Thanks to Gary Bettman, the favorite to win the Pacific Division bracket isn’t even a team in the Pacific Division. Sure, this is a hot take, but give me the Utah Mammoth over any other team in the Pacific to make the final four assuming Utah is the first wild card team. On Sunday, the Mammoth beat the Kings in overtime, with Lawson Crouse leading the way with two goals, an assist, five shots, three hits, and two blocks in almost 18 minutes of ice time. Crouse has been on the first line for an extended period now and continues to deliver. In hits leagues, I would hold him almost everywhere. In non-hits leagues, he’s an elite streamer. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Gabe Vilardi – Goal and an assist with two shots. It’s not exciting, but Vilardi is a bottom end hold as the Jets try to sneak into the playoffs.
J.T. Miller – Two assists with two shots. I can’t imagine a worse captain than Miller. He’s the ultimate frontrunner. He’s a solid to elite streamer, but he’s far from a slam dunk hold anywhere.
Martin Necas – Two assists with two shots. I can’t see taking Necas in the first round next year, but he does feel like a second rounder. In other words, Necas is a top 20 fantasy player.
Alex Ovechkin – Goal on three shots with two PIM. Shoutout to the best goal scorer of all time for career goal 1000 counting the playoffs!
Frederik Andersen – 18 saves on 19 shots in the 5-1 win over the Penguins. Every Canes goalie should be started every game for fantasy.
Seth Jarvis – Goal and two assists with four shots. Jarvis is right in line with last season. That’s very valuable in fantasy, but not a superstar.
Nikolaj Ehlers – Goal and an assist with four shots. His horrendous start is a thing of the past, as Ehlers could set a career high in points. A personal favorite, Ehlers is an easy hold everywhere even if he’s not taking a jump I hoped.
Filip Forsberg – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Incredible game for Forsberg as he tries to will the Preds into the playoffs. His bad years are a top 50 player now.
Ilya Sorokin – 26 save shutout over Jet Greaves (21/22) and the Blue Jackets 1-0. I suspect that Sorokin wins the Vezina even if the Isles miss the playoffs. Either way, Sorokin is back to superstardom. Greaves is delivering on my bullish preseason ranking.
Rasmus Dahlin – Two assists with four shots. Even with the off-ice problems for Dahlin, he’s a fringe Norris candidate. He’s a fantasy superstar through and through.
Owen Power – Goal and an assist. While he’s not the level of a normal first overall pick, Power has been fantastic. He’s been super unlucky points wise, and it’s starting to level out. While it’s underwhelming for this season, he should be good next year.
Zach Benson – Goal and an assist. I love this rat! He’s a bottom end to middling streamer now, but it’s going to get better in the future. It’s rare given that he was a late lottery pick, but Benson is still only 23 years old in his fifth season.
Troy Terry – Two goals on three shots. The top guys on Anaheim all delivered in a thrilling game, with Chris Kreider, Jackson LaCombe, Leo Carlsson, and Beckett Sennecke all having two points. Terry has always been a good player, but now he’s above a point per game with the rest of the team improving around him. He’s still only 28 years old, so Terry should continue to thrive in his prime.
Quinton Byfield – Goal and an assist with three shots. One of the most disappointing players this season, Byfield has been brutal. He’s a middling streamer.
Nick Schmaltz – Two goals on seven shots. Schmaltz has set a career high in goals and is easily having his best season. Given the age of the players around him, Schmaltz could continue to improve. He’s a top 75 player with a little upside.
Kevin Stenlund – Two assists with a shot. And there’s your annual Stenlund update!
James Reimer – 8 saves on 9 shots in the 2-1 win over the Rangers. LOL RANGERS. Nine shots!? Come on. The point here is the Sens are a defensive juggernaut and the Rangers are a mess. Stream pretty much anyone against the Rangers.
We will do the Three Point Challenge for Tuesday, just don’t pick anyone in the top ten in points. I’ll go with Carlsson against the Canucks.
Thanks for reading everyone. I’ll be back on Friday recapping the action from the middle of the week. MarmosDad will be back tomorrow covering the massive Tuesday slate. Thanks for reading, take care!
