It hasn’t even been two weeks since the regular season started and the hat tricks are already piling up! On Saturday, we had our most recent hat trick in Calgary as new Blue David Perron scored a hat trick on six shots and added an assist in the 6-4 win for St. Louis. Ken Hitchcock shuffled the lines before the game and the biggest beneficiary was Perron getting to play with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. Obviously it worked out better than anyone could have imagined. Perron was horrible to start last season in Pittsburgh but took off in Anaheim so there is fantasy potential here. For now, if I had room, I would grab Perron just to be able to stream him on Tuesday to see what happens. The Blues play the Flames again who are a complete dumpster fire defensively at the moment so it’s an excellent spot for Perron to produce and there’s a chance he turns into a hold. Let’s take a look at what else happened around the NHL this weekend:
Friday’s Games:
Blue Jackets 3, Blackhawks 2 – Sergei Bobrovsky started off his weekend strong with 32 saves on 34 shots in the win and it only got better (spoiler alert!). Two guys were the main story here. Zach Werenski had a goal and an assist with five shots in over 22 minutes and is must own everywhere at this point. Same story with Richard Panik who had a goal and an assist with two penalty minutes. He’s hotter than a pistol and the minutes are massive. Artem Anisimov dished an assist and added three shots to secure his role as a hold. Tyler Motte moved onto a line with Panik and Jonathan Toews (A, 5 SOG) and scored a goal placing him on the streaming radar. Both were listed as streamers for me Friday so hopefully you took advantage of some streamer success! Nick Foligno also had 1+1 with 2 SOG but is still somebody I’d prefer to stream than hold.
Islanders 3, Coyotes 2 – Not too much to see here from a fantasy POV. Radim Vrbata scored a goal on three shots (more on him later) and as I’ve said repeatedly, I like his chances to bounce back. Jakob Chychrun has a point in his first three games and is starting to inch towards the conversation in 12’ers. Johnny Boychuk scored a shorthanded goal and added an assist and four shots. He’s always been a good source of shots from a defenseman; his value is largely determined by his power play role. I’d probably hold him right now if I had him but wouldn’t blow waiver priority grabbing him. Brock Nelson had an shorthanded assist to also provide some streamer success while Jaroslav Halak had a relatively easy night with 23 saves on 25 shots for the win.
Red Wings 5, Predators 3 – The game really opened up in the second period and ended up going Detroit’s way. A bunch of players on the Predators developed food poisoning which had a huge effect on this game and Nashville’s Saturday game. Ryan Johansen and Craig Smith didn’t make it through the first period and they weren’t the only ones affected. I’ll take more about the players who were sick in Saturday’s recap. In this game, the defensemen led the way for Smashville. Roman Josi had two more assists with two shots, P.K. Subban scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM while Ryan Ellis dished an assist with three shots. Filip Forsberg also had an assist with a shot and four penalty minutes. Pekka Rinne played decent despite allowing 4 goals making 38 saves. For Detroit, they had incredibly balanced scoring. Only one player had a multi-point and that was Gustav Nyqvist. Nyqvist scored a goal and an assist with six shots. Gus is starting to catch fire and has a ton of talent to position him for a bounce back.
Saturday’s Games:
Blackhawks 5, Leafs 4 (SO) – Another multi-goal lead blown by the Leafs, again incredibly late in the game. This time they were up 2 with 2:28 left when Chicago struck twice in a minute. Goaltending has really been a problem for Toronto which isn’t a massive surprise. I was extremely low on Frederik Andersen for this season and he’s been even worse than I thought he would allowing 4 goals on 35 shots. For Toronto, it was more of the same for this season. William Nylander scored twice on seven shots while Auston Matthews assisted both goals and added four shots. Mitch Marner had an assist on a James van Reimsdyk goal; all of these guys should be owned. Artem Anismov scored twice and he’s on fire! <NBA Jam voice> Brian Campbell dished three assists and added 4 SOG while being +4. Maybe Coach Q will stop dicking around and leave Campbell in the top 4 defensively. Motte and Panik both scored again to strengthen what I said above. Artemi Panarin and Duncan Keith each had two assists while Scott Darling got the win with 30 saves on 34 shots. His numbers weren’t great in this game but I’d stream Darling every time he starts.
Canadiens 4, Bruins 2 – Carey Price had an incredibly easy evening stopping 19 of 21 shots in the win. Tuukka Rask missed the game with a minor injury so Anton Khudobin started. For the second time this year, he did poorly allowing 4 goals on 29 shots. I wouldn’t play Khudobin unless I was desperate for starts. Honestly, there wasn’t much of a fantasy impact in this game. Everyone on the first line for Montreal had a point to keep up their strong starts and Patrice Bergeron is fully back playing over 22 minutes but that’s about it.
Lightning 4, Senators 1 – The Senators offense was slowed down for the first time this season by Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vas stopped 27 of 28 Ottawa shots and should be owned everywhere. His 25-30 starts are going to be excellent. Vladislav Namestnikov totaled a goal, assist, three shots and two penalty minutes in this game. Both points came on the power play where he’s currently on the first unit. He’ll probably need to move into the top six for me to hold him but Namestnikov is an elite stream at the moment. Valtteri Filppula had a goal and an assist with three shots to give him five points in five games. I’m still not a big fan (only 6 total shots) but if you want to grab him while he’s a hot schmotato, I understand. Alex Killorn scored a goal on three shots to stay hot while Steven Stamkos scored for the third time in four games. There was nothing to take away from an Ottawa perspective.
Red Wings 3, Sharks 0 – To go back to video game references, Jimmy Howard would literally be on fire in NHL Hitz right now. After stealing the game against the Rangers, Howard saved 30 shots he faced for the shutout against the high-powered Sharks. Petr Mrazek has been fine but they’ll be forced to play Howard if he keeps this up. I’d be sure to own him if I had Mrazek right now and I’d look to stream Howard in his next start if he’s available. Gustav Nyqvist scored two goals on five shots and added two penalty minutes to continue his torrid pace. After coming up empty against Nashville, Thomas Vanek was back on the scoresheet with an assist, two shots and two penalty minutes. With 7 points in 6 games and decent numbers in the other categories, you have to ride Vanek while he’s on one of his patented hot streaks. Martin Jones did fine in the loss stopping 29 of 32 shots and like most shutouts, there isn’t much to say from a Sharks perspective. It was their last game of a 5 game road trip, it’s no surprise that they didn’t play that well.
Panthers 5, Avalanche 2 – Disappointing game for the Avs but they have to be thrilled starting 3-2 given their early schedule (talked about on the podcast). Matt Duchene is starting to pick things up scoring a goal and an assist with five shots. Tyson Barrie dished an assist to keep up his strong start offensively. I talked about him in the middle of last week but it’s worth repeating: Patrick Wiercioch should be owned in deep leagues right now. He had an assist with four shots and five penalty minutes playing 18 minutes. Wiercioch is a very solid player who just needs minutes to contribute. For Florida, Jonathan Marchessault scored a goal and an assist with five shots. Marchessault me the money! Okay, I’ll see myself out… Eventually. Shane Harper scored twice on three shots and added five penalty minutes. He’s only valuable outside of the deepest of leagues but I just wanted to acknowledge him for grinding through the minors playing over 300 AHL games. Vincent Trocheck totaled a goal, four shots and two PIM for his third goal of the year. Roberto Luongo stopped 26/28 in the win while Jussi Jokinen missed the game. It should be short term for Jokinen so hold him.
Devils 2, Wild 1 (OT) – A low scoring game as expected, the Devils tied it up in the third before Taylor Hall won it early in overtime. Cory Schneider did what he does saving 28 of 29 shots in the win. P.A. Parenteau scored the other goal on three shots; he’s right on the fringe of holding versus streaming right now. Joel Eriksson Ek scored the Wild goal in his first career game. Eriksson Ek is a 19 year former first round pick who is being eased into things for Minnesota. He’s one of the Wild’s top prospects and should be monitored in dynasties. Devan Dubnyk was a tough luck loser stopping 30 of 32 Devil shots.
Flyers 6, Hurricanes 3 – No goals in the first period of the game, seven (7!) in the second period where Carolina went up 2-0, Philly ripped off 4 in a row, then Carolina scored before Philly pulled away in the third period. Eddie Lack was hopeless in this game allowing 6 goals on 27 shots. Man, if only Carolina had good goaltending. Lee Stempniak scored again with three shots to remain a hold. Sebastian Aho tallied two assists and two shots and more importantly, almost 17 minutes. He’s an elite streamer at the moment. A few of the big boys went off for Philly and they also have a guy on fire who was solid a couple years ago but irrelevant last year. First, the big boys. Shayne Gostisbehere scored a goal with two assists and three shots, Jakub Voracek totaled 2+1 with 6 SOG, andWayne Simmonds went 1+1 with 3 SOG and 4 PIM. Ivan Provorov had two assists while Travis Konecny had an assist, a shot and two penalty minutes. The guy I was referring to above is Matt Read. He scored for the fourth straight game to get to 5 goals on the season. Read has scored over 20 goals twice before so there is some talent here. I’d stream him for now (grab him in deeper leagues) and see what happens in the short term.
Rangers 4, Capitals 2 – After the first period, the game looked in Washington’s control up 2-0 but the Rangers scored 3 in the third and added an empty netter for good measure. Alex Ovechkin scored a goal on six shots doing what he usually does, not much else to see here for the Caps. Rick Nash had 1+1 with 4 SOG. Jimmy Vesey buried two on three shots to put him in solid streamer territory, I just don’t think it’s quite enough to hold. Ryan McDonagh dished another assist as did the red hot Mika Zibanejad.
Predators 5, Penguins 1 – As mentioned above, the Predators were ravished with food poisoning. They were forced to call up 5 players for the game just to have enough guys to play. Naturally, they steamroll the defending champs on the second of a back to back. Marc-Andre Fleury was the bad flower allowing 5 goals on 23 shots in 2 periods before being pulled. It sucks for people in roto leagues because this game pretty much ruined Fleury’s strong start. For Nashville, Subban had a couple assists as did Forsberg. The goals came from Viktor Arvidsson (2), Kevin Fiala (2) and Calle Jarnkrok. Arvidsson has started the year strong with 3+1 and had some time on the top line in this game. I’m not grabbing him in 12’ers yet but it’s something worth watching. Fiala, the former first round pick, is a guy I love in dynasties and is a streamer for now in redrafts. Same goes with Jarnkrok depending on his spot in the lineup. Juuse Saros was recalled for the game and played great stopping 34 of 35 shots. He was already sent back down to Milwaukee but I wouldn’t be surprised if he backs up in Nashville soon. I wrote in the season preview for Smashville that I think Saros is the goalie of the future there so he’s someone who should be owned in dynasties.
Blue Jackets 3, Stars 0 – I have no idea how Columbus shutout Dallas, props to them I guess. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 32 shots for the shutout to build on Friday’s game. Werenski had another assists to solidify his status, Boone Jenner finally got a point with an assist and five shots, Scott Hartnell scored a goal while Brandon Dubinsky dished an assist and added seven penalty minutes. The Blue Jackets have a bunch of guys who are fantasy relevant and it’s something I plan on talking about with Reid today for Tuesday’s podcast.
Kings 4, Canucks 3 (SO) – Another crazy Canucks game with a late goal to equalize. The Kings went up 3-0 early in the second period and ultimately blew the lead with 34 seconds in the third period before getting the extra point in the shootout. Dustin Brown scored a goal and two assists in what will be one of the most unexpected three point games of the season. Tanner Pearson scored a goal on three shots and needs to be owned everywhere right now the way that he’s playing. Jeff Zatkoff was hurt in practice and is out at least a week so Peter Budaj got the start. He saved 22 of 25 shots in the win if you’re desperate for starts. Henrik Sedin had 1+1 but the biggest surprise was that he had 4 shots on goal. That’s a week or two’s worth for Cyborg H. The interesting guy to me for the Canucks is Philip Larsen. Larsen had two assists with four shots and more importantly, he was playing on the first power play unit. It may only matter for deep leagues but there’s a chance Larsen carves out a real role here.
Blues 6, Flames 4 – Outside of the top line for St. Louis, Alex Steen scored a goal and an assist with 3 shots playing almost 24 minutes while Alex Pietrangelo dished two assists and added two shots and penalty minutes. Nail Yakupov tallied an assist, two shots and two penalty minutes in only 9:26. Hitchock, unleash the Nail! Kris Versteeg scored twice on three shots to get back on the streaming radar. Sam Bennett finally got on the scoresheet with two assists. Amazingly, he already has 14 PIM from a bunch of bad minors. I’m still holding him for the time being but it’s getting close. Dennis Wideman also had two assists with four shots and looks to be good enough to hold in 12’ers right now.
Sunday’s Games:
Oilers 3, Jets 0 – In the first outdoor game of the season, which amazingly was delayed because of the sun, Cam Talbot locked things down with 31 saves for the shutout. He’s done pretty well outside of the Sabres debacle but I’m probably selling high. I just don’t see the defense improving enough for Talbot to maintain this pace. Zack Kassian scored a goal and an assist with three shots and is a bottom end streamer. Connor McDavid dished an assist and added a shot and two penalty minutes. Honestly, there’s not much to discuss about in this game besides Talbot.
Islanders 6, Wild 3 – Darcy Kuemper was lit up giving up 5 on 32 shots. He doesn’t play often and I’d only stream him in the best of spots. Zach Parise scored two goals on ten shots with two penalty minutes… niceeeeeee. Nino Niederreiter scored the other goal with five shots and is an elite streamer. John Tavares totaled 2+1 with 3 SOG while Ryan Strome, Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier all had two assists. I think right now, these guys are clearly ranked Bailey, Strome, Beauvillier. Johnny Boychuk scored a goal on five shots and as discussed above, I think he’s doing enough to be owned.
Rangers 3, Coyotes 2 – Radim Vrbata scored both Coyotes goals to get up to 3 goals and 2 assists with 3 shots per game in 5 games total. I’m going to bring him up with Reid to see if he agrees with me but I think Vrbata should be owned everywhere right now. Max Domi and Christian Dvorak each had an assist playing over 18 minutes. Dvorak is in streaming status when he’s in the lineup. Henrik Lundqvist notched his second straight win on the weekend allowing two goals in each start. The King stay The King! If you had Dan Girardi scoring the winning goal in this game, I’d say you’re amazing…ly lucky. Chris Kreider was out due to injury which is quite unfortunate given his hot start. Not much else here.
Ducks 4, Canucks 2 – Finally the Canucks lose a game in regulation and quite frankly, it wasn’t even close as they were outshot 37-19. Loui Eriksson dished two assists while Philip Larsen had another assist. Bo Horvat scored again but I don’t like that he played only 13:38. For the Ducks, John Gibson only had to make 17 saves for the win. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry dominated with three assists and 1+1 respectively. Nick Ritchie scored on three shots and is a solid streamer while he’s on the first line.
Monday Streamers
There are only two games on the docket: Flyers at Canadiens and Flames at Blackhawks. I don’t see much point in listing three guys so I’ll just say go with the highest owned players available. My general thoughts are that Montreal remains the only team without a regulation loss while the Flames are the worst defensive in the team right now. I’d look to grab Panik if he’s still available, if not Motte and any other Blackhawk getting significant time. Otherwise, I don’t really like Montreal guys outside of the top line so I’d look to Read and Konecny.
That’s all for now guys. With only two games tonight, I’ll be back with daily notes on Wednesday. That said, there will be a post on Tuesday morning with the latest edition of the podcast plus streamers for Tuesday night’s games so be sure to check that out! As always, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below. Take care!
