It wouldn’t be the first time that a Sabres trade acquisition got off to a hot start before flaming out, but this one looks different. Bowen Byram was a monster again on Tuesday, scoring two goals on four shots finishing +4 in the 7-3 win over the Red Wings. They’ll have to win their next two games against the Islanders and Red Wings again, but the Sabres are creeping back onto the fringe of the playoff race. Byram’s workload in his three games as a Sabre are that of a #1 defenseman, even if that honor goes to Dahlin. There’s no doubting Byram’s ability, and he’s looking like a guy who can be a huge difference maker down the stretch this season and beyond. He’s clear must own everywhere. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Jonathan Quick – 19 saves on 20 shots in the 3-1 win over the Devils. Quick has been cold before this, but the Devils are playing poorly right now. He won’t be playing much right now with Igor’s form (more on that later) but Quick is worth streaming in most starts.
Joel Hofer – 36 saves on 37 shots in the 5-1 win over the Bruins. Hofer is sitting at a .913 save percentage, not bad at all for his first full season. I’d stream him in average or better matchups.
Kasperi Kapanen – Goal and two assists with two shots. This was Kapanen’s first goal in over 20 games. No thanks.
Kevin Hayes – Goal and an assist. The trade from Philly was the worst thing that could happen for Hayes’ fantasy value. No streaming interest anymore.
Brandon Saad – Goal and an assist with two shots. Saad has quietly scored 19 goals, but 12 assists and under two shots per game isn’t going to cut it.
Connor Hellebuyck – 23 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Capitals. Hellebuyck is right there for the best goalie in the league at this point.
David Rittich – 26 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Isles. This was Rittich’s first start after Talbot received six in a row. That makes him a streaming option only.
Trevor Moore – Goal and an assist with seven shots and two PIM. It’s been a shockingly good season for Moore, who I lean towards being an elite streamer, but it’s close to the fringe.
Filip Zadina – Two goals on eight shots. There’s no doubting Zadina’s talent. That said, I’m not really looking to use him until he strings a few games together and the minutes stabilize.
Luke Kunin – Two assists. Same as Zadina, except Zadina’s upside is clearly higher.
Travis Konecny – Two assists with three shots and two PIM. Konecny has turned into an absolute beast who is even better in fantasy than real life, and that’s saying a lot.
Morgan Frost – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. Frost’s minutes are dropping, although his PP time is still good. He’s stuck as a middling streamer.
Cam York – Two assists with five shots and three blocks. York is worth owning everywhere right now, but he’s a monster in blocks leagues.
Jake Sanderson – Goal and an assist with four shots. With the Sens out of it, Sanderson should get all the minutes he can handle, especially with Chabot out.
Joonas Korpisalo – 34 saves on 35 shots in the 2-1 OT win over the Penguins. This says so much about the Penguins. They’re pushing 160 shots in the last four games and only have scored two goals. What a disaster they are right now.
Cayden Primeau – 41 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Blue Jackets. The Canadiens should be giving Primeau plenty of work down the stretch with Allen gone. That said, he’s close to a desperation option.
Igor Shesterkin – 28 save shutout in the 1-0 win over Pyotr Kochetkov (23/24) and the Hurricanes. That’s two shutouts in a row for Igor, who has allowed ten goals in his last eight games. Safe to say that he’s back. Even with Andersen back, Kochetkov should still be the 1A down the stretch at minimum.
Lucas Raymond – Goal and an assist with three shots. Raymond is an elite streamer, but I can’t get him to a hold when he’s below two shots per game.
Zach Benson – Goal and two assists with three shots. It should get better down the line. After all, Benson is still 18 years old. But for now, there’s not enough for fantasy.
Jordan Greenway – Two assists with two shots. Bottom end streamer.
Tage Thompson – Two assists with three shots. While it’s been a very disappointing season from Tage, he’s clearly playing injured, resulting in poor shooting luck. I expect to be in on him again next season.
Marc-Andre Fleury – 21 saves on 22 shots in the 4-1 win over the Coyotes. MAF has had only one bad game in the last ten as the Wild continue to fight for a wild card spot. He’s probably worth owning everywhere, but know that it’s risky.
Kirill Kaprizov – Two goals and an assist with three shots. I would like to thank Kirill the Thrill for making me a winner for the Three Point Challenge tonight!
Aleksander Barkov – Two goals and an assist. The Panthers went down 3-0 before storming back against the Stars in a potential Cup Finals preview. Their studs led the way as Carter Verhaeghe, Brandon Montour, and Matthew Tkachuk all had two assists. Unsurprisingly, Barkov’s shooting is starting to regress to the mean. A big finish is in store for all of them.
Joe Pavelski – Goal and an assist, as did Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. That’s three straight games with a goal and an assist for Pavelski, solidifying himself as a hold. Robertson is finally back to a point per game, while Johnston is also must-own in my book.
Brett Leason – Two goals on three shots. Zero interest.
Connor Bedard – Goal and four assists with five shots. The top line destroyed the Ducks as Nick Foligno dished four assists, while Philipp Kurashev tallied two goals and two assists. While it’s clear how good Bedard is, this doesn’t change the other two being middling streamers. This says a lot more about the current state of the Ducks.
Mikko Rantanen – Two goals and two assists as the top line dominated Calgary. Valeri Nichushkin had a goal and an assist with four shots, while Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist with five shots. Props to Surfer Dude for picking Big Val for three points! He stays ahead of me with four correct picks on the season.
Jack Eichel – Goal and two assists with four shots. What looked like a blah game turned on a fortuitous bounce to tie the game with 16 seconds left before Eichel won the game in overtime. With their injuries, Eichel should get all the minutes he can handle.
Jonathan Marchessault – Two goals on four shots. I did not see this resurgence from Marchessault coming. He’s been good the entire time in Vegas, but he could end up having the best season of his career.
William Karlsson – Goal and an assist with four shots. Very good bounce back season from Karlsson, who is on the fringe.
Three Point Challenge: We will do Thursday’s games per usual. You can’t select MacKinnon, Kucherov, McDavid, Pastrnak, Panarin, Miller, Nylander, Rantanen, Draisaitl, or Matthews. I’ll go with Robertson against the Devils.
That’s all for now guys. I will start getting my Playoff Manifesto out on Friday. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
