The Jets have been excellent to open the season, but that hasn’t stopped them from tweaking things to get better. On Friday, we saw Bowness go back to last season’s duo of Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor together, something I’ve been clamoring for. They notched one goal on Friday by Connor from Dubois, but they went off against Chicago on Sunday. Dubois had two goals on eight shots, while Connor had a goal and two assists with two shots. I’ve been saying it was a matter of time for Connor to get going, and I think that time is now. He’s too talented to not pile up goals. Dubois has been quite good across the board so far this season, but career highs are now in play. The shot rate is fantastic, the PIM are strong, and he’s playing at a 40 goal pace. It sucks that they’re missing Ehlers indefinitely so they don’t have a great second winger, but even still, look for these guys to improve their even strength performance while remaining great on the power play. Let’s see what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Games
Akira Schmid – 33 saves on 34 shots in the 3-1 win over the Sabres. With how good the Devils are playing, Schmid is worth streaming every time he starts. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
David Krejci – Two goals on five shots. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist with four shots and four PIM, while Pavel Zacha had two assists with a shot. Boston went back to Pasta on L2 and it worked well in this game. Krejci is on the fringe depending on team needs and league format, while Zacha is a solid streamer in this role.
Sean Monahan – Two assists with two shots. It’s nice to see Monahan healthy again and making quality contributions. He’s a middling streamer after points in seven of eight games.
Darcy Kuemper – 32 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Flames. The numbers aren’t far off from last season for Kuemper, but the wins are down as the Caps struggle. I do think it’ll improve so it’ll get better in that regard, but Kuemper might be more top end #2 than bottom end #1.
Alex Ovechkin – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. Ovechkin has been a mess at even strength, but he’s still piling up the goals.
T.J. Oshie – Goal and an assist with three shots. Oshie is a solid streamer at this point in his career.
John Tavares – Two assists with three shots. This is the best Tavares has looked since his first season in Toronto. We just have to see if he can avoid falling off due to fatigue as the season goes on.
Alex Goligoski – Two assists. He’s been going in and out of the lineup so nothing here. Congrats to Gogo for 1,000 games!
Kirill Kaprizov – Goal and an assist with nine shots. After a slower start, Kaprizov is starting to explode offensively. Just a matter of time for him.
Mats Zuccarello – Goal and an assist with five shots. He cooled off, but Zucc is still around a point per game and needs to be held.
Cam Talbot – 31 saves on 32 shots in the 5-1 win over the Ducks. Talbot has been solid, but he’s not getting the wins. If he keeps this up, he can easily be a #2 goalie.
Derick Brassard – Goal and two assists. He clicked with Mathieu Joseph in this game, who also had a goal and two assists. They’re both PP2 for deep leagues, but bottom end streamers otherwise.
Tristan Jarry – 29 saves on 30 shots in the 4-1 win over the Flyers. After a horrible stretch of games, Jarry is going off. The GAA is still very high, but the save percentage is still decent. I expect it to continue to improve.
Teddy Blueger – Three assists with two shots. Bottom end streamer at best.
Josh Archibald – Goal and an assist with two shots. And there’s your annual Archibald update!
Ryan Poehling – Two goals on three shots. There’s some talent here, but he’s still only a bottom end streamer.
Nick Schmaltz – Goal and an assist, as did Jakob Chychrun. Schmaltz scored again on Sunday (spoiler alert!) to give him a three game goal streak. He’s on the fringe. Chychrun has looked outstanding taking a ton of shots. I don’t know if a trade even helps him if he keeps this role, but it’s great to see him play this well regardless.
Tyler Bertuzzi – Two assists with five shots and two PIM. He’s had a slow start since returning from injury, but he’s still in the elite streamer range for me.
Filip Hronek – Goal and an assist with three shots. Massive heater for Hronek who has six goals in the last six games. He’s hitting all of the categories extremely well and looks like a #3 fantasy defenseman.
Lucas Raymond – Two assists with three shots. Raymond is a strong streamer but I have to say I’m disappointed with how he’s performed this year.
Pavel Buchnevich – Goal and an assist. Jordan Kyrou had a goal and an assist with seven shots while Robert Thomas had two assists. I’m absolutely loving this line and would be trying to buy low on all of these guys. They all should get back to last season’s level.
Nikita Kucherov – Three assists with two shots. Brayden Point had two goals and an assist, while every other guy in the top six had two points. Just shows you what the Tampa forwards can do on any single night.
Mathew Barzal – Two assists with two shots. All your assists are belong to Barzal!
Johnny Gaudreau – Two assists with four shots. While Gaudreau isn’t near last season’s level, he’s still at a point per game and is over three shots per game. Hard to complain too much, especially considering how little Laine played.
Kent Johnson – Goal and an assist with four shots. Johnson isn’t getting a ton of opportunity at even strength, but he is on PP1. I am bullish long term, but for now, he’s a middling streamer.
Adam Larsson – Two assists with a shot, three blocks and four hits. Does you league have hits and blocks? Larsson is viable. If not, don’t even think about it.
Andre Burakovsky – Two goals on four shots. Burakovsky has been fantastic with Seattle, sitting at a point per game. It’s great to see him get top minutes and deliver. He’s a bottom end hold for me now.
Shea Theodore – Two assists with four shots. Come on Cassidy, give Theodore a bigger workload!
Adam Lowry – Goal and two assists with two shots. Bottom end streamer.
Blake Wheeler – Two assists with two shots. Wheeler is back with Scheifele but I don’t see more than a middling streamer.
Dylan DeMelo – Two assists with a shot. And there’s your annual DeMelo update!
Jason Robertson – Two goals and an assist with six shots. And just like that, Robertson is leading the league in goals and is second in the league in points despite getting far less minutes than other superstars. What an absolute force.
Jamie Benn – Goal and an assist with six shots. I did not see the Benn revitalization coming. He’s definitely a bottom end hold now.
Tyler Seguin – Two assists with two shots. Seguin hasn’t gotten back to his top level, but he’s also bounced back quite a bit. His shot rate is down though so he’s more solid streamer than elite one, but that can change.
Miro Heiskanen – Two assists with six shots. Heiskanen has been solid across the board as we expected with the Klingberg departure. I still think it can even get better.
Viktor Arvidsson – Goal and an assist with two shots. Arvidsson is a solid streamer for much of the same reasons Seguin is. He used to have an elite shot rate, but now he’s down around two per game.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan – Goal and an assist with six shots. These are the only points that Anderson-Dolan has this season. Moving on…
Sean Durzi – Two assists. Durzi is right on the fringe depending on team needs.
Saturday’s Games
Ryan McLeod – Three assists with two shots. Don’t see much here when he’s not in the top six.
Evan Bouchard – Two goals on four shots. He’s been one of the biggest disappointments so I’m very curious to see if Bouchard can build on this. He still played only 14 minutes so I’m not buying back in yet.
Ryan Lindgren – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. Lindgren is solid in real life, but nothing to really contribute for fantasy.
Jordan Kyrou – Two goals on five shots. See above.
Ryan O’Reilly – Goal and an assist with seven shots. RoR is starting to show signs of life offensively. He’s a solid streamer with clear upside.
Vladimir Tarasenko – Goal and an assist with four shots. It hasn’t been the best start, but I’m still holding Tarasenko without hesitation. No concern here.
Brandon Saad – Goal and an assist with four shots. Bottom end streamer.
Torey Krug – Two assists with two shots and five PIM. Krug has been a disaster at even strength which puts him more on the fringe than I anticipated.
Sam Reinhart – Two assists with three shots. Reinhart has been disappointing, but I would look to buy low here. His shot rate is excellent and he has ten points in the last ten games so there’s signs of him breaking out.
Gustav Forsling – Two assists with a shot. Forsling has been very good across the board and looks to be a solid #3 as I was expecting him to be.
Vitek Vanecek – 37 saves on 38 shots in the 5-1 win over the Capitals. Quite the revenge game for Vanecek. I didn’t have him becoming a top 10 fantasy goalie, but here we are.
Jack Hughes – Hat trick on four shots. My top 20 ranking of Hughes is looking pretty good now. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Dawson Mercer – Two assists with four shots. Mercer is a solid streamer who does have more long term upside.
Erik Kallgren – 25 saves on 26 shots in the 4-1 win over the Penguins. Kallgren is still under a .900 sv% so he’s only a tier above desperation for streaming.
Auston Matthews – Goal and two assists with six shots. This feels almost like worst case for Matthews and it’s still point per game and 4.5 shots per.
William Nylander – Goal and an assist with four shots. Nylander has been fantastic with 12+12 already. He’s as steady as it comes for guys outside of the elite tier.
Michael Bunting – Two assists with a shot. Bunting is an elite streamer who can be a hold if you need the PIM.
Mitch Marner – Goal and an assist with eight shots. Marner’s shot rate is down as is his shooting percentage which is a bad combo, but he’s playing at a 75 assist pace so it’s hard to complain.
Kevin Hayes – Two assists with five shots. It hasn’t been particularly good at evens, but Hayes is up to a point per game now giving insane minutes. Clear hold.
Lukas Sedlak – Goal and an assist with two shots. Can’t see here for fantasy.
Ryan Pulock – Four assists with a shot. I expected Pulock to turn into a hold in fantasy three seasons ago, but his offense has dried up over the last couple seasons. The shot rate is quite poor now too despite having a bomb. I’d save Pulock for deep leagues.
Zach Parise – Two goals on six shots. Parise has been better than I expected, but it’s still a middling streamer at best.
Anthony Beauvillier – Goal and an assist with two shots. It’s been very disappointing for Beauvillier despite the Islanders playing quality hockey. He’s a bottom end streamer for now.
Alexandar Georgiev – 41 saves on 42 shots in the 4-1 win over the Stars. Georgiev has been as good as any goalie in the league so far. Monster performance.
Josh Manson – Goal and an assist with five shots, six PIM, four hits, and two blocks. Ridiculous stat line from Manson, but it’s extremely rate for him to have an offensive outburst. The hits, PIM and blocks are real though for deep leagues.
Spencer Martin – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 5-1 win over the Golden Knights. Martin has somehow won 6 of 8 starts despite having a 3.12/.907. He’s an okay streamer when he starts.
J.T. Miller – Goal and two assists with three shots. After a slow start, Miller is back on a tear, especially in the goals department. The shooting percentage is going to regress, but he’s closer to last season than I expected now.
Quinn Hughes – Two assists with two shots. In eighteen games, Hughes has no goals… and 21 assists. I’m pulling for the 0+85 season at this point.
Andrei Kuzmenko – Goal and an assist with two shots. He also had a goal and an assist on Sunday. Kuzmenko is back on track after a cold patch, including a healthy scratch. I have him as an elite streamer, but it’s right on the fringe.
Sunday’s Games
Mattias Maccelli – Two assists. Maccelli is getting a lot of assists, but he’s still under a shot per game. It’s hard to be better than a bottom end streamer when you don’t shoot the puck.
Joel Eriksson Ek – Two assists with a shot. JEEK is on the fringe depending on what you’re looking for at the bottom of your roster. Gun to head, I would hold.
Philipp Kurashev – Two assists with four shots. I have very little interest in using anyone on Chicago.
Josh Morrissey – Three assists with five shots. I can’t get over how good Morrissey has been. Now he’s having the occasional big shot game too. Morrissey is a solid #2 defenseman now.
Saku Maenalanen – Two goals on five shots. Nothing to see here.
Elias Pettersson – Goal and an assist with four shots. Ilya Mikheyev also had a goal and an assist. Pettersson continues to be a monster while Mikheyev is a solid streamer.
Erik Karlsson – Two assists with three shots. What a remarkable story, one of my favorites in a long time. We went from Karlsson’s contract being one of the worst in the league to Karlsson being one of the best defensemen in the league.
Nick Bonino – Two assists with three shots. That’s more points than Bonino had in his first 20 games of the season. That says it all right there.
Luke Kunin – Two goals on four shots with two PIM. Kunin is an elite streamer if you have the extra categories. He’s also one of the better streamers if you’re in a H2H league where you need PIM but also somebody that isn’t a blank offensively.
Matty Beniers – Goal and two assists. Beniers is on the fringe, although I lean towards elite streamer because the shot rate is a clear negative.
Daniel Sprong – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. I wish Sprong would go to Arizona or Chicago to see what he could do playing 17 minutes a night. He has 11 points in 14 games despite very low ice time, but it’s too hard to stream someone playing 11 minutes.
Trevor Zegras – Three assists with three shots and two PIM. Zegras has been quite good despite the team around him being on the struggle bus. Being close to a point per game when the Ducks have nothing else is strong. Same story with Troy Terry, who had a goal and an assist in this one.
Cam Fowler – Two assists with three shots. Fowler is having a revival with nine points in the last seven games as his minutes keep going up. He’s back in the discussion for holding, especially in leagues that don’t have plus-minus.
Arthur Kaliyev – Two goals on three shots. Solid streamer, but Kaliyev’s minutes are too low for more.
Phillip Danault – Two assists with two shots. Danault’s offense has been solid once again in Los Angeles. He’s also in the solid streamer tier.
Claude Giroux – Goal and an assist. Giroux looks like a bottom end hold at this point in Ottawa. He’s not lighting the world on fire, but he’s been solid.
Thomas Chabot – Two assists with a shot. Nice to see Chabot back in the lineup again. I’m expecting Chabot to pick it up back up quickly.
Brady Tkachuk – Goal and an assist with seven shots. Monster season from Tkachuk despite being -7. He’s been absolutely dominant everywhere else.
Tim Stutzle – Two assists with three shots. He’s right around a point per game so it’s hard to complain about Stutzle. I did expect the shot rate to take a jump this season which hasn’t happened, but it’s still top 100 level.
Three Point Challenge: We will do Tuesday’s Games. You can’t take McDavid, Robertson, Draisaitl, Pastrnak, Karlsson, Kucherov, Rantanen, Crosby, MacKinnon, M. Tkachuk, Kaprizov, Pettersson, or Marner. I’ll go with Josi against the Ducks.
That’s all for now guys, one of my longest daily notes ever! 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!
