It wasn’t the best start to the season for the defending Stanley Cup Champions, who were 4-4-1 in October. Time off before playing the Blue Jackets twice in Finland was just what they needed to get back on track. Colorado won 6-3 on Friday before winning 5-1 on Saturday. The stars led the way in both games. Nathan MacKinnon dished seven assists between the two games, Mikko Rantanen had a hat trick on Friday, totaling 3+2, while Cale Makar had a goal and four assists. Columbus is a complete disaster defensively, but it’s great to see Colorado’s stars continue to dominate. Sadly, their weekend ended on a somber note with the passing of Peter McNab. He was one of the best TV analysts in the league and he will be sorely missed. Thankfully, he survived his illness long enough to get to see the Avalanche win the Cup again. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Games
Patrik Laine – Goal and an assist with seven shots and two PIM. Shame on me for not betting every prop on Laine doing well in his native Finland. Great to see Laine back in the lineup and pumping a ton of shots on net.
Jack Quinn – Two assists. I love Quinn’s long term fantasy upside, and he is on PP1 at the moment, but he’s only a bottom end streamer for now. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Sebastian Aho – Hat trick and an assist with four shots and two PIM. Aho was everywhere throughout the game and easily could have scored more than he did. Great start to the season for one of the most consistent players in hockey.
Martin Necas – Goal and two assists with three shots. Necas breakout season is here and I’m all about it. He won’t shoot 20% forever, but Necas is dominating in all facets.
Andrei Svechnikov – Two assists, as did Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis. The starts for these players cover all spectrums. Svech has been outstanding, Teravainen has been disappointing, and Jarvis has been fine. Jarvis is still an elite streamer while I’m still holding Teravainen despite his struggles. It’ll get better.
Saturday’s Games
Owen Power – Two assists and a shot. Power played over 28 minutes as Rasmus Dahlin was a late scratch due to an upper body injury. It doesn’t sound serious at all for Dahlin, but fingers crossed given that he’s played as well as any defenseman in the league. Power has shown signs of breaking out lately and is justifying why I’ve held him after a slow start.
Nikita Kucherov – Goal and three assists with six shots and two PIM. After a slow start, Kuch has scored a goal in six straight and is dominating across the board.
Brandon Hagel – Goal and two assists with five shots. As a Sabres fan, I’d like to thank Jason Botterill for deciding that Hagel didn’t deserve an ELC and rescinded his rights after drafting him. Good effort there. Hagel is on fire on the first line with ten points in his last seven games. He’s on the fringe and can easily be held right now while he’s a hot schmotato.
Brayden Point – Goal and an assist with three shots. Point is looking better than he has in a couple seasons. Very encouraging start from Tampa’s 1C.
Ville Husso – 24 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Islanders. Amazing start in Detroit for Husso, who has five incredible starts out of seven. Perhaps he ends up as a #1 goalie instead of the #2 I expected.
Dominik Kubalik – Goal and an assist with two shots. Kubalik is on a massive tear, thriving with the opportunity he received due to injuries. I’m holding him everywhere.
Alexandar Georgiev – 31 saves on 32 shots in the 5-1 win over Columbus. Georgiev has looked the part of a #1 with a .925 sv% in his first 8 starts in Colorado. He’s looking like a good bet to be a top 10 goalie, with top 5 upside given that his volume is better than expected.
Devon Toews – Goal and an assist with three shots. Toews isn’t exciting, but he’s a solid #2D in 12’ers.
Martin Kaut – Goal and an assist with three shots. Kaut is getting a big opportunity on the second line right now, but he didn’t have a point until this game. Nothing here for now, but worth monitoring.
Connor Hellebuyck – 30 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Blackhawks. Love to see Hellebuyck playing at an elite level again after last season’s debacle.
Pierre-Luc Dubois – Goal and an assist with four shots. Dubois has been quite good despite having worse linemates than last season. Not that Perfetti and Wheeler are terrible, but it’s a step down from Connor and/or Ehlers.
Josh Morrissey – Goal and an assist with four shots. Morrissey has been fantastic in this new regime, having 10 assists in the first 11 games. The shots are down, but I don’t think anyone can be complaining right now.
Jamie Benn – Hat trick on four shots. Oh my. Benn was doing very little and then he had eight points in three games. The minutes are low, but he is getting PP1 time. Benn is back to an elite streamer.
Jason Robertson – Goal and two assists with ten shots. I still don’t think Robertson gets the credit he deserves for being as good as he is. He’s a superstar through and through.
Joe Pavelski – Goal and an assist with two shots. The third wheel on his line, Pavelski is cruising to a point per game doing his usual damage.
Roope Hintz – Two assists, as did Miro Heiskanen. The Finnish flavor of Dallas have been outstanding under DeBoer. It’s a pleasure to see Heiskanen be unleashed by DeBoer.
Reilly Smith – Two goals on six shots. Smith is an elite streamer now he’s reunited with Jonathan Marchessault (1+1, 4 SOG) and Karlsson on the second line.
Keegan Kolesar – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. And there’s your annual Kolesar update!
Nic Hague – Goal and an assist. Better player in real life than he is in fantasy. There’s deep league value here, but that’s about it.
Kirby Dach – Three assists. Dach moved up to the first line with Nick Suzuki (2G) and Cole Caufield (1+1, 5 SOG) and delivered. He’s a solid streamer with upside from there as Dach is playing the best hockey of his young career right now.
Kaiden Guhle – Two assists with a shot. Guhle is averaging almost two hits and two blocks per game which has plenty of value in that format. However, the offense is lacking, so be selective in where you use him.
Carter Hart – 33 saves on 34 shots in the 2-1 win over the Senators. They don’t give the Vezina after one month, but if they did, Hart would be the winner for me. He’s been fantastic.
Yanni Gourde – Goal and two assists with three shots and two PIM. The new signings / trade acquisitions in Seattle have bumped Gourde down the lineup. He’s a bottom end streamer.
Brandon Tanev – Goal and an assist with two shots. I always like a good revenge game. Tanev is also a bottom end streamer, and a bit better than that in hits/blocks leagues.
Morgan Geekie – Two assists with a shot. Geekie is getting a solid amount of points, but he’s averaging just over one shot on goal per game. Hard to utilize him unless that changes.
Sidney Crosby – Goal and an assist with two shots. It feels like Crosby isn’t doing much, but then I look and he’s on pace for 41+57. Seems just fine.
Kris Letang – Two assists with four shots. Slow start for Letang, but if anything, I’d buy low.
Jake Guentzel – Goal and an assist with five shots. Guentzel has been his usual great self.
Auston Matthews – Two goals on five shots, both assisted by Mitch Marner. And just like that, the Maple Leafs have righted the ship. They’ll be just fine.
Shayne Gostisbehere – Two assists. It all depends on your league format. In roto, I probably wouldn’t own him if your league has plus-minus. If you’re in H2H, I’d own him regardless.
Nick Ritchie – Two goals on three shots. Ritchie is doing a good job rebuilding his value with six goals in 11 games so far for the Desert Dogs. He’s a middling streamer and an elite one in hits leagues.
Anthony Mantha – Goal and an assist. Mantha hasn’t gotten back to the level he was at before his injury. For now, he’s a middling streamer, but there is upside.
Miles Wood – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. What a hot streak from Wood. He’s moved into elite streamer territory who could be worth owning depending on team needs.
Nathan Bastian – Goal and an assist. Bottom end streamer.
Fabian Zetterlund – Two goals on four shots. He’s pumping a ton of shots on goal, but I’m still in bottom end streamer territory for Zetterlund.
Jack Hughes – Two assists with seven shots. This shot rate from Hughes is immaculate. It’s going to do wonders for his overall value, both this season and long term.
J.T. Miller – Goal and an assist with four shots. Six game point streak from Miller has him firmly back on track.
Quinn Hughes – Two assists with a shot. All your assists are belong to Hughes!
Nino Niederreiter – Goal and an assist with five shots. Nino has been an absolute monster in hits leagues so far. If your league doesn’t have hits, he’s a solid streamer.
Mattias Ekholm – Two assists. I wouldn’t own Ekholm in 12’ers at this point unless you need an injury fill in. He’s fine for deeper leagues though for a boring, balanced line.
Jordan Gross – Two goals on four shots. Gross has barely played in the NHL at 27 years old, but was a big factor in the Nashville comeback Saturday. That said, nothing to really see here.
Carter Verhaeghe – Two goals on five shots. Verhaeghe looks excellent right now on the first line. I would own him in all formats.
Anze Kopitar – Two assists with four shots. Kopitar is piling up the assists, but doing very little else. He’s on the fringe depending on team needs.
Viktor Arvidsson – Goal and an assist with seven shots. Arvidsson is locked into being a solid streamer right now.
Trevor Moore – Goal and an assist with three shots. Moore is actually taking over three shots per game so far. That puts him in the same tier as Arvidsson.
Tomas Hertl – Goal and two assists, as did Timo Meier. Kevin Labanc had a goal and an assist. This doesn’t really change my opinion of any of these players, it shows how poor the Ducks are defensively right now.
Trevor Zegras – Two assists. Zegras has lived up to expectations so far this season.
Brett Leason – Goal and an assist with three shots. Nothing to see here.
Mason McTavish – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. The minutes are lower for McTavish than I would like considering where the Ducks are right now. He’s a decent streamer with a lot of upside if his role changes.
Sunday’s Games
Erik Kallgren – 29 saves on 30 shots in the 3-1 win over the Hurricanes. Ilya Samsonov was injured on Saturday making Kallgren the de facto #1 for now. Murray will be back in the near term, but if you need goaltending help, pick up Kallgren for now. I don’t think much of him as an NHL goalie, but he’s in position to at least get some wins.
Moritz Seider – Two assists with two shots. It’s been a very rough start for Seider offensively, but I would exercise some patience here. He’s too talented to turn it around. If anything, I would try to buy low.
Brandon Montour – Goal and three assists with five shots and two PIM. Monster run from Montour. It’s obviously going to drop off when Ebklad comes back, but I expect Montour to stay a hold at that point. The Panthers are so devoid on blue line talent, and he’s playing the best hockey of his career.
Sam Reinhart – Two goals on seven shots. Reinhart is another buy low target. He’s been taking a ton of shots, but these were the first two goals of the season. Only a matter of time until he goes on a heater.
Anton Lundell – Two assists with a shot. Great streamer, but not enough for me to hold yet.
Ryan Strome – Goal and an assist with four shots. Strome is a solid streamer at this point. The points are still good, but the shot rate is down quite a bit and the plus-minus will probably end up ugly.
Three Point Challenge: The current Top Ten in points: McDavid, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Pastrnak, MacKinnon, Karlsson, Robertson, Necas, M. Tkachuk, and Bratt. I’ll be a homer and go with Thompson against the Coyotes.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Wednesday recapping the action of the next two nights. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
