For two periods, the Red Wings were locking the Canucks down defensively. They went into the third period up 2-0 but that lead didn’t last long. In fact, the Canucks ended up scoring five goals in the third to win with ease. They were lead by their captain, Bo Horvat, who had his first career hat trick in the victory. Loyal Razzballers know how much I like Dr. Bo as a player. It’s been a slow start, but here’s why I’m buying Horvat (and another Canuck I’ll talk about later). One, Horvat is shooting the puck at an excellent rate. He’s over three shots per game on the season. Two, and the main reason, is that Horvat is back on the first power play unit. In fact, two of his goals came on that unit. There’s a ton of potential in that group and Horvat should be a beneficiary. He’s an easy hold and should push the top 100 going forward. Let’s take a look at what else happened on Tuesday night:
Jack Eichel – Two goals and two assists with six shots and two PIM. Eichel has been one of the best players in the league so far and should, conservatively, continue to be a top 20 guy.
Rasmus Ristolainen – Two assists with two shots. I’m really not a fan of Krueger’s usage to this point, mainly with how much he’s playing Risto. It’s nice for fantasy owners, especially in 14’ers and deeper. I’m probably passing in 12’ers unless your league has hits as a category, but it’s closer than I expected given he’s off the first power play unit.
Patrick Marleau – Two assists. He’s a decent streamer, but I’m not holding. Marleau has two shots in four games after his first game and I simply don’t see any upside.
Erik Karlsson – Goal and an assist with three shots. I’d like to see Karlsson get back over three shots per game like he was last season, but the assists are coming in right now so it’s hard to complain.
Alex Kerfoot – Goal and an assist with two shots. Kerfoot is off to a nice start in Toronto with 4+3 in 11 games. The problem is that his shot rate is still at 1.5 per game. He’s an okay streamer but that’s it.
Kasperi Kapanen – Goal and an assist with two shots. His shot rate is also dreadful right now, and Kapanen’s minutes are down at the moment. He’s also a middling streamer.
David Pastrnak – Goal and an assist with five shots. Brad Marchand also had a goal and an assist. The Bruins top line continues to be unstoppable.
Alex Goligoski – Goal and an assist with two shots. He’s a hot schmotato but I don’t see any of it being sustainable. Gogo has some value in deeper leagues but I’m not using him in 12’ers.
Tony DeAngelo – Two goals on three shots. We’re starting to see some signs of life from the Rangers depth guys. DeAngelo isn’t an auto hold at this point, but I’m giving him a little more time.
Jake Guentzel – Two assists with four shots. As I talked about yesterday, the minutes are insane for the top Pens right now, Guentzel included. He’s right at a point per game with over three shots per game. Strong start.
Jonathan Huberdeau – Goal and an assist with two shots. While some of his teammates are off to slow starts, Huberdeau is picking up right where he left off last season.
Aleksander Barkov – Two assists with a shot. Barkov is still without a goal, but he’s starting to pile up assists. The shot rate is also down, but I’m not overly concerned.
Denis Malgin – Goal and an assist. He’s been buzzing out there but the minutes still haven’t gone up. That said, he’s a good streamer right now while he’s playing.
J.T. Miller – Two assists with three shots and two PIM. The shot rate is very good by his standards which is exciting. Miller is an easy hold in all formats.
Jordie Benn – Two assists with a shot. And there’s your annual Jordie Benn update!
Elias Pettersson – Two assists with four shots. He’s still right around two shots per game which is a bit disappointing. That said, he’s over a point per game so I’m not going to complain.
Quinn Hughes – Two assists with a shot. Okay, here’s the other guy I teased in the intro. Hughes is on the first power play unit now as I expected in the preseason when I ranked him a top 25 defenseman. While Hughes is on the ice on the power play, the Canucks are getting more shot attempts than any other power play in the league and it’s not even close. I’m looking for him to take off sooner than later, and all of the top Canucks get a boost with Hughes replacing Edler.
Pekka Rinne – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 6-1 win over the Ducks. After a slow start, Rinne has gotten back on track.
Roman Josi – Goal and an assist with three shots. Josi is looking every bit of the top 5 defenseman I ranked him to be in the preseason. He’s crushing every category in the early going.
Viktor Arvidsson – Goal and an assist with three shots. Solid start for Arvidsson with 4+4 in 9 games.
Nikolaj Ehlers – Goal and an assist. Ehlers is bouncing back in a big way in the early going despite playing on the second line. At his current shot rate for himself and the Jets while he’s on the ice, he could easily get back to the 29+31 that he had two seasons ago.
Devan Dubnyk – 9 saves on 9 shots in 22 minutes before being pulled after a violent collision. Donato slid into him and Dubnyk hit his head on the ice. Here’s to hoping it’s not serious. Alex Stalock took over and didn’t allow a goal. Maybe he’ll keep up this hot streak for a bit, but use him at your own peril.
Eric Staal – Two goals and an assist with five shots. It’s been a rough start for Staal but I’m not giving up hope. He’s on the fringe for me now. If you lost patience, I don’t blame you dropping him, but I don’t think cutting Staal loose is a must.
Jordan Greenway – Two assists with a shot before he left the game with an upper body injury. There could be something here long term, but for now, Greenway belongs on the waiver wire.
Marc-Andre Fleury – 31 saves on 32 shots in the 2-1 win over the Blackhawks. Fleury has been outstanding so far which isn’t a big surprise. The volume should be there for Fleury to be a #1 goalie with relative ease.
Kirby Dach – First career goal in his second game. He’s getting some shifts on the second line but the minutes aren’t there. I’m not even looking to stream him now, but that doesn’t take away from how good of a prospect Dach is.
John Carlson – Two goals on three shots with two PIM. What Carlson is doing so far is nothing short of remarkable. Twenty points in eleven games from a defenseman!
Alex Ovechkin – Goal and an assist with five shots and two PIM. Ovechkin has been his usual self so far, which is to say dominant.
Three Point Challenge: For those who aren’t familiar, for each Tuesday and Thursday of the season, you can make a pick in the comments section. That player needs to get 3+ points for you to win. You cannot take a player in the top 10 in points in the league. For the first month to six weeks of the season, we will use last season’s top 10 in points. That means no McDavid, Kucherov, Kane, Draisaitl, Crosby, Marchand, Gaudreau, MacKinnon, Stamkos, or Barkov. Feel free to make your pick any time before 7 PM EST on Thursday night. Aurelius is on top with 2 correct picks, with Fungazi and Matt on the board with one each. For Thursday, I am going to take Matt Duchene against the Wild.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Friday recapping all of the action from 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!
