It’s very early in the season but Anze Kopitar is playing at an MVP level for the Kings. Kopitar had another monster game on Tuesday scoring two goals on three shots and adding an assist in the 4-1 win over Detroit. Kopitar now has 12 goals and 16 assists in 25 games with an above average shot rate. The Slovenian is averaging over 22 minutes per night carrying a massive workload with Jeff Carter injured. It comes as no surprise that the Kings are much better with Kopitar on the ice and that he’s a top 50 fantasy player again. Right now, I’d say Kopitar is the Selke favorite and even belongs in the MVP discussion; he’s been that good. Let’s take a look at what else happened on Tuesday night:
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 34 save shutout in the 2-0 win over the Sabres. Excellent start for Vasilevskiy although it was a fairly routine 34 saves, the Sabres didn’t have a lot of quality chances. He seems like a slam dunk top 5 goalie for the rest of the season.
Mikhail Sergachev – Goal. I’d sell high in redrafts if I could because his production is completely unsustainable in the minutes he’s playing.
Jaroslav Halak – 23 saves on 25 shots in the 5-2 win over the Canucks. The Isles are rolling and Halak has been solid at home. The problem is the schedule is about to get brutal, including a road trip, so I’m skeptical of Halak going forward.
John Tavares – Goal and an assist with two shots. I’ll set the over/under at Tavares’ salary on his next contract at 10.5 million per year. Thoughts?
Adam Pelech – Two assists with three shots. Might be something here long term in deep dynasties but need to see Pelech play a bit more before making a judgment.
Anders Lee – Goal and an assist with two shots. I’d like to see the shot rate go back up to the 2.5+ range but it’s hard to quibble when Lee is over a point per game on the season.
Jonathan Huberdeau – Goal and two assists with four shots. He’s been cold but this game puts Huberdeau back over a point per game with over three shots per. Huberdeau has been everything we could have hoped for.
Keith Yandle – Two assists with two shots. Yandle has been solid yet unspectacular.
Mika Zibanejad – Last minute scratch with an upper body injury. Here’s to hoping it’s nothing serious.
David Desharnais – Three assists filling in for Zibanejad. Nice game but we have a history of Desharnais being wildly mediocre in fantasy.
Chris Kreider – Two goals and an assist with three shots and two penalty minutes. Kreider is quite the streaky player and with five goals in the past four games, it looks like Kreider is catching a heater.
Pavel Buchnevich – Goal and two assists with three shots. Buch was cooling off before this game but he still should be owned everywhere.
Aaron Dell – 22 saves on 23 shots in the 3-1 win over the Flyers. He’s been solid to this point although Dell’s starts are a rarity. I’m good with streaming him in above average matchups.
Logan Couture – Two assists with two shots. #BillsMafia member is having his best season to date despite having poor linemates.
Brent Burns – Assist with five shots and two PIM. Please get back to doing Brent Burns things!
Scott Darling – 36 saves on 38 shots in the 3-2 SO loss to Columbus. His overall numbers aren’t great but it’s clear that he’s Carolina’s #1. I’d have some patience with him because Carolina is doing a lot of the right things and they’ve been really unlucky in overtime and the shootout.
Zach Werenski – Goal and an assist with five shots playing over 28 minutes. He hasn’t found any consistency in his sophomore season but I’m not concerned with Werenski going forward.
Alexander Wennberg – Assist with two shots in his return. Get him back in your lineups if you’ve had him on your bench.
Josh Anderson – Goal on six shots playing almost 20 minutes. I think he’s going to be a hold sooner than later. Whether or not you want to grab him now and hold him is up to you but Anderson should definitely be on your radar.
Drew Doughty – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. He’s not crushing any category but Doughty is a clear plus across the board.
Jonathan Quick – 23 saves on 24 shots in the 4-1 win over the Red Wings. This was an easy start for Quick as he’s put together a strong stretch since his disaster in Vegas.
Frederik Andersen – 19 saves on 20 shots in the 4-1 win over the Flames. The Leafs were quite impressive in this game dominating in every facet. Toronto has the toughest schedule in the NHL for the month of December so I wouldn’t be counting on Anderson for an average or better GAA. Hopefully the wins keep coming in and that’s accompanied by a decent save percentage.
Max Domi – Two assists with three shots. After a brutal start, Domi has five points in his past five games. With the plus-minus being a black hole and the PIM not as good as I hoped, I would lean towards streaming Domi.
Dylan Strome – Two shots in his first game after being recalled from Tuscon. I would leave him on the waiver wire in redrafts and keep him in your minors in a dynasty if you’re able to. I don’t see the minutes right now necessary for Strome to produce.
Matt Benning – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM finishing +3. Benning could be an okay option in deep leagues with solid shots, quality PIM and big hits but I wouldn’t count on Benning getting to even 20 points.
Cam Talbot – 29 saves on 31 shots in the 3-2 OT win over the Coyotes. That’s three straight starts allowing exactly two goals which is massive progress for how poorly Talbot was playing before. That said, I would not be looking to buy low on Talbot.
Ben Bishop – 34 save shutout in the 3-0 win over Vegas. Bishop has had massive home/road splits in the first two months of the season so it was nice to see him have a great performance on the road.
Radek Faksa – Hat trick on five shots. This was quite the unlikely hat trick as Faksa went wild at the end of the second period, including two goals in eight seconds. I’ve long been a fan but the minutes haven’t been there. Perhaps this changes that? I wouldn’t rush to grab him or anything but keep an eye on him.
Wednesday Streamers:
Kyle Connor (11.6%) – It is absolutely insane that Connor is only 11.6% owned. A home game against Colorado is a nice spot for him to continue his fine form.
Vladimir Sobotka (12.1%) – The Ducks are worse than a dumpster fire right now with a lineup full of AHL players. The Blues should dominate and Sobotka is getting big minutes lately.
Sven Andrighetto (7.1%) – This is a hunch but I am guessing that Andrighetto will play on the top line while Gabriel Landeskog is suspended. We’ve seen Andrighetto do well in that role in the past so I’m willing to give him another shot.
That’s all for now guys. With only four games tonight, I will have my next set of daily notes on Friday. There will be a podcast that goes up Thursday morning that Reid and I are recording today. I will include streamers for Thursday’s games in that post and we will do the Three Point Challenge for Thursday’s games so feel free to post your pick in that post or in this one. As always, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below. Thanks for reading, take care!
