Ehlers Electrifies

The Winnipeg first line did all of the scoring for the Jets over the weekend, totaling six goals between Friday and Sunday.  Nikolaj Ehlers contributed to all six goals, dishing two assists on Friday while scoring a goal and three assists on Sunday.  With nine shots between the two games, Ehlers is over four shots per game and inching closer to a point per game again.  Not bad considering he has the worst shooting percentage he’s had since his rookie season.  Loyal Razzballers know how much I like Ehlers.  There could be additional upside with Maurice gone because for whatever reason, he refused to use Ehlers on the first power play unit.  Hopefully that changes because he clearly deserves to be there and we could see new career highs as an effect.  Obviously Ehlers should be owned in all formats.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend, a light slate of games due to all of the postponements.  As noted on Friday, I won’t be listing every player that goes on the COVID list or every postponement because it’s changing rapidly, but I’ll note where it’s making an impact on lines, PP units, etc.

Friday’s Games

Kris Letang – Two assists with four shots.  Letang has been quite good, but had horrible shooting luck with only one goal.  He’s not getting to the same spots he used to so the days of 15-20 goals are over, but he’s still due for positive regression.

Brett Howden – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Even Howden gets a revenge game!  And there’s your annual Howden update.

Mika Zibanejad – Goal and an assist with seven shots and two PIM.  Chris Kreider also had a goal and an assist.  The top line is getting all of the minutes they can handle with Panarin out.

Charlie Lindgren – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 4-1 win over the Stars.  Lindgren has been very good for the Blues but I don’t think he’s going to be on the team for much longer.  He’s worth using in every start he makes though.

Vladimir Tarasenko – Two goals on four shots.  The all Russian line did well for the Blues again as Ivan Barbashev had a goal and an assist with four shots while Pavel Buchnevich dished two assists and added two shots.  They’re dominating on a nightly basis.  Barbashev is an elite streamer now as long as he maintains this role while the other two are obvious holds with top 50 upside, possibly higher.

Michael Sgarbossa – Goal and an assist with three shots.  Don’t expect Sgarbossa to be in the lineup often.

Daniel Sprong – Goal and an assist with seven shots.  Sprong’s minutes are up which immediately makes him an elite streamer.  His shots per 60 minutes are always very high.

Brett Leason – Goal and an assist with four shots.  The rookie has looked decent, but the role isn’t there for him to make a consistent impact.

Travis Boyd – Goal and two assists with two shots and two PIM.  Boyd is down on the second line now so he’s only a bottom end streamer.

Clayton Keller – Two goals and an assist with seven shots playing over 23 minutes.  Keller has been fantastic lately which pushes him towards being a hold.  He’s firmly on the fringe now.

Phil Kessel – Goal and an assist with three shots.  Kessel’s minutes are down a bit as he’s also on the second line now.  I have him as a middling streamer.

Nick Schmaltz – Two assists with two shots.  Schmaltz has five points in four games since he returned as he plays wing on the first line.  He’s an elite streamer, but I’m not considering holding him yet.

Hampus Lindholm – Two goals and an assist with seven shots.  Lindholm has been solid given his opportunities, but the problem is he doesn’t get PP time with Drysdale, Fowler, and Shattenkirk in front of him.  I lean towards leaving him on the wire because of this, but it’s close depending on team needs.

Trevor Zegras – Goal and an assist with four shots.  The minutes are staying up consistently now which is great to see.  Zegras has established himself as a hold now.

Saturday’s Games

Frederik Andersen – 32 saves on 33 shots in the 5-1 win over the Kings.  Outstanding season from Andersen to this point with 1.93/.930 and 16 wins in 21 starts.  Those numbers are close to #1 fantasy goalie overall numbers.  We’ll see if he can maintain this, but Andersen’s struggles from the last two seasons, especially last, appear to be in the rearview mirror.

Jesper Fast – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Quickie is a solid player in real life, but he doesn’t bring much to fantasy.

Brady Skjei – Two assists with five shots and four PIM. The offense has dried up for Skjei as he doesn’t get PP time anymore.  Not much here for fantasy.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Goal and an assist.  He’s been better of late with five points in the last three, but Kotkaniemi is only a bottom end streamer.  The shot rate is poor and the minutes aren’t consistent.

Alex Formenton – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Please, D.J. Smith, give Formenton more minutes!  There could be something here if he gets real minutes.

Oskar Lindblom – Goal and an assist with four shots.  The minutes are up since Yeo took over, but Lindblom hasn’t turned it into consistent production.  He’s only a bottom end streamer for now.

Travis Konecny – Two assists with four shots.  Konecny is due for some positive regression in the shooting department.  I’m not holding, but I can see that changing when things start to turn for Konecny.

Dylan Larkin – Hat trick and an assist.  Larkin is on pace for 45+43.  It’s crazy that he’s still only 25 years old.  He had become a bit of an afterthought with Detroit struggling for years, but he’s to the forefront now.

Tyler Bertuzzi – Two goals with two PIM.  He has to be held as Detroit doesn’t have games in Canada any time soon.

Brandon Hagel – Two assists.  Hagel is clearly a bottom end streamer.

Joe Pavelski – Two goals and two assists with six shots.  The shot rate is barely above two which isn’t ideal, but Pavelski is just below a point per game so it’s hard to complain.

Roope Hintz – Three assists with two shots.  After a very slow start caused by horrible shooting luck when Hintz was on the ice, he’s been excellent.

John Klingberg – Goal and an assist with four shots.  Klingberg is on the fringe for me.  The opportunity is still there for him, but he’s only at 1.5 shots per game and hasn’t done well at even strength.  On the one team I have him, I’ve been stubborn and held him as the Dallas power play starts to get going, but I can see Klingberg doing better on his next team, assuming he leaves.

Jordan Eberle – Two assists with a shot.  Eberle has been fortunate with shooting luck as he’s over 20% on the season.  I lean towards elite streamer instead of hold because of that, but I have no problem holding because he’s playing 20 minutes regularly.

Leon Draisaitl – Three assists with a shot.  With nine points in his last ten games, Draisaitl has slowed down quite a bit as Edmonton struggles.  Expect him to catch fire again sooner than later.

Warren Foegele – Two goals on five shots.  Foegele played 20 minutes as the Oilers were extremely shorthanded.  There’s value as a short term streamer, but it won’t last.

Connor McDavid – Goal and an assist with four shots.  Business as usual.

Evan Bouchard – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Huge fan of Bouchard’s game, but with Nurse back, his opportunity is a bit limited.  That said, I’m still holding, but it’s more on the fringe.

Sunday’s Games

Shea Theodore – Two goals on five shots.  He hasn’t been as good as I expected, but Theodore has nine points in his last nine games so hopefully he can continue this run.  The minutes are solid as well.

Oliver Wahlstrom – Two assists with three shots.  I don’t get why Wahlstrom is never above 15 minutes in a game.  The Isles are terrible offensively and he’s been their best point producer on a per-minute basis.  He’s a middling streamer as a result.

Pavel Buchnevich – Two assists with four shots playing over 23 minutes.  Ivan Barbashev also had two assists.  Can’t stop the Russian line!

Paul Stastny – Two goals and an assist with three shots.  With the injury to Wheeler, Stastny is playing on the first line with Ehlers and Mark Scheifele (goal and an assist, three shots).  That makes Stastny an elite streamer.

Matt Roy – Two assists with three shots.  The minutes are solid for Roy with Doughty out, but unfortunately, he isn’t getting power play time.  The shot rate is strong though despite having zero goals so in deep leagues, I see some value given his solid hits and blocks.