The first Winter Classic between the Sabres and Penguins in 2008 will always be the top outdoor game for me. Everything about the game was perfection. Sunday’s Stadium Series game in Tampa moved to #2 on my list. After Hagel scored 11 seconds into the game, Boston scored five in a row before Tampa mounted a huge comeback, winning 6-5 in a shootout. There was even a goalie fight! Boston’s problem was that they couldn’t stay out of the penalty box, and that’s a death sentence against Tampa. Unsurprisingly, it started with Nikita Kucherov, who had a goal and three assists with eight shots in the victory. It might sound blasphemous, but Kucherov has a real chance to be the best European forward ever. He’ll certainly be in the discussion. He’s currently the #3 overall forward for fantasy behind MacKinnon and McDavid. I had him ranked 4th going into the season in a tier with Draisaitl, who is currently 4th overall. Very chalky season at the top besides the Celebrini big breakout. Anyways, Kucherov is a top 5 player until further notice. He’s showing no signs of slowing down at 32. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Game:
Charlie Coyle – Hat trick and an assist with six shots. Well then. Coyle has nine goals in his last ten games, with some massive shot totals. This coincides with Bowness taking over. He’s put Coyle on PP1, putting Coyle in elite streamer range through the break.
Zach Werenski – Two assists with three shots. Werenski playing better than last season was not on my bingo card. He’s my #2 defenseman for the rest of the season because of the goals and shot rate.
Mathieu Olivier – Goal and an assist with two shots. Fine streamer for hits and PIM, but the 18 goals from last saeson looks like a big outlier.
Tyler Bertuzzi – Two assists with a shot. I lean more elite streamer than hold, but Bertuzzi belongs on the fringe.
Connor Bedard – Goal and an assist. Bedard has cooled off a bit, but the overall numbers are still fantastic.
Saturday’s Games:
Adrian Kempe – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Seven game point streak for Kempe, who is the only forward I’d be holding on the Kings at this point.
Corey Perry – Two assists with two shots. It is hilarious how much the Kings need Perry at 40 years old. Solid streamer.
Travis Konecny – Goal and an assist with three shots and five hits. The team around him might be playing horribly, but Konecny certainly isn’t with seven points in his last three games, and 13 in his last eight.
MacKenzie Blackwood – 28 save shutout in the 5-0 win over the Red Wings. Despite missing a bunch of time, Blackwood is still close to a top 10 goalie overall on the season. He’s a borderline top 5 guy for the rest of the season.
Nathan MacKinnon – Two goals and an assist with four shots. Bednar changed the top line, putting Artturi Lehkonen (two assists) and Big Val back with MacKinnon. It paid off right away. I’ve been stubbornly holding both of them, and will continue to do so, although I do prefer Lehkonen of the two.
Vincent Trocheck – Goal and two assists. It will be interesting to see if Trocheck gets moved at the deadline. He’s a clear hold in all fantasy formats.
Alexis Lafreniere – Two goals and an assist with four shots. Panarin being held out puts Laf on PP1. That bumps him to solid streamer with upside.
Vladislav Gavrikov – Goal and an assist. Gavrikov has been fine with Fox out if you need some help at the bottom of your roster.
Rickard Rakell – Goal and an assist with five shots. Rakell has been his usual solid self when healthy. He’s over three shots per game so I lean towards bottom end hold, but he’s on the fringe.
Anthony Mantha – Two goals with two PIM. Mantha having 19 goals and 40 points already is incredible after missing most of last season. Love to see it. Solid to elite streamer range.
Eric Comrie – 27 saves on 28 shots in the 2-1 win over the Panthers. Comrie has actually been great in his last three starts. This comes after four absolutely atrocious starts. I’m not particularly interested in using Comrie, even while he’s hot.
Morgan Frost – Goal and an assist with five shots. Frost has seven points in his last nine games, but he’s middling streamer at best.
Jakob Chychrun – Goal and an assist with six shots and two PIM. Just a ridiculous season from Chychrun across the board, who is currently the #2 overall defenseman. He’s crushing every category.
Aliaksei Protas – Two assists with three shots. I can’t believe I remembered how to spell his first name correctly. Protas is in the solid to elite streamer range.
Kent Johnson – Goal and an assist with four shots. I’m still in disbelief at how poorly Johnson’s season has gone. I still believe long term, but I’m out for this season.
Brayden Schenn – Two assists with a shot. Schenn has fallen off a cliff this season. Not much interest outside of the deepest of leagues.
Jonatan Berggren – Goal and an assist with two shots. Berggren looks like a AAAA player. The Blues are out of it so he could get some extended run down the stretch. There is some deep league value, but he’s barely over a shot per game.
Jimmy Snuggerud – Goal and an assist with two shots. Snuggerud has six points in his last four games. Big fan long term, but middling streamer for now.
Linus Ullmark – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 4-1 win over the Devils. Great to see Ullmark back in the lineup. If he can find his game, the potential is there for Ottawa to go on a run, as their goaltending has held the team back, Ullmark included. If he’s available, I’m fine with gambling on the upside.
Brady Tkachuk – Goal and two assists with three shots. Massive heater for Tkachuk, who has seven points in his last three games, and 15 points in his last nine games. He’s smashing his previous career high assist rate.
Tim Stutzle – Goal and an assist with five shots. Stutzle is a borderline top 20 forward on the season, and everything looks sustainable for him.
Jake Sanderson – Two assists with two shots. As solid of a #2 defenseman you can get in 12’ers.
Roman Josi – Goal and an assist with five shots. Insane heater by Josi to get the Preds back in the playoff race.
Filip Forsberg – Two goals on four shots. Far from Forsberg’s best season because of the dropoff in assists, but the goals are ahead of last season’s pace.
Matthew Wood – Goal and an assist with two shots. There could be something here long term, but Wood is stuck getting under 10 minutes a night at the moment.
Mathew Barzal – Goal and an assist with three shots. It’s not the most exciting stat line, but Barzal is a clear hold.
Cole Caufield – Two goals and an assist with five shots. Speaking of ridiculous heaters, Caufield has 11 goals in his last eight games. He’s going to obliterate all of his previous career highs.
Nick Suzuki – Two assists with two shots. More of the same for Suzuki.
Noah Dobson – Two assists with four shots and two PIM. Dobson has been pretty good, but he’s never going to reach elite heights again being blocked by Hutson. Dobson is still a solid #3 in 12’ers.
Jamie Benn – Two assists. Still can’t get Benn beyond middling streamer, and probably more bottom end.
Kailer Yamamoto – Two goals. After his big game against Carolina, Yamamoto moved into the top six and scored two more goals. He’s only a bottom end streamer, but Yamamoto is back on the radar.
J.J. Peterka – Two assists with a shot. Peterka is doing worse offensively in Utah than he was in Buffalo. He wanted a bigger role, yet he has a smaller one. I can’t say the Sabres miss him one bit. He’s in the middling to solid streamer range.
Chandler Stephenson – Two assists. No thanks.
Jack Eichel – Two assists with five shots. Not the best week, but we can stomach one bad week after how good Eichel has been.
Mats Zuccarello – Goal and an assist with five shots. Even at 38 years old, Zucc keeps chugging along. Easy hold in all formats.
Joel Eriksson Ek – Goal and an assist. JEEK is firmly on the fringe. I’ve been holding, and he has six points in his last four games, so I do lean that way.
Quinn Hughes – Goal and an assist, as did Brock Faber. Hughes has been great in Minnesota and has a good chance for some positive shooting regression. Faber is stumbling into plenty of points playing with Hughes, solidifying himself as a clear hold in all formats.
Sunday’s Games:
Shayne Gostisbehere – Two assists with a shot. Remember when Philly dumped Gostisbehere with a pick to Arizona, and the Flyers haven’t had a PPQB ever since? Good times. Gostisbehere is sitting right around a point per game.
Morgan Geekie – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Geekie is back on fire with seven points in his last seven games. He’s worth holding again.
Charlie McAvoy – Two assists with a shot and four PIM. McAvoy is in the midst of his best offensive stretch of his career. It’s making a world of difference for the Bruins.
Brandon Hagel – Goal and two assists with six shots and two PIM. Hagel is a true superstar but isn’t seen in that light. He’s crushing across the board for fantasy.
Jake Guentzel – Two assists with three shots and two PIM. Anthony Cirelli left the game early so the top guys on Tampa got insane minutes, Guentzel included. Everything is right in line with Guentzel’s usual line.
Darren Raddysh – Goal and an assist with seven shots. The fairy tale season for Raddysh continues. At this point, I see no reason to expect it to change. Clear top 10 guy for the rest of the season.
Chris Kreider – Two goals. Elite streamer
Troy Terry – Two assists with a shot in his return from injury. Get him back in your lineup immediately.
Jacob Trouba – Two assists with three shots. The insane hits and block totals from the past aren’t quite there, but they’re still both very good. The PIM have dried up though. In banger leagues, Trouba is worth holding. Otherwise, he’s fringe for 14’ers and a hold in anything deeper.
Ryan Poehling – And there’s your annual Poehling update!
Mark Stone – Two assists with a shot. Just stay healthy!
Three Point Challenge: You can pick anyone on Monday or Tuesday. You must clarify the specific game for the player you’re choosing, including the opponent, since some teams play both nights. You can’t select McDavid, MacKinnon, Kucherov, Celebrini, Draisaitl, Pastrnak, Kaprizov, Rantanen, Scheifele, or Suzuki. I’ll go with Hyman against the Maple Leafs.
That’s all for now guys. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. If you have any suggestions for things you want me to cover during the break, let me know as well. MarmosDad will be back on Wednesday, while I will be back on Friday. Thanks for reading, take care!
