I’ll be honest, I don’t have a good open for the weekend post. But “The Wire’ is indisputably the best TV show of all-time. I can watch it every time through and see something I didn’t before. Shane MacGowan just passed away, the front man of the Pogues, and nobody can touch his voice. A troubled man had the world in his palms, and he did what he could with it. I just hope all of our readers feel good, and will get help if they need it. What does this have to do with hockey? Nothing, truthfully. But I”m a free born man in the U.S.A. Just like Patty Kane who got an opener with Detroit. I’ll fill this out tomorrow but thanks for reading for now, take care!
Friday’s Games
Robert Thomas – Two goals on five shots. Thomas getting his shot rate over two per game is doing wonders for his value. He’s over a point per game which I fully buy.
Boone Jenner – Out six weeks with a fractured jaw. Tough luck for Jenner, who has been solid all season.
Yegor Chinakhov – Two goals and an assist. We’re seeing signs from Chinakhov that he could be a good player long term, but it’s bottom end streamer at best right now.
Kirill Marchenko – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. Middling streamer.
Dmitri Voronkov – Two assists with three shots. Voronkov quietly has 14 points in 23 games, but he’s barely over one shot per game. That makes him a bottom end streamer. Welcome to the Razzball database!
Sergei Bobrovsky – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 3-1 win over the Penguins. Bob is a top five goalie through the first two months of the season. The Panthers are playing very well defensively.
Anton Lundell – Two assists with five shots and two PIM. I like Lundell’s game, but it hasn’t translated into a ton of points. With Bennett back, Lundell is back on the third line so he’s only a middling streamer.
Matt Boldy – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. Boldy is back to his A game since Hynes took over. I expect big things the res of the way.
Marcus Johansson – Two assists. Johansson will give you assists and nothing else.
Brock Faber – Two assists. Faber has been extremely impressive in his rookie campaign. Right now, he’s only a deep league guy because the secondary categories are poor, but there’s a lot of long term upside.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Four assists with four shots. The Wild had no answer for the top guys on Edmonton, as Evan Bouchard had two goals and an assist, along with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each getting a goal and an assist. RNH’s shot rate has fallen quite a bit. Add in shooting percentage regression and the goals have really dried up. He’s still around a point per game, but keep expectations in check.
Saturday’s Games
David Pastrnak – Two goals and an assist with six shots. He’s been as good as anybody besides Kucherov to this point. Absolutely monstrous performance again.
Trent Frederic – Two assists. Meh, maybe there’s enough for super deep leagues, but not that interested.
Logan Thompson – 19 saves on 20 shots in the 6-1 win over the Stars. Easy game for Thompson, who has been very good whenever he starts.
Mark Stone – Goal and an assist. It’s not the most exciting stat line, but Stone is definitely a bottom end hold.
Nic Roy – Goal and an assist with two shots. Roy is putting up okay numbers despite being on the fourth line. He’s a bottom end streamer.
Nico Hischier – Two goals on five shots. Hischier has been very disappointing so far, especially with his shot rate. This game gets him to two per game after being over three last season. That said, I would be buying low if I could.
Jesper Bratt – Goal and an assist with five shots. Bratt has been fantastic so far. He’s going to obliterate his previous career high in assists.
Charlie Lindgren – 31 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Rangers. I genuinely can’t believe how good Lindgren has been. I’d stream him in most starts now.
Ilya Samsonov – 18 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Predators. Samsonov has been awful this season, but with Joseph Woll injured, he’ll get a chance to turn things around. I’d probably gamble on him just because of the high likelihood of a win most nights, but it’s super risky.
Auston Matthews – Two goals on four shots, both assisted by William Nylander. The assists are shockingly low, but it’s hard to complain when Matthews has 18 goals already.
Joonas Korpisalo – 30 saves on 31 shots in the 5-1 win over the Red Wings. It’s been a real struggle for Korpisalo in his first season with the Sens. It’s on the fringe.
Claude Giroux – Goal and an assist with five shots. Giroux is sitting right at a point per game. I feel like he’s become somewhat of a forgotten man in Ottawa, but the 35 year old is still a machine.
Vladimir Tarasenko – Goal and an assist. He’s not getting big minutes, but Tarasenko continues to produce. He’s firmly on the fringe.
Jakob Chychrun – Two assists with two shots. Thomas Chabot is out again, so look for a boost from Chychrun for the time being.
Kevin Fiala – Two assists with two shots. The goals have been trending in the wrong direction since Fiala went to Los Angeles, but his playmaking is top end.
Anders Lee – Two goals on four shots. Lee’s role has diminished this season and he’s struggled massively on the whole. He’s a bottom end streamer at this point.
Nikita Zaitsev – Two assists with a shot. And there’s your annual Zaitsev update!
Petr Mrazek – 38 saves on 39 shots in the 3-1 win over the Blues. Mrazek has actually been solid, but his GAA is over 3.0 because the team is so poor in front of him. He’s capable of big nights like this from time to time, but he can also give up 5+ quite easily.
Josh Manson – Goal and an assist with three shots. Manson actually has five points in his last five games, but really he just provides hits and blocks for super deep leagues.
Travis Sanheim – Goal and an assist. After a hot start, Sanheim really cooled off. Now, he has four points in his last three games as he gets back on track. The plus-minus is a bit rough, but Sanheim is still worth holding everywhere.
Travis Konecny – Two goals on five shots with two PIM. Konecny has been a top 20 forward so far despite having only seven assists. He’s crushing the rest of the categories.
Owen Tippett – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. Tippett’s shot rate is outstanding, but he’s currently on the third line. He’s a solid streamer.
Bobby Brink – Two assists with a shot. I’m a fan of Brink’s long term upside, but he’s only a bottom end streamer for this season.
Nikita Kucherov – Two goals and an assist with five shots. Kucherov already has a seven point lead in points over the rest of the league. That’s how good he’s been.
Anthony Cirelli – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. Cirelli is playing his best hockey in a while, totaling six points in the last four games. He’s a solid streamer.
Brandon Hagel – Two assists with three shots. Hagel is back towards the fringe in the midst of a nine game goalless streak, but I’m still holding.
Jordan Eberle – Two assists with a shot. Eberle has fallen off quite a bit this season, to the point where he’s a middling streamer at best.
Elias Pettersson – Goal and two assists with three shots. Pettersson’s shot rate dropping down has him more towards the bottom of the top 20 forwards instead of a top ten guy.
Sam Lafferty – Goal and an assist with two shots. Lafferty is on the first line right now with Pettersson and Ilya Mikheyev (1+1). While he’s there, Lafferty is a middling streamer. Mikheyev is a step above Lafferty.
