Jake DeBrusk was the second of three consecutive first round picks by the Bruins in the 2015 draft. The other two players are still in the AHL developing but DeBrusk is starting to make his mark with the big squad. In the 7-2 beatdown of the Blue Jackets, DeBrusk scored a goal and two assists with four shots and two penalty minutes. He followed that up by scoring the only non-empty net goal against the Sabres on Tuesday. As you can see below, snipe city:
Jake DeBrusk claims a water bottle pic.twitter.com/IiHcurTiTl
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) December 20, 2017
That brings DeBrusk up to 8 goals and 10 assists in 28 games with solid penalty minutes and a decent shot rate. The crazy thing is that he’s producing despite getting poor minutes (he’s averaging 14 per game on the season). DeBrusk has shown me plenty this season to improve his stock in dynasties. He looks like a lock to be a top six player going forward while having plenty of upside from there. In redrafts, I wouldn’t hold him right now, solely because of the lack of minutes. That said, DeBrusk is still a great streamer while he’s producing. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights in the NHL:
Josh Anderson – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM playing over 20 minutes. Reid and I talked about him extensively in the preseason as a breakout candidate but he was holding out. I never imagined Anderson would be getting this many minutes. He’s an easy hold in all formats.
Dalton Heinen – Goal and two assists on Monday, assist with three shots on Tuesday. Solid streamer right now although the minutes are trending in the wrong direction.
Patrice Bergeron – Goal and an assist with eight shots and two PIM over two games. He’s been his usual excellent self.
David Backes – Two goals and an assist with five shots over two games. Backes is a solid streamer right now but I’d only hold him in hits leagues.
Brad Marchand – Goal and an assist with four shots. The shot rate has fallen up a bit which is unfortunate but Marchand is still killing all of the other categories.
Ryan Spooner – Three assists with seven shots. Spooner has seven points in the past seven games but his shot rate has been dreadful before the past two nights. I’d rather stream the other Bruins until he starts turning that around.
Charlie McAvoy – Goal and two assists, +5 with seven PIM. I’ve been very impressed with McAvoy’s play. Once the shot rate jumps, he has a great chance of developing into a #1 fantasy defenseman.
Anton Khudobin – 36 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Sabres. After weathering the storm in an excellent first period by the Sabres, Khudobin had an easy going in the last two periods. Khudobin has had some terrific games this season and some massive duds so stream him at your own risk i.e. use him in good spots only.
Robin Lehner – 30 saves on 31 shots taking the loss. The only goal he gave up with the DeBrusk one linked above. Lehner has played extremely well but it hasn’t resulted in wins because of the Sabres’ offensive shortcomings. I’m still holding because he’s been a great boost for save percentage lately.
Adam Henrique – Goal and an assist with three shots Monday, goose eggs Tuesday. Henrique has a nominee for goal of the year:
What a goal by Adam Henrique on his return to New Jersey pic.twitter.com/CXGrX7JaCO
— Right Wing, Shoots Left 🇨🇦🏒🥅🌈 😷💉💉 (@HILITINGHOCKEY) December 19, 2017
Burning the main player he was traded for no less. I’d stream Henrique right now but wouldn’t hold.
Josh Manson – Three assists with three shots and two PIM. Manson is a great option in deep leagues because he hits all of the categories. I honestly wouldn’t mind using him in a 12’er right now either.
Brian Boyle – Three assists with a shot. Guy Fawkes is hotter than hell right now with back-to-back three point games. I don’t see anything sustainable in what Boyle is doing but he’s worth using while he’s playing this well.
Stefan Noesen – Two goals on three shots. And there’s your first even Stefan Noesen Razzball update!
Miles Wood – Two goals on three shots. Solid streamer if you need the potential penalty minute boost.
Jesper Bratt – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. The points keep coming along for Bratt who came completely off the radar. Bratt isn’t great in any category which makes him tough to hold but I’m fine with either choice.
Jonathan Quick – 36 saves on 37 shots in the 4-1 win over the Flyers. He’s currently in no man’s land as the #4 overall goalie which is still miles better than I expected from Quick this year.
Nick Shore – Two assists with a shot. There’s simply not much here at this point in Shore’s career for fantasy hockey.
Brent Burns – Two assists with a shot. Burns now has five multi-point games in the past six games. I love Brent Burns doing Brent Burns things!
Kevin Labanc – Two assists with three shots and two penalty minutes. With five assists in the past five games, Labanc is back on the streaming radar.
Patrick Maroon – Goal and an assist with four shots. Maroon hasn’t spent much time with McDavid this year but he’s still been solid for fantasy. The shot rate is better than last year, the PIMs are great and the assists are at a career high rate. Maroon is a clear hold.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Goal and an assist with two shots. RNH doesn’t get the credit he deserves for taking a big step this season. The second line is rolling right now so hold them all and they make a sneaky DFS stack.
Ryan Strome – Two goals on four shots with two PIM. He’s been a massive disappointment and I wouldn’t use him outside of the deepest of leagues.
Leon Draisaitl – Two assists with two shots. Draisaitl has been fine but this season is exactly why you don’t take him in the first three rounds of drafts. The points are nice but with poor PIM and an average at best shot rate, it’s fringe top 50.
Chad Ruhwedel – Goal and an assist with three shots. That is more points than Ruhwedel had in his first 26 games of the season.
Tyson Barrie – Two goals on five shots. Barrie has been outstanding with 27 points in 32 games. I was a huge fan in the past but last season’s disaster in Colorado scared me on Barrie. There is nothing fluky about this.
Sven Andrighetto – Two assists with four shots. He’s a bottom end streamer since he hasn’t scored in the past ten games.
Mikko Rantanen – Goal and an assist with five shots and two PIM. Rantanen has been incredibly consistent for a 21 year old. I’m all in going forward.
Semyon Varlamov – 30 saves on 32 shots in the 4-2 win over the Penguins. Varlamov still has a 3.03 GAA and his only consistency is his inconsistency so he remains a desperate option even though the wins are solid.
Scott Darling – 28 saves on 36 shots in the 8-1(!) loss to the Maple Leafs. I have to admit when I’m wrong; Darling is probably the biggest whiff I’ve had in my three years of rankings. I really thought he’d be a strong #2 at worst with how he played in Chicago and the team in front of him. The team in front has been solid but Darling has been a disaster. He’s firmly a desperation play right now.
Mitch Marner – Goal and three assists with six shots. This season has been a disaster for Marner and while he’s fringy in 12’ers right now, I would absolutely buy low in dynasties if I could. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets back to being a top 100 player soon with obvious upside from there.
James van Riemsdyk – Goal and two assists with three shots and four PIM. The assists are down but a career high in goals is firmly in play.
Tyler Bozak – Goal and three assists with four shots. Bozak makes for a decent tournament option in DFS as he’s had some massive games this year but the consistency is lacking. He’s a bottom end streamer in regular formats.
Henrik Zetterberg – Three assists playing over 23 minutes. Zetterberg is piling up assists lately but the shot rate is dreadful. Strictly an AAGNOF play right now.
Dylan Larkin – Three assists with a shot and four PIM. Larkin is delivering a year later than expected but those who drafted him this season as a bounceback have to be thrilled. He’s also due for some positive regression when it comes to goal scoring which is a great sign.
Josh Bailey – Goal and an assist. I still can’t believe Bailey is putting up these kind of points but he’s shown no signs of slowing down. As long as he’s with John Tavares (2A, 5 SOG), I won’t put keeping this up past Bailey.
Henrik Lundqvist – 39 saves on 40 shots in the 4-1 win over the Ducks. The King stay The King! As I talked about in Monday’s notes, Hank is going to get a massive workload going forward. With the way he’s playing, there’s no reason why he can’t be a #1 going forward.
Paul Carey – Two goals on three shots. Carey has been solid lately but I wouldn’t count on it going forward. The 29 year old Carey is a journeyman. Props to him sticking in the NHL this year but there’s no fantasy value here.
Nick Holden – Two assists. Holden was decent last season but that’s simply not the case this year.
David Desharnais – Two assists with a shot. I have no interest at all. When you have 23 SOG in 31 games, you’d have to be a point per game player for me to even consider holding you.
Eric Staal – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Staal is crushing all six categories on the season. He’s on pace for better than 30+40 with over three shots per game and strong penalty minutes. It’s crazy to think that 18 months ago, Staal was a massive question mark going into free agency after an atrocious season in Carolina and New York.
Ryan Suter – Two assists with a shot. He’s been his usual solid self. Boring, but solid.
Charlie Coyle – Two assists with a shot. Until the shot rate going up, Coyle remains a streamer.
Nate Prosser – Goal and an assist with three shots. And there’s your annual Prosser update!
Erik Karlsson – Two goals on four shots. As talked about in these parts for the last couple weeks, Karlsson has a heater coming. Here’s to hoping this game is the spark.
Derick Brassard – Goal and an assist with two PIM. He’s cooled off to the point where he’s on the fringe. I’d lean towards elite streamer.
Mike Hoffman – Two assists with three shots. Hoffman looks like a good buy low candidate. Shooting percentage is the lowest of his career by a fair amount so the goals are coming. The assists are at a career rate so while the PIM from last season appear to be a fluke, there’s still plenty to like here.
Mark Stone – Two assists. The shot rate is dropping which is worrisome. That said, it’s hard to complain about Stone when he’s on pace for 75 points.
Tyler Myers – Three assists with three shots. He’s been solid for the last few weeks and the minutes are up with Big Buff out. I’m good with adding him in 12’ers if you want some upside, especially in PIM.
Blake Wheeler – Goal and an assist with three shots. Nothing can slow Wheeler down right now.
Adam Lowry – Goal and an assist with four shots. Clear example of someone who is more valuable in real life than fantasy.
Nikolaj Ehlers – Two goals on four shots. The assists are drying up but Ehlers has 17 goals on 35 games. Sure, the shooting percentage is a tad high, but he should be a high shooting percentage player given his abilities. Around 35 goals is well within reason. And he’s still only 21 years old.
Brandon Tanev – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. Props to Tanev for becoming a main stay in the Jets lineup this season. Nothing here for fantasy though.
Kevin Fiala – Goal and an assist with three shots. He has a goal in seven of his past eight games. So why the hell did he only play 12 minutes in this one? You’re better than that Laviolette. Fiala should be owned everywhere.
Andre Burakovsky – Two goals and an assist with three shots. He’s a solid streamer but I wouldn’t consider holding him until he strings a few positive games together. His linemates also had two points (Lars Eller and Brett Connolly) but they’re much lower on the totem pole than Burakovsky.
Alexander Radulov – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. The assists have cooled off a bit but I have no concerns with Radulov going forward. He should easily set career highs across the board.
Evgenii Dadonov – Two assists with a shot. The shot rate is down quite a bit since he returned from the injury so Dadonov is more on the fringe. That said, I would lean towards holding him because it should turn back around sooner than later.
James Reimer – 39 saves on 41 shots in the 3-2 win over the Coyotes. Reimer is completely “desperate for starts.” The good starts have been few and far between.
Max Pacioretty – Two assists with five shots. His shooting percentage is a career low (by far) so Patches makes for another great buy low candidate.
Jeff Petry – Goal and an assist with three shots. With Shea Weber shut down due to his foot injury, Petry is must own everywhere.
Nic Deslauries – Two goals on four shots. My mind is blown that Deslauries managed to score two goals in a game.
Phillip Danault – Goal and an assist. He’s really heating up right now with nine points in the past nine games. Stream Danault while he’s a hot schmotato.
Daniel Carr – Goal and an assist with three shots. Since Carr returned to the lineup, he has 9 points in 8 games. It screams fluke but you have to consider using him while he’s on fire.
Thomas Vanek – Hat trick and an assist with two PIM. He was ice cold before this but Vanek has been known to get on hot streaks. Despite the awful matchup in San Jose Thursday, I wouldn’t mind streaming him.
Daniel Sedin – Goal and an assist with eight shots. Just when it looks like the Cyborgs are washed, Daniel gets 11 points in 10 games. He’s right back on the fringe. His brother, Henrik Sedin (2A, SOG) is still waiver wire fodder.
Brock Boeser – Goal and an assist with five shots. There’s been no slowing down Boeser who remains at a point per game and over a 40 goal pace.
Shea Theodore – Goal and three assists with two shots. I’ll be honest, if I didn’t start writing while the Vegas game was still going, I’d have opened the article about Theodore. Vegas scored four power play goals in this game, including this dramatic winner:
SHEA THEODORE WITH 2.3 SECONDS TO GO AND THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS HAVE KNOCKED OFF THE LEAGUE'S TOP TEAM! OH ME OH MY WHAT A GAME! pic.twitter.com/Xcq4XeefO0
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 20, 2017
Theodore should be owned everywhere for the PPP and assist boost.
David Perron – Three assists with a shot. I certainly didn’t expect Perron to be a point per game at the end of December but here we are.
Jonathan Marchessault – Goal and an assist with three shots. No containing the Corsi God anymore.
Erik Haula – Goal and an assist with two shots. Haula is another guy who I’ve mentioned over the last two years saying he only needs the opportunity to be fantasy relevant. Even I couldn’t have imagined Haula having this kind of season. He’s must own.
Victor Hedman – Goal and two assists with four shots. Like the other top defenseman from last season, Hedman has been due for a heater. It’s happening now as Hedman has seven points in the past four.
Steven Stamkos – Goal and an assist with three shots. The goals have dried up a bit but Stamkos’ shooting percentage is back to its norm now. The question isn’t whether or not he’s a point per game, it’s if he sets a new career high in points.
Nikita Kucherov – Two assists with seven shots. Third straight two point game for Kucherov. He’s pretty clearly the #1 overall player right now.
That’s all for now guys. Look for my next set of notes to drop on Friday with only three games on the slate tonight. Be sure to check out Lackeydrinksonme’s post for streaming advice. There should also be a podcast that launches at some point Thursday. As always, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below. Thanks for reading, take care!
