On Wednesday night here, I recommended Jamie McGinn as a streamer in his first game as a Duck, saying “early indications are that he’s going to play with Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry tonight. I like his chances to get a point if that’s the case.” Well McGinn on both Wednesday on Thursday. On Wednesday, McGinn scored a goal on four shots against the Canadiens. He came back on Thursday scoring a goal and an assist with two shots against the Coyotes. This is the best opportunity that McGinn has had in his career so it’s nice to see him produce right off the bat. This should help him keep this role putting him right on the fringe of 12’ers with how well the Ducks are playing. At the least, he’s a top end streamer from this point moving forward. Here’s what else I saw around the league the last two nights:
Wednesday’s Games:
Capitals 3, Maple Leafs 2 – Philipp Grubauer got the start and win as expected, stopping 27 of 29 shots in the win. Barry Trotz announced he is starting Saturday at Boston so if you need a goalie start, he’s a solid option. The Leafs called up a bunch of kids to get a taste of the NHL. The only one to get on the scoreboard was Nikita Soshnikov, who scored a goal on two shots and added six PIM. All of these kids will have plenty of value going forward but not much for the rest of the season. If you’re desperate, William Nylander (two shots) should be the best of the bunch. Nazem Kadri remains the only guy who should definitely be owned; he tallied an assist with four shots and two PIM in the game. The big guns stepped up for the Caps. T.J. Oshie had three assists with two shots and two PIM while Nicklas Backstrom had two assists with a shot. Alex Ovechkin scored his 41st of the year on three shots while Matt Niskanen scored a goal on his only shot and added two PIM. With John Carlson out, Niskanen is on the first power play and should put up great numbers down the stretch.
Blackhawks 5, Red Wings 2 – Corey Crawford locked it down in Detroit to put the Blackhawks in first place in the Central. Brent Seabrook scored a goal and two assists with two shots; he’s been much better than I expected. He’s on the verge of a career year across the board. Patrick Kane also had a goal and two assists with three shots and two PIM; Kane is a very safe bet for over 100 points now. Artemi Panarin looks to have the Calder locked up now with two goals while Duncan Keith keeps piling up the assists with two more and three shots. Andrew Ladd also scored his first goal back in Chicago on three shots. Gustav Nyqvist scored a goal on three shots playing over 16 minutes; he’s taken a big step back this year which is very frustrating; he should be entering his prime right now. He’s still a hold in 12’ers for me though.
Ducks 3, Canadiens 2 (SO) – John Gibson stopped 25 of 27 shots in the win. No matter who starts in net for Anaheim, he’s a must start right now. Alex Galchenyuk scored both Canadiens goals on six shots. His shot rate has taken another big jump up this year which is nice to see. Now if only he can get some quality offensive linemates… Corey Perry kept up his hot streak with a goal on five shots. Despite the horrible start, Perry is well on his way to getting over 30 goals again. Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm each had an assist. I love Lindholm’s potential going forward but he probably needs one of the other Ducks defensemen to go to completely reach it offensively.
Thursday’s Games:
Bruins 4, Blackhawks 2 – Teuvo Teravainen recorded an assist for the third straight game and added three shots. He’s got a good chance at a sleeper post next year. He’s starting to earn Quennville’s trust at 21 years old and there should be a spot for him in the top 6; it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to keep Andrew Ladd (assist with a shot and two PIM). The first line took care of business for the Bruins. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each had a goal and an assist to continue their career years. Lee Stempniak moved up to the first line and had two assists. He’s a clear must own now. Torey Krug also had two assists in the win.
Sabres 6, Flames 3 – Dougie Hamilton continued his surge scoring a goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. The minutes still aren’t where I’d like them to be but he should be owned in 12’ers now. Sean Monahan moved down to the second line but it didn’t deter him. He scored a goal and an assist with three shots. Garnet Hathaway is a recent callup for the Flames and he tallied his first two assists with a shot and four PIM. He should be left on waivers except in the deepest of leagues. The second line was very good for the Sabres as Marcus Foligno scored a goal and two assists with two shots while Brian Gionta had two assists and three shots. They both can be left on waivers outside of deep leagues. Zach Bogosian dished two assists and added four shots. He’s on the first power play unit now and played almost 26 minutes so I’d own him in 12’ers now. The big guns also stepped up for the Sabres as Evander Kane had a goal and an assist with five shots, Jack Eichel scored once on seven shots and Rasmus Ristolainen buried his first goal in 22 games with four shots. Robin Lehner stopped 26 of 29 shots in the win; it was about time he got a win allowing 3 or 4 more goals with all the tough losses he’s had.
Oilers 4, Flyers 0 – Cam Talbot saved all 35 Flyers shot to get a shutout. He’s given up 2 goals or less and stopped 30+ shots in 5 straight games. Talbot should definitely be owned in 12’ers now. Nobody had more than one point for the Oilers who had some balance for once. Most notably was that Nail Yakupov scored a goal on five shots. He’s on the wing right now with Jordan Eberle and Connor McDavid (assist and two shots each) so I can see taking the chance on Yakupov right now. At the least, he’s an elite streamer (spoiler!)
Penguins 4, Rangers 1 – The Penguins are really coming on right now and took control in the second. After the Rangers scored with 3 minutes left in the second, the Penguins scored 3 goals in 1:39 to setup the win. Mats Zuccarello had an assist and five shots keeping up his excellent year. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 of 28 shots in the victory; he’s hotter than a pistol. The second line led the way for the Pens with Evgeni Malkin scoring a goal and two assists with two shots, Phil Kessel buried a goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM while Carl Hagelin tallied an assist with three shots. Patric Hornqvist extended his goal streak with a goal on three shots; it’s nice to see him salvage his season with a great end to the year.
Wild 2, Maple Leafs 1 – Devan Dubnyk saved 21 of 22 shots in the victory. It’s nice to get free wins having a goalie go against the Leafs. Other than that, there really wasn’t much to see here. Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu had the Wild goals. Granlund is a streamer at best while I’m surprised Koivu is 100% owned. The shots are down a lot and despite the minutes being there, he hasn’t done much the past two weeks.
Lightning 4, Senators 1 – Ben Bishop dominated his old team stopping 33 of 34 shots in the victory. His elite season continues; he’s currently the #3 goalie for the season. The Lightning also didn’t have any player get more than one points despite scoring four goals. Steven Stamkos scored for the 7th game out of 8 in the victory. The triplets scored a goal with Nikita Kucherov scoring it from Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. I’m expecting a big finish from these guys. Zack Smith continued his hot streak with an assist and one shot. He’s firmly on the streaming radar.
Devils 5, Predators 4 (OT) – Adam Henrique stole the show tying the game with 40 seconds left before winning the game in overtime on his sixth shot. He’s up to 22 goals to close in on a career high. Devante Smith-Pelly played on the first line and scored a goal and an assist on the first line. While he’s playing on there with Henrique, he makes a solid streamer. Kyle Palmieri scored a goal and two assists with six shots to further his breakout season. Travis Zajac tallied a goal and an assist with two shots; I still wouldn’t touch him outside of the deepest of leagues. David Schlemko had two assists but should only be worth considering in super deep leagues. Pekka Rinne‘s hot streak came to end in disaster allowing 5 goals on 33 shots. Just when his numbers were starting to look okay, he gives up 8 goals in 2 games. Blah. On the other hand, Filip Forsberg is so hot he could melt the ice beneath him. He scored a goal and two assists with two shots. Kid’s a beast. Mike Ribeiro and Craig Smith each had a goal and an assist. The story is the same with Ribiero; he’s bad in goals and downright dreadful in shots but very good in everything else. Smith has at least a goal and an assist in three consecutive games and should be held while he’s this hot.
Islanders 4, Jets 3 (OT) – Thomas Greiss stopped 26 of 29 shots in the win. He’s still available in over 30% of leagues; while he doesn’t get a lot of starts his numbers are truly elite so I’d hold Greiss. Kyle Okposo scored the game winner on his third shot and he also added an assist. Okposo is finally staying healthy *knock on wood* so he has a chance to get back to 65+ points. Frans Nielsen dished two assists. He hits all of the categories well enough besides penalty minutes to be held. Anders Lee added a goal and an assist with two shots to hold his status as a potential streamer. Shane Prince scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM. He’s bounced around the lineup in his couple games in Brooklyn so I’d leave him on the waiver wire. Mark Scheifele is solidifying his status as one of my man-crushes with two more goals on five shots. I want Scheifele on all of my teams next season. Mathieu Perreault had two assists with four shots. His problem in the past was staying healthy but Perreault has struggled a bit this year. That said, he’s on the point of the first power play now so he’s worth streaming. Blake Wheeler dished an assist and added seven shots to continue his magnificent season. He’s a top 20 forward right now. Remember when ESPN had him ranked in the 60s? Lulz.
Avalanche 3, Panthers 2 – All of the top 6 forwards for the Panthers are getting massive minutes right now. Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen each had an assist and are clear must-own right now, even Smith. Calvin Pickard was terrific stealing the game for the Avs stopping 38 of 40 Panther shots. He’s had a great save percentage in his brief career so perhaps he’ll start to get more action going forward. At the least, he’s becoming somebody interesting for the future. Tyson Barrie is hotter than a pistol right now and extended his heater with two assists and two PIM. Gabriel Landeskog has been turning his season around lately and that continued with a goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. Mikkel Boedker scored his first goal as a member on the Avalanche on three shots while Matt Duchene scored a goal on two shots. The big guns have pushed the Avs into playoff contention which is amazing how poor the bottom of the roster is.
Ducks 5, Coyotes 1 – Both teams were on streaks coming into the game and this game went just as expected. The Ducks won their tenth consecutive game while the Coyotes lost their seventh straight. Fredrik Andersen saved 27 of 28 shots in the win as he continues to dominate between the pipes. On top of McGinn, Corey Perry keeps crushing with a goal and two assists with three shots. Ryan Kesler dished two assists; he’s right on the fringe for me. The penalty minutes are his best attribute. Sami Vatanen also had two assists with two shots as he heats up with the rest of his team. Rickard Rakell scored again and should be held in 12’ers right now. The young guns got on the board for the Coyotes as Anthony Duclair scored on two shots with four PIM while Max Domi had an assist with a shot and 17 PIM. Despite this collapse, the future is very bright in the desert.
Sharks 3, Canucks 2 – Martin Jones stopped 28 of 30 shots in the win to lead the Sharks to their third straight win. Man, the California teams are really damn good. Brent Burns continued his monster year with a goal and an assist with five shots. Tomas Hertl also had a goal and an assist with four shots. I’ve been saying he’s a hold for a couple weeks and now his ownership percentage is starting to catch up. That said, he’s still available in over 40% of leagues so grab him now. Most of the other studs on the Sharks all had a point with Patrick Marleau scoring a goal while Logan Couture and Joe Thornton each had an assist. For the Canucks, they also are bottoming out quickly. Jake Virtanen is one of their best pieces going forward and he showed why on Thursday scoring a goal and an assist with two shots. He recently has been boosted up to the second line so Virtanen could be a worthy streamer shortly. Dan Hamhuis had two assists with three shots and two PIM but shouldn’t be owned anywhere. Sven Baertschi scored once on three shots. It’ll be interesting to see how he clicks with Virtanen as both are major parts of their future.
Kings 3, Canadiens 2 – The defensemen led the way for Montreal as P.K. Subban scored a goal and an assist while Andrei Markov tallied two assists with two PIM. Despite being horribly unlucky with his shooting percentage and having horrible forwards in Montreal, Subban is still the #3 defenseman and is right on Dustin Byfuglien‘s tail for #2. The consistency is what sets Subban apart from everybody besides Erik Karlsson. Jonathan Quick stopped 13 of 15 shots in the win as he faced little action throughout the game. Dwight King and Tanner Pearson each scored a goal and remain on the streaming radar depending on what line they are on.
Friday Streamers – Amazingly, there are only three games on the schedule tonight. Nice job, NHL <facepalm>. That makes tonight a big night for streaming so here are my top three options:
Nail Yakupov (18.3%) – See above.
Valeri Nichushkin (5.9%) – He was skating with the first line in practice again; it’s no guarantee he sticks there with Lindy Ruff at the helm but Nichushkin has played 15-16 minutes in 3 straight staying in the top 6. Options are thin tonight and he’s in a nice spot with the Devils on the second of a back to back having to travel to Dallas.
Devante Smith-Pelly (0.1%) – With the options few and far between, I’m digging deep here. You can go with somebody like Kevin Hayes and I can’t really argue but I like taking the gamble on DSP in this one. The Stars are a mess defensively right now and he got big minutes in his first game as a Devil.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Monday recapping all of the action from this weekend’s games. As always, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below. I hope everybody has a great weekend; take care!
