It’s safe to say that with his performance on Tuesday night, Nathan MacKinnon locked up his first Hart trophy. MacKinnon had a hat trick on ten shots with an assist and two PIM against the Wild. He’s been clearly the #1 overall player in fantasy and will be ranked #2 for me going into next season. I’ve had MacKinnon ranked there in the past, and I’ve received some push back for it. Hell, I received some push back on having him #3 this season ahead of Draisaitl. I also did for having Kucherov #5 when his ADP was lower, but sometimes, it pays to be stubborn on the guys you believe it. Colorado is almost locked into playing the Jets in the first round, and I can’t see to see Colorado’s offensive juggernaut go against the defensive discipline and best goalie in the world for the Jets. Let’s take a look at what else happened on Tuesday night:
Anthony Stolarz – 25 save shutout in the 2-0 win over the Senators. Sergei Bobrovsky was scratched from the start. There’s no chance Florida pushes him, so for those of you in the finals or the last week of your roto league, Stolarz could make a real difference.
Kirill Marchenko – Two goals on four shots. It’s been a solid season for Marchenko, scoring 23 goals while being better at even strength despite the team being horrible. He’ll be a nice late round flier next year.
Steven Stamkos – Hat trick and an assist with five shots. Nikita Kucherov dished three assists to stay ahead of MacKinnon for the Art Ross. I’m not going to lie, I kind of like Tampa against Boston in the first round, assuming that’s the matchup.
Chris Kreider – Goal and an assist. He’s finished on such a tear that he has a legit chance of scoring 40 goals.
Tyler Bertuzzi – Two goals and an assist with three shots and two PIM. Bertuzzi hasn’t panned out as hoped for the Leafs. Perhaps he does better in a different situation next season.
Auston Matthews – Goal and an assist with four shots. You know it’s a crazy year when a guy with 66 goals shouldn’t be a Hart finalist.
Juraj Slafkovsky – Hat trick on six shots. Philly has crumbled mightily down the stretch. Can’t say that it wasn’t coming. Slaf has taken a nice step forward and will be a popular breakout candidate for next season.
Alex Ovechkin – Goal on two shots. Even with as bad of a start to his season as possible, Ovechkin found a way to get to 30 goals. Amazing.
Charlie Lindgren – 42 saves on 43 shots in the 2-1 win over the Red Wings. It’s crazy that Lindgren is the one who saved the Capitals season. Despite being a horrible team, they’re the favorite to make the playoffs now. -40 goal differential!
Mark Scheifele – Goal and two assists. While the offensive numbers haven’t been as gaudy, Scheifele is still right around a point per game while rounding out his game. That said, I’m sure the Jets will try to shelter him from MacKinnon as much as possible.
Shane Wright – Goal. Wright has four goals in four games since his recall. Seattle has the room to add to their roster, and if they do, Wright could be primed for a breakout rookie season next year. I’ll be targeting him late in drafts.
Philipp Grubauer – 39 save shutout in the 5-0 win over the Coyotes. Another disappointing season from Grubauer, who will certainly be one tier above desperation for me next year.
Lukas Dostal – 36 saves on 37 shots in the 3-1 win over the Kings. In dynasties, Dostal has a ton of value because Anaheim is going to be very good eventually. For next season, it’s really hard to say. How the Ducks end up in the lottery and in free agency will potentially shift Dostal’s redraft value quite a bit.
William Eklund – Goal on tow shots. He’s finished extremely well with eleven points (6+5) in his last ten games. The Sharks will certainly be bad next season, but if they add Celebrini to the roster along with Will Smith? They could be interesting in fantasy, Eklund included.
That’s all for now guys. Feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. I’m going to start doing some season recap stuff over the next couple weeks so be on the look out for that. Thanks for reading, take care!
