LOGIN
Detroit's season has been over for months, but they haven't mailed it in.  The Red Wings have won six in a row and it starts with their first line.  Of late, Tyler Bertuzzi has been on an absolute tear.  He had two goals and an assist with five shots on Tuesday, his fourth consecutive third point game!  That brings him to 21+26 on the season with 32 PIM and a +13 rating, a great number on a poor team.  So what's his value going into next season?  It's hard to say.  He looks great with Larkin and Mantha, but what if the Red Wings bring someone else in and he's not there to open next season?  The PIM also aren't at the elite level I had hoped like his old man brought.  I do like Bertuzzi a lot for deeper leagues, but for him to be a play in standard leagues, he'll need to get his shot rate up and maintain the role he's had to finish the season.  You don't need streaming on Thursday or Saturday given the massive schedules, but if you need a guy, Bertuzzi is a great choice while he's hotter than hell.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
One of my favorite late round gambles on the blue line this season was Erik Gustafsson.  Gustafsson played 35 games last season and has 16 points and two shots per game.  That doesn't sound great, but that was with zero power play time and limited minutes.  Keith and Seabrook were falling off a cliff giving Gustafsson prime opportunity.  He took advantage of it and then some.  Gustafsson dished three assists on Monday night while putting a shot on goal and adding 4 PIM.  That brings Gustafsson up to a whopping 17+42 with 34 PIM and almost exactly two shots per game.  That's with 18 STP, a number which could be higher if he played on PP1 all year.  So what do we make of Gustafsson for next season?  Well, it's early to say.  I think these numbers are mostly sustainable as long as Chicago doesn't add a PP specialist in the offseason.  I don't expect them to with the young guys they have coming, especially Jokiharju, but there's always a chance.  Gustafsson looks like he'll be a solid #3 next season, possibly a bottom end #2.  The goals will probably come down a bit, but 40+ assists should be a near lock with Chicago's style and strong PP, and he's average in PIM and shot rate.  If he's going to be better, it's because he takes a few more shots.  Let's take a look at what else happened on Monday night:
We've made it to the final week of the season!  For those of you who just wrapped up their leagues since you don't play the last week of the season, congratulations.  For those who still play this week (the majority), I'll be breaking down the schedule for you to maximize your streaming potential.  I'll be following the same format as the last three weeks.  Let's get to it!
From an individual standpoint, this season couldn't be going any better for John Tavares.  That continued on Monday night as Tavares scored 4 goals in the 7-5 win over Florida.  That brings Tavares to 45 goals and 86 points, both career highs.  Obviously we know to roll Tavares every time out, but where does he rank going into next season?  He's bumped his shot rate back up to an elite level and his plus-minus is by far a career best.  Is that sustainable?  It might be given how good Toronto is.  This, of course, assumes that Marner returns next season.  I don't think he'll make my top 10, but it will be very close.  At the least, Tavares will be in consideration for the wheel in a 12 team draft come September.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
We've reached the finals in almost all formats making this the best time of the year in fantasy hockey.  That's if you're still in, of course.  I will continue the weekly previews that I've been doing over the last few weeks to provide some strategy and planning ahead in regards to streaming.  Again, this is meant to be a compliment to the Playoff Manifesto, not a replacement, so be sure to check that out as well here.  Let's get to it!
After their situation looked murky earlier in the season causing public turmoil between the front office and their superstars, the Dallas Stars are close to becoming a lock for the postseason.  Their super Stars (corny, I know) won the game for them on Tuesday against the Panthers.  In the 4-2 win, Tyler Seguin dished four assists while putting six shots on goal and providing two PIM.  Alexander Radulov scored two goals and an assist with five shots, while Jamie Benn scored a goal and two assists with two shots.  The Stars have a great playoff schedule and these three guys should be massive difference makers in the fantasy playoffs.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
We're now in the middle of the fantasy hockey playoffs and it's time to start that final push.  Just like last week's post, I'm going to break down the schedule for this week and as a compliment to the Playoff Manifesto, help you in terms of streaming.  Let's get right to it!
We are at the point in the season where it's more important to lead my posts off with the things that have the biggest impact going forward and not the best performances.  Robin Lehner is currently day-to-day with what Barry Trotz called an upper-body injury.  When asked if it was a concussion, Trotz wouldn't give an answer.  Best wishes to Lehner to a speedy recovery no matter what the issue is, but he does have concussion history.  Thomas Greiss started on Thursday and made 35 saves on 37 shots in the 4-2 win over the Senators.  I wouldn't expect anything else against the Senators.  I have been saying Greiss is must-own for a few months now, but for some reason he's still only 27% owned!  If Lehner does miss time, Greiss has a legitimate chance to not only be a #1 goalie the rest of the way, but a top 5 goalie overall.  Pick him up immediately if he's still available in your league.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two days:
Three years ago, Ben Bishop was the #1 player in fantasy hockey.  The following year, he struggled in Tampa, then they moved him to Dallas.  Last season, Bishop was solid, but he's been at his best this season.  Bishop posted a shutout on Tuesday, stopping all 28 shots he faced in the 1-0 win over the Rangers.  Injuries have hurt his volume, but Bishop is approaching a 2.20/.930 stat line.  That is pushing towards being the #1 goalie in the league again.  He won't end up there because of the lack of starts, but with the Stars battling for the playoffs, Bishop has the ability to win people fantasy titles this season.  The Stars play 14 games in the fantasy playoffs (more details on their schedule here) which is the most of anyone in the league.  Look for Bishop to be a massive difference maker down the stretch.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights: