, which would be great for fantasy, but Miller will be elite either way.
Matthew Highmore – Goal and an assist with two shots. Highmore has been decent for the Canucks, but at the end of the day, he’s still a fourth liner.
Casey Cizikas – Goal and an assist with two shots. Ross Johnston had two assists. No. Just no.
Ilya Sorokin – 34 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Ducks. It’s clearly Sorokin’s crease now which makes him a borderline #1.
Jesper Weatherby – Two assists. Don’t see much here.
James Reimer – 39 saves on 40 shots in the 3-1 win over the Kraken. Reimer was outstanding in this game, especially in the first period. He has to be owned everywhere.
Three Point Challenge: We will do Tuesday’s games per usual. You can’t take McDavid, Huberdeau, Draisaitl, Matthews, Kadri, Rantanen, Gaudreau, Kaprizov, Ovechkin, Stamkos, or M. Thachuk. I’ll go with Jack Hughes against the Blue Jackets.
That’s all for now guys. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. I’ll be back Wednesday with either daily notes, or an updated hold/stream list depending on my travel schedule. Thanks for reading, take care!
