Ben Bishop didn’t give up a goal for three straight games and the first period in Thursday’s game. Then, something sadly familiar happened: he was injured. Bishop left Thursday’s game against the Wild with Anton Khudobin playing in relief. Khudobin stopped 14 of 15 shots faced in the 4-1 win. Montgomery didn’t give a timetable other than day-to-day after the game, but he hinted that Bishop could miss a few games. Dallas is playing incredibly well defensively that Khudobin becomes a great streamer automatically. Vegas isn’t the best matchup tonight, but I wouldn’t be afraid to use him, and I would definitely use him against the Canucks on Sunday. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Brendan Perlini – Goal and two assists with three shots. Here’s what I said on Wednesday before this game: “Perlini has six goals in his past five games and is now on a line with DeBrincat and Strome. The Blackhawks have a great schedule over the last four weeks so I’m bumping Perlini up to elite streamer.” And that’s me quoting me copying what Grey does! Yeah, Perlini has solidified himself as an elite streamer.
Dylan Strome – Two assists with a shot. He’s been outstanding since going to Chicago and I don’t see why it would slow down the rest of the way.
Brandon Saad – Goal and an assist with three shots. Saad remains a middling streamer.
Andreas Johnsson – Goal and an assist with five shots. He’s still with Auston Matthews (1+1, 5 SOG) which keeps Johnsson as a strong streamer.
William Nylander – Two assists with five shots. Nylander is with Johnsson and Matthews right now boosting him back to solid streamer.
Brendan Lemieux – Ten penalty minutes with a shot. The PIM totals are outrageous since going to New York. Lemieux has 29 PIM in 8 games with five points and a respectable 19 SOG. Great streamer if you need the PIM.
Jacob Markstrom – 21 saves on 22 shots in the 4-1 win over the Rangers. It’s been a surprisingly decent season from Markstrom. The Canucks should be even better next year, the question is whether it’s Markstrom as the #1 or Thatcher Demko is ready. I wouldn’t mind grabbing Markstrom for cheap in a dynasty as a flier.
Casey DeSmith – 26 save shutout in the 5-0 win over the Sabres. Jack Eichel will be back next game, but the Sabres are playing like they’ve punted the rest of the season. Stream every goalie against them right now. DeSmith is purely a matchup play.
Thomas Greiss – 33 saves on 34 shots in the 2-1 win over the Canadiens. Greiss should still be owned everywhere despite Robin Lehner returning as the backup Thursday. The Islanders have established themselves as one of, if not the best defensive teams in the league.
Brett Connolly – Two goals and an assist with four shots. Connolly is playing enough later to stream in deeper leagues.
Michal Kempny – Two assists with a shot. Kempny is a nice option for deep leagues at the moment. The PIM are strong and he’s playing more helping him get decent enough assist totals.
Nikita Kucherov – Two goals and two assists with five shots. 115 points and counting (35+80). We’re witnessing the best season in over 20 years. I got some negativity in the preseason ranking Kucherov second and that was proven to be foolish. I think he’ll be #2 again just because of McDavid’s safety but Kucherov is making that a difficult decision.
Brayden Point – Goal and two assists. Pay that man his money.
Michael Rasmussen – Goal and an assist with three shots. To be honest, I don’t see much from Rasmussen that makes me excited about his future success.
Anders Nilsson – 35 save shutout in the 2-0 win over the Blues. Nilsson has been surprisingly good for Ottawa considering the awful situation he’s in. That said, he’s a pure desperation play.
Jake Allen – 19 saves on 20 shots getting the tough luck loss. Use Allen in good matchups and continue to use every goalie against the Senators.
Mark Scheifele – Goal and two assists with two PIM. Four straight pointless games for Scheifele prior to Thursday night. Nice to see him and the boys get back on track.
Tyler Seguin – Two assists with two shots. Hopefully the owner and president are content with Seguin’s level of play lately.
Vinnie Hinostroza – Hat trick on eight shots. Arizona’s schedule isn’t great for streaming but Hinostroza is the clear top choice for the Desert Dogs. They do finish the semifinals with a back-to-back which will be a great spot.
Alex Goligoski – Two assists with two PIM. Deep league level AAGNOF.
Darcy Kuemper – 36 saves on 37 shots in the 6-1 win over the Ducks. Rick Tocchet deserves a ton of credit for Arizona’s run. Kuemper has been outstanding and should be used in all matchups.
Pekka Rinne – 25 saves on 26 shots in the 3-1 win over the Kings. Fairly disappointing season from Rinne given the team in front of him, but he’s still been decent enough.
For streaming Friday, go back to the well with Columbus guys, J.T. Compher against the Ducks who will be on a back-to-back, and the usual Canucks. Consult the Playoff Manifesto and Monday’s weekly preview for more in-depth discussion.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Monday recapping the upcoming week. As always, feel free to ask any questions, give any comments, or make any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
