B, B & B Enterprises

Not since Bell and Barksdale were running the streets of Baltimore have we seen a group of B’s dominate like the current top line for the Blackhawks.  Bedard, Burakovsky, and Bertuzzi have recently been put together, and they have been destroying everyone in their path.  In the Chicago 4-0 win over the Flames on Friday, Connor Bedard had a goal and three assists, Andre Burakovsky had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice.  They followed that up with a 5-1 beatdown of the Red Wings, with Bedard having a goal and two assists, while the other two each had a goal and an assist.  Bedard is leading the league in points now, so it’s safe to say that sophomore slump is a thing of the past.  Bertuzzi is doing enough to be held right now, having six goals in his last three games.  Burakovsky is on the fringe while he’s a hot schmotato.  His shot rate is going to determine how much he can sustain this fantasy value.  For the first time in years, things are looking up for the Blackhawks.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:

Friday’s Games

Kirill Kaprizov – Goal and an assist.  The Wild are off to a rough start, but it’s hard to blame Kaprizov, who has 21 points in his first 16 games.

Jonathan Quick – 32 saves on 33 shots in the 4-1 win over the Red Wings.  Quick has been fantastic so far.  He’s not playing much, but he’s worth streaming in almost all matchups for the time being.

Artemi Panarin – Goal and two assists with two shots.  He had a six game pointless streak before this game, tying Panarin’s longest streak in his career.  It’s been a rough start for him, but I’m not overly concerned.

Mika Zibanejad – Two assists with three shots.  The shot rate is great, but Zibenejad is more elite streamer than hold for me right now.  He’s really struggling at even strength.

Alexis Lafreniere – Goal and an assist.  He’s been unlucky in terms of expected goals, but he also hasn’t looked particularly good.  Middling streamer now that he lost his PP1 spot to Cuylle.

Spencer Knight – 33 save shutout against the Flames.  Knight has been a monster and it looks like the great fantasy season is happening a year ahead of schedule.  He looks every bit of a #1 fantasy goalie.

Macklin Celebrini – Goal and an assist with six shots.  Crazy that he was leading the league in points before Bedard passed him on Sunday.  They both aren’t even drinking age in the United States!

Alex Nedeljkovic – 32 saves on 33 shots in the 2-1 win over the Jets.  Nedeljkovic has been solid with a .906, but the Sharks are giving up so many shots that he has a 2.96 GAA.  I’d be selective where I stream him, although his nightly upside makes him an attractive DFS punt goalie.

Saturday’s Games

Jake Allen – 33 saves on 34 shots in the 2-1 win over the Penguins.  Allen’s numbers are excellent.  He’s playing enough to be a clear hold everywhere.

Tim Stutzle – Two goals.  Great start for Stutzle’s, whose shot rate has rebounded at the same time his shooting percentage has gone up.We should get another 30 goal season from him, which would be his first in three years.

Christian Dvorak – Two assists with a shot.  His career looked cooked, but Dvorak has revitalized himself the last two seasons.  He’s off to a solid start in Philly, getting up to bottom end / middling streamer level, with some nice deep league value.

Miro Heiskanen – Two assists.  Massie heater for Heiskanen, who is making last season look like the outlier.

Mavrik Bourque – Goal and an assist with three shots.  I have no doubts that on another team, Bourque would be making a fantasy impact, but it’s too hard in Dallas with his minimal workload.  I like him a lot in dynasties, but for this season, he’s a bottom end streamer.

Wyatt Johnston – Two assists with two shots playing over 22 minutes.  Johnston has been fantastic, and the coaching change is helping all of Dallas’ stars (no pun intended).  DeBoer just didn’t play these guys enough.

Ryan O’Reilly – Two assists with a shot.  Solid streamer.

Nic Hague – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Decent hits and blocks, but Hague only has super deep league value.

Nick Blankenburg – Two assists with a shot.  Somehow, he has a five game point streak.  In 2022-23, Blackenburg had 14 points in 36 games, which feels like a best case pace for him, despite this hot start.

Morgan Geekie – Goal and an assist with three shots.  This meteoric rise from Geekie is extremely difficult to explain.  The good news is we don’t have to do that, we can just enjoy his big offense.  He won’t maintain this shooting percentage, but Geekie has to be held everywhere right now.

Mason Lohrei – Two assists with a shot.  After an ugly start, Lohrei has six points in his last four games.  He’s below a shot per game, so he’s only for deeper leagues.

Morgan Rielly – Two assists with a shot.  Rielly is back to the defense we were accustommed to before last season’s drop off.  The assists are very good, which should put him in the #2/3 range.

Tage Thompson – Goal and an assist with four shots.  Alex Tuch also had a goal and an assist.  It’s been a rough start for Thompson, so hopefully playing with Tuch again can get him back on track.

Sebastian Aho – Goal and an assist with six shots.  In 23 games against the Sabres in his career, Aho has 17 goals and 14 assists.  They have no prayer against him.

Andrei Svechnikov – Goal and an assist with two shots.  He looks to be getting back on track, so I’d bump him into elite streamer for now.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Hard pass in all formats.

Jake Guentzel – Goal and an assist.  Business per usual for Guentzel.

Brandon Hagel – Goal and an assist with four shots.  Hagel has thirteen points in his last eight games now.  This is the player we expect now.  Hopefully he continues to get top power play time.

Charle-Edouard D’Astous – Two assists.  D’Astous is a 27 year old career minor leaguer who is finally getting some game time.  He does have five points in eight games, and he’s starting to earn Cooper’s trust, as he played over 19 minutes in this one.  I’m skeptical of much here, but he’s worth monitoring.  Welcome to the Razzball Database!

Eeli Tolvanen – Goal and two assists with four shots.  This was Tolvanen’s first goal on the season, as he’s averaging just over one shot per game.  That’s not enough to make an impact.  For now, he’s a middling streamer in hits leagues.

Ryker Evans – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Nice season debut from Evans, but it’s hard to see much from him unless Dunn or Montour go down.

Ilya Sorokin – 33 save shutout in the 5-0 win over the Rangers.  Boy, do the Rangers suck at home.  Even with this game, Sorokin is sitting with a 3.00/.893.  Hopefully this sparks a turnaround.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Goal and two assists with two shots.  Pageau has 11 points in 15 games, but I’m selling this as an indicator of anything but a hot streak.  Middling streamer.

Jonathan Drouin – Goal and two assists.  Drouin is driving play well, but that doesn’t matter a ton for fantasy.  He’s a solid streamer for points, but I don’t see a scenario where he becomes a hold.

Bo Horvat – Two goals on five shots.  Horvat is playing his best hockey since being traded to the Islanders.  The shooting percentage will inevitably come down, but he’s looking like a potential top 50 player.

Anthony Duclair – Two assists.  The Duke’s getting low minutes right now, so he’s a bottom end streamer with upside if he slides up the lineup.

Cole Caufield – Two goals.  He’s shooting a ridiculous 31%, but Caufield is looking fantastic, leading the league in 12 goals.

Alex Newhook – Goal and an assist with five shots and two PIM.  Very good start for Newhook with 6+6 in 15 games.  It’s enough to get him to a solid streamer.

Oliver Kapanen – Goal and an assist with two shots.  The former second round pick is finding his own with Newhook and Demidov on the second line.  The shot rate is poor, so Kapanen is stuck as a middling streamer.

Leo Carlsson – Two goals and an assist with five shots and two PIM.  Carlsson currently has a nine game point streak going.  He’s alreadty over halfway to his point total from last season and he’s only played 14 games!

Jacob Trouba – Goal and an assist with three shots.  Trouba is worth holding in most leagues at this point.  He’s crushing at even strength with a +16 rating and piling up the hits and blocks he always does.

Olen Zellweger – Two assists with five shots and two PIM.  I like Zellweger’s upside, but right now, he’s a step below the bottom end defensemen for holding.

Kirill Marchenko – Two goals and an assist with four shots.  Dmitri Voronkov had a goal and two assists with five shots.  Voronkov has played his way into being a clear hold, while Marchenko is proving last season wasn’t a fluke.

Adam Fantilli – Two assists with five shots.  He moved onto a line with the Russians and early results were great.  I’ve been holding Fantilli regardless, but I think he could explode if you’re looking for a trade target.

Drew O’Connor – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Nice little streak for O’Connor, but he’s only a bottom end streamer.

Will Smith – Two assists with two shots.  Smith is a clear hold at this point.  He’s up to a point per game playing with Celebrini.

Yaroslav Askarov – 38 saves on 39 shots in the 3-1 win over the Panthers.  Askarov is in a similar boat to Nedeljkovic, he’s just going to play a lot more.  He could have monster games, and he can have some truly ugly starts.

Scott Wedgewood – 23 saves on 24 shots in the 9-1 win over the Oilers.  Yes, you read that right, 9 to 1! And of course on one of my teams, I have Big Val and Necas and neither got a point! Wedgewood has been unbelievable while Blackwood gets healthy.  Wedgewood’s time is going to run out, but he’s still worth holding until it happens.  Worst case, he’ll be worth streaming every start he gets.

Nathan MacKinnon – Two goals and two assists with six shots and two PIM.  Safe to say MacKinnon wanted to make a statement against the Oilers.  He’s been his usual ridiculous self and is a good bet to lead the league in points.

Devon Toews – Three assists.  Toews only had three assists before this game.  I’d leave him for leagues deeper than 12 man, as his PP time is very limited.

Parker Kelly – Two goals and an assist with four shots.  I’m not going to go through all the Avs players, but shoutout to Kelly for the big game.  He’s a great fourth liner that helps them defensively and on the penalty kill.

Ross Colton – Two assists with three shots.  Colton has been solid considering the limited role.  He did get bumped up with Nelson and Big Val in this game, but with no PP time, he’s a middling streamer.  It could get better if someone else goes down, but he’s already been passed by Olofsson in the pecking order.

Sunday’s Games

Teuvo Teravainen – Goal and an assist.  Teravainen has settled into a middling streamer with decent points and a horrendous shot rate.

Artyom Levshunov – Two assists.  Levshunov moved onto PP1 recently and has four assists in his last three games.  You could do worse in deep leagues, but he has twelve shots in 14 games so far.

Arvid Soderblom – 45 saves on 46 shots in the 5-1 win over Detroit.  He had three mediocre games before this, so I’m not really looking to use him.

Corey Perry – Goal and an assist.  Somehow, Perry has seven goals in ten games with the Kings.  His shot rate has surged completely out of nowhere too.  Elite streamer for now, although I do expect a fall off sooner than later.

Kevin Fiala – Goal and an assist with seven shots.  The assists are pretty poor so far, but Fiala’s goals and shot rate are excellent.  Easy hold.

Nikolaj Ehlers – Two assists with five shots.  It’s been a slow start for Ehlers, but he does have five points in his last four games now.  He’s also pushing three shots per game, so I’m still holding without hesitation.

K’Andre Miller – Two assists with four shots and two PIM.  If, for some reason, Miller was dropped while he was out, grab him immediately.  He’s been fantastic for the Canes so far.

Logan Stankoven – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Middling to solid streamer.

William Nylander – Two goals on three shots with four PIM.  John Tavares and Auston Matthews each had a goal and an assist, while Matthew Knies had two assists.  The Leafs have these four and Rielly, and then it’s a disaster,  They are hemmoraghing shots and not generating nearly enough from their depth.  I feel great about their studs, but I’m not even looking to stream anyone else.

Dylan Cozens – Two assists.  Solid streamer, but Cozens is still getting destroyed at even strength.

Jordan Spence – Goal and an assist with four shots.  The Ottawa depth on the blue line is horrible, so please tell me why the hell Spence has been getting scratched so much?  He now has seven points in seven games.  If he keeps playing, I suspect he’ll become fringe in 12’ers and a hold in 14’ers and deeper.

Ridly Greig – Goal and an assist.  Bottom end streamer.

Casey DeSmith – 30 saves on 31 shots in the 2-1 win over the Kraken.  He’s always likely to get a win when he starts, so DeSmith is a viable streamer against most teams.

Joel Eriksson Ek – Two assists with three shots.  JEEK has atrocious shooting luck so far with two goals on 51 SOG.  The assists are good, so I’m not concerned.  Definitely still holding.

Matt Boldy – Goal and an assist with three shots.  He’s back to a point per agme with over three shots per game.   Things are well within expectation.

Jesper Wallstedt – 36 save shutout in the 2-0 win over the Flames.  Man, the Flames are a great team to target right now.  They are taking tons of low quality shots and rarely scoring.  Wallstedt has been mostly bad, but so has Gustavsson, so I can’t rule out Wallstedt getting a run in net after two good starts.  He’s a great dynasty piece, but for now, he would be a spec add that I’d only make if I was desperate for goalies.  Otherwise, just monitor what the Wild do in their next few games.

Lukas Dostal – 23 saves on 24 shots in the 4-1 win over the Jets.  His numbers aren’t great, but he’s piling up wins while the Ducks are scoring a ton.  He has the chance to be a bottom end #1 this season, but odds are that he’ll be a great #2.

Leo Carlsson – Two goals, as did Beckett Sennecke.  Carlsson is playing at an insane level right now to the point where he’s pushing for the league lead in points.  Sennecke is solidifying himself as an elite streamer in his rookie campaign.

Chris Kreider – Two assists, as did Cutter Gauthier.  Kreider looked like he was done as a potential fantay hold last season, but he definitely is worth holding again.  It might not last, but he’s good enough right now.  Gauthier is playing at a top 10 forward level right now.  Absolutely insane.

Nathan MacKinnon – Two goals and three assists with four shots.  Well, he was tied for the league lead in points and goals.  So much for that.  He’s the best player in the league right now.

Valeri Nichushkin – Two assists with two PIM.  He did get some PP1 time which was good to see.  I’ve been holding Big Val without much thought.

Artturi Lehkonen – Two goals on four shots.  Lehkonen is back on PP1 and delivered right away.  He’s also an easy hold everywhere.

Cale Makar – Two assists with three shots and two PIM.  Makar is doing what he always does.  Could he finally get that 100 point season?

Three Point Challenge:  We’re bringing back the Three Point Challenge for Tuesday’s games!  As a reminder of the rules, you can’t pick anyone in the top 10 in points.  For now (today might be the last time), we will use last season’s totals, so you can’t select McDavid, Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Kucherov, Pastrnak, Marner, Connor, Eichel, Makar or Crosby.  I’ll go with Rantanen against the Senators.