This weekend, we saw some amazing statlines from players around the league, including 3 hat tricks. Mats Zuccarello scored all 3 goals for the Rangers in a 3-1 win over Toronto on Friday, all assisted by Derick Brassard and Rick Nash. Long time fourth liner Dale Weise had a hat trick on Friday against Calgary and added an assist on Sunday, totaling eight shots between the two games. In the battle of Alberta on Saturday, Michael Frolik scored a hat trick on seven shots. Going forward, Zuccarello is obviously must own. I still wouldn’t own Weise in leagues unless it’s a super deep league where you include hits. Frolik is an interesting case. On one hand, those were his first three goals of the season. On the other, he now has 8 points in 12 games, is close to 3 shots per game and is now in the top six. I’d call him a streamer in 12’ers for now since he isn’t getting much power play time but if he starts to get it, things will change.
Here’s what else happened in an action packed weekend…
Henrik Lundqvist – 24 saves on 25 shots in the win over Toronto. Lundqvist has a 1.87 GAA and .943 save percentage. Like DeAngelo Barksdale tells Bodie and Wallace in The Pit, “The King stay the King.”
Mark Streit – Goal on three shots in the loss to Buffalo Friday. He’s one of the only Flyers living up to expectations. With seven points in ten games and only 2 PPP, I expect Streit to stay close to this pace, ending the season around 50 points.
Ryan O’Reilly – Goal and two assists with four shots and 2 PIM in 2 Sabres wins. Played an absurd 26 minutes on Friday. I can’t think of a forward playing more time in a regular season game, let alone one without overtime. Coach Dan Blysma is counting on RoR to be their best forward game in and game out and he’s delivering.
Jack Eichel – Goal on seven shots. Frustrating that he doesn’t have an assist yet but the shot rate is elite and it’s only a matter of time.
Linus Ullmark – 27 saves on 28 shots Friday, then 29 saves on 30 shots Sunday, both wins. As a Sabres fan, I’ve been following Ullmark for a few years now. After playing for Modo in Sweden, Ullmark made the move to North America and was pressed into early action for the Sabres with the injury to Robin Lehner. I’ve seen him as the goalie of the future for a few years and even though the Sabres paid a steep price for Lehner, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ullmark is the main guy in a year or two. He’s incredibly talented and is a monster in the net. In dynasty leagues, I’d look to add him for that potential. In season-long leagues, I wouldn’t add him because he’s probably going to split until Lehner is back and once he comes back, Ullmark may go to Rochester so he can get more experience. He’s become an interesting streamer when he does play in the meantime (the Sabres don’t play until Thursday now).
Braden Holtby – 29 saves on 30 shots in the 2-1 win over Columbus Friday. He’s on his way to another top 5 season in net.
T.J. Oshie – Goal on 7 shots in two games. With how well the first line is playing, it almost feels disappointing Oshie and his linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov only had one point each.
Alex Ovechkin – Three assists and three shots. Dude’s a sicko.
Gabriel Landeskog – Two assists with ten shots and 2 PIM in the loss Friday to Carolina. Great start to the year for the Kog with 5+4 with 32 shots and 16 PIM in 11 games. The shot rate is getting back to his normal elite level
Nathan MacKinnon – Assist and four shot. His sophomore slump is clearly a thing of the past; 10 points in 11 games so far.
Kris Versteeg – Goal, four assists, four shots and 2 PIM in two games over the weekend. He’s up to 10 points in 12 games. The shots aren’t great and if your league counts hits, I wouldn’t touch Versteeg but in standard leagues, I’d grab him if you’re in need of assists.
Victor Rask – Goal and three assists with four shots. Still not worth adding Rask in standard leagues but he’s worth monitoring.
Mark Stone – Goal and two assists with four shots and two PIM in two games. Quite the start to the season for Stone with 13 points in 11 games and that’s with only 1 power play point.
Erik Karlsson – Two assists with eight shots. Shockingly Karlsson hasn’t scored yet this year but with 11 points in 11 games with 12 PIM, it’s hard to have any complaints.
Bobby Ryan – Two goals and an assist with eight shots. Finally showing some signs of life lately but I’m still lower on Ryan than most.
Kyle Turris – Two goals on six shots. Turris and Stone have become quite the duo.
Gustav Nyqvist – Goal and two assists with ten shots and two PIM. Last week, I said Nyqvist was going to break out with his promotion to the top line. Thanks for making me look good Gustav!
Henrik Zetterberg – Goal and two assists with six shots. He’s up to 14 points in 11 games. Hopefully he can stay healthy for the whole season because it’s a treat to watch Zetterberg on a regular basis.
Tomas Tatar – Goal and assist with three shots. I’d like to see the shot rate get back to where it’s been in the past but at least the production is starting to come.
Dylan Larkin Goal with seven shots. The points have slowed down a bit but with 8 points in 11 games, +9 and 30 shots, Larkin has still been a pleasant surprise.
Brad Marchand – Three goals, one assist, eight shots and 17 PIM! What a weekend for Marchand owners. Like the rest of the Bruins top 6, Marchand is killing it to start the season.
Zdeno Chara – Goal, two assists, 4 shots and 4 PIM. Chara showed signs of age at the end of last season but he’s coming on strong this year. I don’t expect the Bruins offense to keep this up so I’d look to sell high on Chara unless you’re in a league with hits, then hold.
Tuukka Rask – 31 saves on 32 shots in the win Friday. Finally a good start for Rask owners.
Nick Bjugstad – Goal on eight shots in two games. Starting to look like the player that ended last season on a strong note.
Jonathan Toews – Two goals on two shots in the loss to the Wild Friday. Disappointing start to the year for Toews but hopefully this game springboards him to get back to his normal pace.
Mikko Koivu – Three assists with two shots in two games. Koivu normally has a solid shot rate but he’s been horrible so far with 17 shots in 11 games. That said, he’s must own right now with 11 points in 11 games getting top power play time.
Jason Zucker – Two goals and an assist with eight shots. I’m calling Zucker a must-own right now. He’s up to 9 points (3+6) in 11 games, he’s taking over 3 shots a game and is a solid +4. He’s clicking on the second line with Koivu.
Thomas Vanek – Two assists with four shots. Great start for Vanek this year as well; looks like a prime bounceback candidate.
Carey Price – Out for at least this week due to injury. Grab Mike Condon (30 saves on 32 shots Friday, 18 saves on 19 shots Sunday, both wins) everywhere you can. He’ll be incredibly useful for this week.
David Desharnais – Goal, four assists and three shots in 2 games. The Canadiens exploded for 11 goals in 2 games and they didn’t get one goal from the top line! Pretty amazing. Desharnais is up to 9 points in 12 games but I’m still not adding him. His shot rate is horrible and he’s outside of the top six now.
Tomas Fleischmann – Two goals, three assists with eight shots. He’s been fantasy relevant in the past but I’m not adding him barring an injury to someone in Montreal’s top six or an increase in PP time for Flash.
Jeff Petry – Three assists with five shots. He’s getting good power play time now so he’s worth monitoring.
Radim Vrbata – Assist with seven shots and 2 PIM against his old team. Looking like last year’s Vrbata again. He’s a great trade target.
Max Domi – Goal on two shots. Up to 11 points in 11 games; this rookie class is the best in a very long time.
John Tavares – Missed both games over the weekend due to an illness. It isn’t serious but it’s unfortunate for his owners in head to head leagues.
Cory Schneider – 24 saves on 26 shots in the 3-2 shootout win over the Islanders. He’s up to 6 wins in 9 starts which is outstanding. I don’t expect the Devils to keep this up but enjoy the wins while you can.
Lee Stempniak – Assist with four shots. Played over 23 minutes, most of any Devils forward. Like his linemates, I think he’s must own now.
Tyler Seguin – Goal and assist on three shots. The only player with more points in the league is his linemate Jamie Benn. Again, it’s the best line in hockey.
Patrick Sharp – Goal and assist with two shots. Like I’ve been saying for weeks, this streak from Sharp was inevitable.
Antoine Roussel – Goal and two assists with a shot. He’s great for PIM but it’s nice to see him contributing offensively with 6 points in 11 games and +6. If you’re short on PIM, Roussel is the best option available.
John Klingberg – Two assists with a shot. Hotter than a pistol right now.
Vernon Fiddler – Goal and two assists with four shots. Fiddler isn’t fantasy relevant barring an injury.
Brent Burns – Goal, assist, twelve shots and two PIM in two games. Oh, how I love you Brent Burns, you crazy homeless looking manbeast.
Joe Pavelski – Two goals with seven shots. No doubts about Pavelski going forward; should be a top 25 player.
Joel Ward – Two goals and an assist with six shots. If you didn’t grab him early last week like I suggested and he’s still available, grab him now.
Patrick Marleau – Three assists with four shots. The Sharks top six is amazing right now for fantasy purposes. They look to be a much better team than last year.
Tomas Hertl – Assist with seven shots. Only has five points in 11 games but looks great on the second line. I expect a hot streak soon,
Tyler Toffoli – Two goals on four shots in the OT win over Nashville Saturday. Tied with Benn for the league lead in goals. It’s unsustainable with his current shot rate so hopefully it increases to over three per game.
Jake Muzzin – Two assist with two shots. Christian Ehrhoff left the game injured so if he misses any period of time, Muzzin becomes must own with a role increase.
Filip Forsberg – Two assists and nine shots in two games. His shot rate was horrible through the first 8 games so it’s encouraging to see Forsberg take nine shots.
Roman Josi – Three assists with a shot and 2 PIM. He’s been strong across the board through the first month of the season.
Shea Weber – Two goals on eight shots. He’s been strong across the board through the first month of the season. And that’s me copying Grey copying and pasting me!
James Neal – Goal on nine shots. Shot rate is amazing, the goals are there and so are the PIM.
Marc-Andre Fleury – 21 save shutout against Toronto Saturday. Amazing numbers for Fleury so far this year. With the slow offensive start, the Penguins needed him. With the offense starting to click, the Pens can go on a huge run if Fleury can keep up this level of play.
Patric Hornqvist – Goal on three shots. Showing signs of life playing with Sidney Crosby on the first line. I’d buy low if you can.
Nikita Kucherov – Goal, two assists, eight shots and 2 PIM in two games. It’s been a rough start for The Triplets but it’s only a matter of time until they catch fire.
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 32 saves on 35 shots in the 4-3 win over Carolina Sunday. Coach Jon Cooper said they need to get Vasilevskiy more games going forward. The former first round pick is a must-own in dynasty leagues. In standard leagues where I owned Ben Bishop (31 saves on 33 shots in the loss to Boston), I’d add Vasilevskiy and own both Lightning goaltenders.
Dustin Byfuglien – Assist with six shots and six PIM in two games. I’d like to see more than six points in twelve games but the rest of the numbers for Buff are great.
Bryan Little – Goal and assist with four shots. Up to a point per game on the season; the first line for the Jets keeps rolling.
Blake Wheeler – Goal and assist with four shots. The PIM have disappeared but with 14 points in 12 games, Wheeler has been outstanding.
Jake Allen – 29 saves on 31 shots in the OT win over Minnesota. He’s been amazing to start the year and looks like he’s going to be a true #1 going forward.
David Backes – Two goals on three shots. It’s been a very slow start for Backes (these were his first two goals) but with the injuries piling up for the Blues, Backes will be playing even more minutes than usual and should start producing.
Leon Draisaitl – Goal and two assists with two shots. He’s a must add playing on the first line with five points in two games.
Taylor Hall – Goal and two assists with four shots. He’s been dominant to start the year so here’s to hoping he can stay healthy.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Two assists and five shots. Another guy who hopefully can stay healthy.
Fredrik Andersen – 40 saves on 42 shots in the win over Nashville Sunday. Finally got some goal support. Buy low on Andersen if you can.
Rickard Rakell – Goal and assist with a shot. He’s not longer on the first line but he’s still on the first power play unit so he’s still a good streaming option.
Chris Stewart – Goal, two assists, three shots and 2 PIM. These were the first three points of the season for Stewart. That said, he’s an incredibly streaky player so I will look to stream him in the Ducks next game against Florida Wednesday.
Sami Vatanen – Goal and assist with two shots. It’s been a poor start to the year but like the rest of his team, I expect Vatanen to turn things around.
Streamers for Monday: With only three games on the slate, there will be lots of streaming to start the week. Here are my best three options:
Mattias Janmark (1.1% owned) – He’s cooled off a bit after a hot start but he’s still on the second power play unit and gets a prime matchup against the Leafs.
Alex Burrows (1.9%) – Great spot against the Flyers, contributes in PIM and is getting ample PP time.
Joffrey Lupul (16.1%) – He’s in the top six and on the first power play unit.
That’s it for now. I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend. With the short slate, I won’t have a writeup until Wednesday. That said, there will still be a post on Tuesday from Marv so be sure to check that out! I’ll post streamers for Tuesday in the comments section of his article. Take care everyone!
