It’s safe to say that we’ve reached the point that nobody doubts Boston anymore. Their two top centers retired, and yet the team is chugging along at 16-4-3. Their new captain was the reason they won both games over the weekend. Brad Marchand scored the overtime winner against the Leafs on Saturday, his eighth shot on goal in the contest. He followed it up with a natural hat trick, scoring all three goals for the Bruins in their 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets. That gives Marchand 11+12 in 24 games, almost exactly a point per game. The big thing is his shot rate is at an all-time high. In my preseason rankings, I was uncertain on Marchand’s ceiling, but speculated his shot rate could improve without Bergeron. He’s at exactly 3.5 per game, and with his elite PIM as always, Marchand is still in the conversation for a top 20 player. At 35 years old, Marchand is showing no signs of slowing down. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Games:
Mikael Granlund – Goal and two assists. Granlund is being force fed a ton of minutes, and he has seven points in his last five games. He’s even shooting the puck quite a bit. It’s still hard to see him as more than a middling streamer.
Anthony Duclair – Two goals. Same boat as Granlund, but a step below him.
Jacob MacDonald – Two goals on three shots. MacDonald has looked really good in his ten games with the Sharks, scoring four goals. He flashed with Colorado, but never put it together. For now, I’m just monitoring. I expect him to fall off, but worse players have taken advantage of an opportunity on a terrible team. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Simon Nemec – Two assists and three shots playing 22 minutes in his NHL debut. Not a bad start. Dougie Hamilton is out indefinitely, so in the leagues that I have Dougie, I picked up Nemec. I’m not sure what to expect at the end of the day, but the upside is undeniable. Also welcome Nemec to the Razzball Database!
Brady Tkachuk – Goal and an assist with four shots. The assists have really dried up, but Tkachuk has been a monster in every other category.
Johnny Gaudreau – Two assists with two shots. I don’t have any Gaudreau shares this season, but I’m giving up hope on a full turnaround. He’s on the fringe at this point.
Zach Werenski – Two assists with three shots and two PIM. Werenski’s assist rate is at an all-time high, and he’s had horrible shooting luck. The Jackets are winning his minutes, so he should be a solid #3.
Saturday’s Games
Jake Oettinger – 32 saves on 33 shots in the 8-1 win over the Lightning. And with this game, Oettinger is up to 2.43/.920 with 10 wins in 16 starts. That puts him as a top 5 goalie on the season, and I expect him to finish higher than that come the end of the season.
Joe Pavelski – Goal and two assists with four shots and two PIM. Pavelski only played 11:29, as the Stars didn’t need more from him or the rest of the first line (Jason Robertson scored twice, both assisted by Roope Hintz). Pavelski is now above a point per game at 39 years old. Given his individual success in the playoffs, I think he’s solidifying his Hall of Fame case.
Mason Marchment – Goal and an assist with four shots. I’m not going to run down everyone in the Stars game who had two points, but Marchment is worth noting. He has nine points in his last seven games as his line continues to stay hot. He’s up to a solid streamer.
Connor Hellebuyck – 20 saves on 21 shots in the 3-1 win over the Blackhawks. Hellebuyck’s save percentage is down a bit, but with the quality GAA and W, a .912 is enough for him to be a #1. I expect it to get better.
Ryan O’Reilly – Goal and an assist with six shots. I wasn’t expecting RoR to be a clear hold in all formats, but here we are. He’s been outstanding.
Vincent Trocheck – Goal and two assists with four shots. My worries about Trocheck in the preseason were completely off. Panarin has been stapled to him since Chytil went down, and Trocheck has delivered.
Jonny Brodzinski – Two assists with two shots. He’s currently on the first line so if you’re looking for a streamer in deep leagues, you could do worse.
Carter Verhaeghe – Goal and an assist with five shots and two PIM. I don’t get why Maurice refuses to keep Verhaeghe on PP1, but he’s an easy hold either way.
Brock Nelson – Two assists with a shot, as did Bo Horvat. Nelson is a clear hold, while Horvat is on the fringe. I lean towards holding because of the shot rate.
Julien Gauthier – Goal and an assist with two shots. I don’t see much from Gauthier, even though he took some shifts with Horvat in this game.
David Pastrnak – Goal and two assists with ten shots. Pasta would be close to the top of the list for the Hart right now. He’s playing at an incredible level.
Auston Matthews – Two goals on seven shots. The goals are back towards the level we were accustomed to before last season. However, the assists are well below expectation right now. I suspect it will turn, but it makes the difference between a top five guy, and a top 15-20 skater.
Tyson Foerster – Goal and an assist with four shots. The former first round pick has shown flashes, but it’s nothing more than bottom end streamer worthy so far.
Jake Guentzel – Two goals on three shots, both assisted by Bryan Rust. Guentzel played over 25 minutes, while Rust was pushing 24. We know the superstars will play a ton for Pittsburgh, but a workload like this could make Rust a top 50 player.
Anton Forsberg – 39 save shutout in the 2-0 win over the Kraken. Even after this monster performance, Forsberg has a 3.03/.882. I don’t have any interest right now.
Nick Suzuki – Goal and an assist with four shots. It’s nothing exciting, but Suzuki has been solid. It’s a bottom end hold, but it’s still a hold.
Jake Walman – Goal and an assist with four shots. Walman is playing first pair with Moritz Seider (two assists, two shots) and stumbling into plenty of points. If your league includes blocks, Walman is must own. If it doesn’t, he’s on the fringe.
Daniel Sprong – Goal and an assist with two shots. Sprong continues to put up plenty of points despite playing in a limited role. He’s a solid streamer bordering on an elite one.
Alex DeBrincat – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. DeBrincat has been fantastic for Detroit so far. It will be interesting to see how he does when Kane makes his debut, presumably on Tuesday.
Sebastian Aho – Two goals on six shots with six PIM. Pretty much their entire top six had two points against the Sabres. A team who plays Carolina’s style leaves the Sabres helpless. Aho is in the midst of quite the hot streak.
Brent Burns – Two assists with two shots. He’s disappointed quite a bit, but I’m still holding Burns without hesitation.
Jaccob Slavin – Two assists. Slavin is a weird case in that he doesn’t get PP time, but he’s such a monster at even strength that it’s probably worth holding on the bottom end.
Teuvo Teravainen – Goal and an assist with three shots. Teravainen is on the fringe as I can’t see him shooting 21% forever.
Andrei Svechnikov – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. I’m not sure you could buy low on Svechnikov, but I absolutely would if I could. He’s due to break out.
Connor Ingram – 31 saves on 32 shots in the 4-1 win over the Blues. Ingram has been spectacular this season, completely out of nowhere. I guess I picked the wrong Coyotes goalie to be bullish on. He’s become must own in all formats.
Alex Kerfoot – Goal and two assists with two shots playing over 22 minutes. With Hayton out, Kerfoot is getting all of the minutes he can handle. I never really cared for him in fantasy even at his peak because of his poor shot rate, but if you need assists, he’s a strong streaming candidate.
Lawson Crouse – Two assists with two shots. Crouse is an elite streamer, but it’s hard to see more as he’s never topped 21 assists in a season.
Logan Thompson – 21 saves on 22 shots in the 4-1 win over the Capitals. Thompson has been fantastic whenever he plays. It’s close to a 50/50 split, although Thompson is marginally the 1B. Regardless, he’s a clear hold everywhere.
Jack Eichel – Goal and two assists with three shots. Eichel is going to be a monster as long as he has Stone on his wing. It’s even better when Stephenson is there too because both are great play drivers, but neither likes to shoot. And now, Eichel is over four shots per game.
Jonathan Marchessault – Two goals on five shots with two PIM. Marchessault is taking plenty of shots and the goals are coming with it. However, the assists are so poor that he’s on the fringe depending on team needs.
Bowen Byram – Two goals on three shots. I was hoping for a breakout from Byram, but it hasn’t happened. I still like him in dynasties, but he’s only a deep league option right now.
Alex Killorn – Goal and an assist with three shots. Killorn is getting top end minutes, but hasn’t done much with them. He’s a middling streamer at best.
Leo Carlsson – Goal and an assist with four shots. It’s gone a bit under the radar just how good Carlsson has been as an 18 year old in his first season on North American ice. He’s a top end streamer right now with huge long term upside.
Elias Lindholm – Two goals on four shots. I can’t wait to see what happens with Lindholm as they approach the trade deadline. It looked like an extension was going to happen, but now, I’d bet against it. Lindholm is also on the fringe, although I lean towards holding.
Sam Lafferty – Goal and an assist. And there’s your bi-annual Lafferty update!
Filip Hronek – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. Hronek is even getting some PP1 time in Kuzmenko’s place now. He’s a solid #2 defenseman as all your assists are belong to Hronek.
Elias Pettersson – Goal and an assist with three shots. He’s cooled off a bit with four points in his last seven games, but Pettersson’s playmaking has been fantastic. The one issue is that is shot rate is down significantly. If he wants to push 40+ goals again, it needs to uptick.
Ilya Mikheyev – Goal and an assist with five shots. Mikheyev is playing at a 30 goal pace, and I’ve always been a fan. The problem is that he’s only shooting two on goal per game, and the PP time is minimal. That leaves him in solid streamer territory.
Sunday’s Games
Marc-Andre Fleury – 28 saves on 29 shots in the 4-1 win over the Blackhawks. It appears that the Wild goalies remembered how to make a save just at the same time they got a new coach. We’ll have to see the playing time for the two goalies under Hynes, but I’m not looking to use MAF right now.
Mats Zuccarello – Goal and two assists with three shots. Zucc is actually pushing three shots per game while being over a point per game. It’s crazy how these 35+ year old skaters continue to produce at a top level.
Marco Rossi – Two goals on four shots. I was extremely bullish on Rossi in his draft year, and it appears that he’s past his bout with myocarditis. He’s a solid streamer for now, but I love him long term.
Brock Faber – Two assists with two shots. Faber has been fantastic for the Wild. It’s only deep league worthy, but Faber could play his way into being 12’er worthy as soon as this season. Long term, there’s a ton of upside.
Anthony Duclair – Goal and an assist with two shots. Another two point game doesn’t really change my opinion above in Friday’s section.
Artemi Panarin – Hat trick and an assist with four shots. It’s like Panarin is a completely new player this season. He’s pushing four shots per game after being around 2.5 or below for the past three seasons. Now, Panarin is a top ten player.
Mika Zibanejad – Goal and an assist with two shots. Seven game point streak from Zibanejad, who is still unlucky in the shooting percentage department.
Charlie McAvoy – Two assists with four shots. McAvoy is a solid #2, clear as day.
Jeremy Swayman – 24 saves on 25 shots in the 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets. Swayman has been as good as any goalie in the league when he plays. The volume won’t be there barring an Ullmark injury, but it’s going to be elite at the end of the season.
Cam Talbot – 20 saves on 21 shots in the 4-1 win over the Avalanche. The Kings took advantage of a great scheduling spot plus Makar being out. Talbot has been a godsend for the Kings and everyone who drafted him late in fantasy.
Quinton Byfield – Two goals on five shots. Byfield is under two shots per game, which is the only reason he’s not a hold. It’s fringy nonetheless.
Adrian Kempe – Two assists with a shot. Kempe has been fantastic across the board this season. His assist rate is at a career high by a wide margin, and he’s still on pace for over 30 goals.
Juuse Saros – 34 saves on 35 shots in the 2-1 win over the Sabres. This was the Saros that we’re used to. It’s been a poor start, but I would absolutely buy low. The Predators are playing very well defensively, but haven’t got the saves. That’s bound to change with a goalie of Saros’ history.
Three Point Challenge: Props to Surfer Dude who picked Jack Hughes last Thursday to get on the board. We will do Tuesday’s games per usual. You can’t select Kucherov, Pastrnak, Miller, Panarin, Makar, Q. Hughes, J. Hughes, Pettersson, Rantanen, MacKinnon, or Point. I’ll go with Larkin against the Sabres.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Wednesday recapping the action from the next two nights. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. Jules’ weekly streaming post will be out later today so be sure to check that out! Please give him some feedback as well, that would be appreciated. Thanks for reading, take care!
