Vancouver has managed to blow multi-goal leads in each of their first four games. Pretty remarkable stuff that already has Boudreau on the hot seat. The good news is that there’s still been some offensive bright spots for the Canucks, and Elias Pettersson is leading the way. Pettersson had five points over the last two nights, totaling two goals, three assists, and six shots in the two games. That brings Pettersson to 3+3 in four games, along with 3.5 shots per game. That’s a good start to one of my bold predictions of the season, which is that Pettersson will score 45+ goals this year. Time will tell if that pans out, but I have no doubt that Pettersson can be a top 25 player despite the low penalty minutes. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Monday’s Games
Sam Bennett -Goal and an assist with five shots. It was nice to see Bennett back to his roots and taking a ton of shots. I still have him as a bottom end hold.
Gustav Forsling – Goal and an assist with five shots and two PIM playing over 28 minutes. Aaron Ekblad left the game due to injury. We’ll see the severity tomorrow, but Forsling could blow up if Ekblad misses any time. I was the high man on Forsling already, but getting on Florida’s PP1 would make him a #2 fantasy defenseman.
Colin White – Goal and an assist with three shots. White’s minutes will have to increase to get back to where he was in the past with Ottawa.
Jake DeBrusk – Two goals and an assist with five shots. DeBrusk is thriving on the first line and is a borderline hold at this point. I’m inclined to hold him while he’s a hot schmotato.
Patrice Bergeron – Goal and an assist. He’ll be back under Tuesday’s games (spoiler alert!) but Boston’s offense hasn’t been a problem without Marchand.
Connor Clifton – Two assists with two shots. Cilfton is must own right now in hits and blocks because the minutes are insane right now and he’s at 2+ hits and 2 blocks per game.
Anze Kopitar – Goal and an assist with three shots. Adrian Kempe had the same, while Kevin Fiala had two assists with two shots and two PIM. The Los Angeles top line is on another level right now.
Phillip Danault – Two goals on four shots playing over 22 minutes. Danault is a solid streamer, but I’m not looking to hold him outside of faceoff wins.
David Perron – Two goals and an assist with six shots and two PIM. Perron has been fabulous in Detroit and while the minutes are a little low, I can see that changing. He’s shocking available in about 30% of leagues and that should not be the case.
Dominik Kubalik – Two assists with three shots playing 19 minutes. With Bertuzzi out, Kubalik is in the top six and is an elite streamer.
Olli Maatta – Two assists with a shot. Maatta is getting quality minutes and stumbling into points right now. I’d keep him to deep leagues, but that’s more value than I expected from him this year.
Evgeni Malkin – Two goals on six shots, both assisted by Bryan Rust. Both of them have had a point in all three games this year. Here’s to hoping they stay healthy because they’re going to crush other second lines.
Nick Suzuki – Goal and an assist with eight shots. Suzuki looks great even going against other top lines. I wasn’t that interested in Suzuki going into the year, but now I am.
Kaiden Guhle – Two assists with three shots. Guhle has been quite good in a defensive role for Montreal, which doesn’t really help us in fantasy. The hits and blocks are strong for streaming though. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Troy Terry – Two assists with three shots. There’s been some ugly moments for the Ducks thus far, but Terry has been the one bright spot. I guess he could prove last year wasn’t really a fluke.
Pavol Regenda – Two assists. Nice to see Regenda get his first career points, but I don’t see anything here for fantasy. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Mika Zibanejad -Two goals and two assists on nine shots. Zibanejad has been out of this world, like most of the stars on the Rangers. It’s great to see Zibanejad absolutely crushing again.
Artemi Panarin – Goal and three assists with four shots. Is ten points in four games good? The Rangers power play is as good as any in the league right now.
Adam Fox – Three assists with a shot. Fox is going to pile up the points per usual.
Vincent Trocheck – Goal and an assist with five shots. Trocheck has registered at least four shots on goal in every game so far which is great to see. If there was any doubt about Trocheck being a hold, that’s been erased.
Shayne Gostisbehere – Goal and an assist. Gostisbehere has a point in every game so far and is averaging three shots per game, but is also -4. If your league doesn’t include plus-minus, Ghost is an auto hold, but if it does, it’s up in the air.
Quinn Hughes – Two assists with three shots. It’s no surprise than Hughes is averaging an assist per game in the early going. He’s also had at least two shots in every game, which is great to see.
Alex Ovechkin – Two goals and two assists with four shots. That’s a quick way to erase a slow start. I have no worries about The Great Eight.
Evgeny Kuznetsov – Three assists with three shots and two PIM. It was great to see Kuznetsov go off, but now he’s suspended for their next game, and to be frank, he’s lucky it’s only one game.
John Carlson – Goal and an assist with three shots. These were Carlson’s first points of the season, but he’s been driving play outside of the opener against Boston. Nothing to worry about.
Marcus Johansson – Two assists with a shot. He’s on PP1 at the moment which makes him an okay streamer in the deepest of leagues.
Dylan Strome – Goal and an assist with three shots. Strome is in a great streaming spot against Ottawa with Kuznetsov out.
Nathan MacKinnon – Goal and two assists with seven shots. MacKinnon has started on fire with multi-points in every game to open the season. Please stay healthy!
Valeri Nichushkin – Goal and two assists with three shots. Big Val has been excellent to start with 4 goals in 3 games, but none of them at even strength. Landeskog’s return is going to help that eventually, but for now, he’s a bit dependent on the PP.
Samuel Girard – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. Girard is on the third pair right now which puts him on the fringe in 12’ers.
Cale Makar – Two assists with two shots. No goals in three games? What a bum. Sarcasm. He’ll probably score tonight against the Jets now.
Calen Addison – Three assists with five shots. Addison looks fantastic on the power play right now. He was my favorite late defenseman pick in drafts right now and Addison is paying it off in the early going.
Kirill Kaprizov – Two goals on five shots. Kirill is randomly -8 as the Wild can’t get a save from either goalie so far, but it’s nice to see the top guys producing offensively.
Mason Marchment – Two assists with a shot. Amazing start from Marchment who is clearly a hold now.
Jake Oettinger – 24 saves on 25 shots in the 4-1 win over the Jets. Oettinger has been the best goalie in the opening week, allowing only one goal in each of their first three games. You love to see it.
Frederik Andersen – 22 saves on 23 shots in the 5-1 win over the Hurricanes. Andersen’s success is solely determined by his health. If he’s healthy, his downside is a bottom end #1.
Sebastian Aho – Goal and two assists with three shots. Aho’s ceiling and floor have been established at this point, and they’re so close together that tall people have a tough time walking down that hallway.
Andrei Svechnikov – Two goals and an assist with six shots. Great start for Svech, who has a point in each of the first three games. Now give him the minutes he deserves Brind’Amour!
Stefan Noesen – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. Noesen was randomly on PP1 with Kase out, but I’m not interested in streaming him anywhere.
Tuesday’s Games
Eric Comrie – 46 saves on 48 shots in the 4-2 win over the Oilers. Comrie was as good as his numbers indicate, stopping over a dozen high danger chances. He’s played so little in the NHL that we don’t know what he is, but Comrie has been great when he’s played. I’m holding him where I have him hoping for the best.
Jakob Silfverberg – Two goals on three shots. Silfverberg used to be fantasy relevant, but I don’t see that happening again. And there’s your biannual Silfverberg update!
Jesper Bratt – Two assists with two shots. Bratt was incredible in this game completely dominating the puck with whoever his linemates were. Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes each had two points playing over 20 minutes to lead the New Jersey comeback. These are the three Devils forwards worth holding.
Patrice Bergeron – Goal and two assists, as did David Pastrnak. These two have been incredible, especially Pasta. Pasta looks like he could be a top ten player again.
Tim Stutzle – Goal and two assists, as did Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson. It’s interesting that Stutzle and Norris have flipped spots early in the season. That gives Stutzle a decent boost, although I was already very high on him, while it knocks Norris down quite a bit for me. I’m even more worried about his shot value with DeBrincat on his wing now.
Carter Hart – 36 saves on 38 shots in the 3-2 win over the Lightning. Like in the other big upset of the day, Hart was fantastic against Tampa. He’s 3-0 in the early going allowing only two goals in each game. The early Torts bump is real, and I’d be a bit more liberal starting him for the time being.
Steven Stamkos – Two power play goals on five shots with two PIM, both assisted by Nikita Kucherov. Stammer has scored in every game so far, quickly approaching 500 goals and 1,000 assists. Obviously Tampa isn’t going to panic with a slow start at 1-3, but their schedule isn’t forgiving over the next week.
Bo Horvat – Two goals on five shots. Dr. Bo has been solid so far despite his linemates struggling.
Johnny Gaudreau – Goal and an assist with three shots. It’s been a fine start for Gaudreau, nothing noteworthy one way or the other. Four of the next five games will have Columbus as a pretty big underdog which isn’t ideal.
Boone Jenner – Two assists with three shots and two PIM. Jenner is on the fringe of standard leagues, but he’s an easy hold with all the extra categories as he’s piling up hits and blocks in the early going.
Vladislav Gavrikov – Goal and an assist with two shots. Gavrikov is all defense, no offense, so I wouldn’t consider him in any format.
Jakub Voracek – Two assists with a shot. He’s an easy pass right now with the minutes much lower than in the past.
Evgeny Svechnikov – Goal and an assist with four shots. The older Svech’s career has been slowed down by injuries, but with how bad the Sharks are, perhaps he’ll get the opportunity to right the ship. For now, he’s just worth monitoring.
Oliver Wahlstrom – Two goals on six shots. For once, I’d like to see what Wahlstrom would do with regular minutes. He has four points in two games, but he played 14 minutes in this game. Granted, that was 5 minutes more than the previous game. I’d still stream Wahlstrom against the Devils on Thursday.
Noah Dobson – Two assists with five shots. Dobson has been fantastic. It’s well within Dobson’s range of outcomes that he ends up as a top ten defenseman this season.
Brock Nelson – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. Nelson has an assist in every game so far this season, but his shot rate hasn’t been there. I lean towards elite streamer but it could definitely flip back.
Adam Pelech – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. Pelech is one of the best examples of someone who is good in real life, but has very little fantasy value.
Jonathan Huberdeau – Two assists with a shot. Two shots in three games is ugly, and I’m a little concerned Huberdeau ends up closer to two per game than three, but the points will no doubt be elite.
Matt Roy – Two goals on six shots. Roy has never provided much offense, and I don’t see that changing. His hits and blocks are solid though for deep league streaming.
Gabriel Vilardi – Goal and an assist with three shots. Vilardi’s start is one of the best stories in the league after all of his back issues. I don’t expect him to stay a hold all season, but I don’t mind it while he’s on fire.
Mikael Granlund – Two assists playing over 22 minutes. He’s great in assists, but his shot rate is so dreadful that I lean towards streaming instead of holding.
Three Point Challenge: Unfortunately for me, Pettersson’s three point game was Monday and not Tuesday. I also didn’t catch Y2B picking Panarin on Monday, so while I’ll give him props here for that correct pick, it doesn’t count in the standings. We will do Thursday’s games now, and you can’t select McDavid, Gaudreau, Huberdeau, Draisaitl, Kaprizov, Matthews, Stamkos, M. Tkachuk, Miller, or Marner. I’ll go with Forsberg against the Blue Jackets.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Friday recapping the action from the next two nights. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
3 point challenge I’ll go with Guentzel
Sounds good!
Thoughts on necas v. Nico? Necas line looking good with svech and got some pp1 time recently. Even so the pp time in car has been pretty evenly split along with 18 min a game.
I think Necas has more upside, but Nico is safer. Kind of depends what you’re looking for. Nico is fairly dependent on who his linemates are. If I knew he would be with Bratt all season, I would say him, but Bratt is likely to bounce between him and Hughes. I like both players going forward and think they’re around the same level, so I think just going with your personal preference is fine.
Missed ya yesterday Viz !
Couple questions for you,
Assuming Marchand comes back all systems go next month, which side would you prefer: Guentzel and Kempe or Saros and Boldy ? I have Marchand on IL right now, so I could stream Guentzel’s spot until he returns.
Also, Makar or Ekblad and Binnington ? Would love to get some exposure to Makar but then my only goalie would be Andersen …
Both leagues the same, 12 team Yahoo standard Rotisserie
Trades with goalies are extremely hard to gauge because it comes down solely to what your team needs are. Does this mean that you currently have Andersen, Saros, and Binnington on your roster?
Ekblad is out for the foreseeable future so I assume that second trade is irrelevant now.
I currently have Anderson and Binnington. So I’d be left with Anderson if I make the Makar trade.
In a separate league, my two LW slots are taken by Guentzel and Kaprizov, so I was looking to trade one of them (or Marchand) for an elite goalie +. Likely Saros or Markstrom.
Hope that makes sense
Oh, didn’t realize separate leagues. Well, I wouldn’t do the first one then, no way would I be good with only having Andersen in net, especially because he’s an injury risk.
I see, do you not have a utility spot? Who are your goalies in this league? That is more important because I have no clue what you’re working with.
My only goalie in the Guentzel league is Helly. So I’d manage to acquire two #1s.
Unfortunately, no utility, only positional slots.
I just don’t want to be left holding the bag when I have three elite LWs and have to bench one
What is your league setup that you can afford to have one goalie at any point? I’m a bit confused. Do you have one starting goalie spot?
I have Niederreiter and Gavrikov. I’m short on wingers. Would you drop those 2 for Kubalik and DeBrusk? thank you
DeBrusk is definitely must own at the moment, so dropping him for Gavrikov is a no brainer. Nino vs Kubalik is close. Rest of season, I prefer Nino, but short term, I prefer Kubalik, so depends what you’re looking for there.
thank you! follow up question, is Parayko a hold in 10 teams
Of course! If your league doesn’t include blocks, then definitely not, I wouldn’t hold him in a 12 man league either. If it does include blocks, it’s closer. I would still lean no, but if your team really needed the blocks, I’d have no problem holding.
thanks Viz
Anytime!
Hi Viz. Thanks for the recap. As a Sabres fan, thought on Power in the early going? It’s only been three games but he’s yet to register a point. I’ll probably continue to hold as there are not a lot of good D-Men available in my 12-team league, but I hope he starts to get some stats soon. Thank you, sir!
I thought he was much better last night than in the first two games. It is a bit frustrating that he doesn’t have a point yet, but the power play time is there along with the minutes in general. I have to think he’ll start producing with the workload he has. It’s so ugly in 12 man with defensemen that I’m in agreement with you. I would probably give him about 2 more weeks to see if he can turn it around.
thanks for the sound advice Viz!
Any time Jake!
Hi Viz,
12 tm h2h pts
(1) G(3), A(2), PPG(1), PIM(0.25),+/-(1)
Debrusk, Hischier, Mark Stone, Necas – Pls Rank
(2) GA(-1), PIM(0.25), Saves(0.2), SO(3), W(5)
Blackwood, Comrie, A.Forsberg – Pls Rank
(3) Scoring system same as (1)
Debrusk, Marchmen, Terry – just the top guy
Always big THANKS!!
Hey Surfer Dude, are you looking at them for the rest of the season or are you asking about them in the short term? Let me know so I can give a better answer with details. Thanks
Hi, well hopefully for the ROS, but I play the waivers all the time so nothing is set in stone. the next 6 – 8 weeks would be fine.
Thanks.
Alright, then I’ll say DeBrusk, Stone, Necas, Hischier, but DeBrusk can easily drop to last depending on his usage when Marchand comes back. Ideally, he stays top line, but hard to say.
Blackwood is clearly last of the goalies for me, he looks bad and Vanecek will have a large role too. In the short term, I lean Forsberg over Comrie, but I prefer Comrie ROS because Talbot will get more than half of their starts imo, so depends on what you want there. I think Comrie has the highest upside by a long shot, so I’d probably want to gamble there.
These three are really close. I feel the safest with Terry in his big role, but his plus-minus could hurt and that’s a fairly big factor in your point system. I’ll still say him, but it’s very tenuous.
10-Team ESPN Roto Standard (G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, ATOI, SOG, W, GAA, SV%)
Three Point Challenge: Artemi Panarin. (Remind me why did the Blackhawks trade him?)
He’s not a lock to be kept at this point. I think I’d sit on him for another couple weeks to see if he turns it around, mostly because the minutes are there and ATOI does help him a bit, but I’m fine with grabbing DeBrusk if you want to go that route.
Yes, I prefer Perron at this point, he looks excellent.
Sounds good on Panarin, absolutely insane that they moved him.
Was offered Makar for my Trouba and Binnington. Was at first offered Ekblad and Binnington, but that ship has sailed (wish I took it went it was first offered !)
Looks great on paper, but I just lost Ekblad so my D core is a bit thin and I only roster two goalies, Andersen and Binnington.
Worth taking the trade ?
Even though I prefer Makar in a vacuum, I don’t think you can make this trade unless you make another trade to go with it. You can’t go down to only having Andersen in net, and I assume waivers is a cesspool.
Yep, my thoughts exactly.
Appreciate the help !
Any time!
Josie for Marchand make sense if the other team is shallow at LW?
My only other semi-elite blue liner is Dougie.
Thanks !
I need more specifics in regards to league format, categories, etc. Makes a huge difference when one of the players is out for at least 6 more weeks, if not more.
Hey sorry for the double post, my computer has been wonky this morning.
League settings are standard Yahoo Roto. I took a look at his team and his wingers are thin
I’m more inclined to do something like this in roto than H2H, so yeah, I can get behind trying to make this move if possible.
Ok fair enough ! The Josi owner didn’t budge so I guess I’ll have to go back to the drawing board …
Settings are standard Yahoo Rotisserie. 12 teams
Marchand for Josi seem fair at first glance ?
I get Marchand is a first rounder if healthy, but those elite D-men are so hard to come by
Hey Viz! Great work as usual! Goalie question. I drafted Oettinger and Merzlinkins. Ive since picked up Hart as a 3rd goalie. Looking at Comrie and Im wondering if I should drop Merlinkins for him? My league does not count Wins
Ill take Jack Hughes for the 3 point challenge!
Yeah, I would make that move. I don’t see much upside from Elvis, not that he’s bad, but the team is brutal defensively in front of him. I don’t see much chance of him having a sub 2.8 GAA. Sounds good on Hughes!
Hi,
8 tm pts
Goals (G) 6
Assists (A) 4
Plus/Minus (+/-) 2
Powerplay Points (PPP) 2
Shots on Goal (SOG) 0.9
Blocks (BLK) 1
I have Landeskog stashed away IR. Which LW should i pick up while he’s out?
Toffoli
Lee
Lehkonen
Debrusk
Marchment
Also have chychrun on IR. Thoughts on him going forward?
Hey JP, I think I want to take the gamble on Lehkonen. He’s locked onto MacKinnon’s wing now and he’s been excellent. I see a case for all of the guys but Lee, but Lehkonen is now the right combo of safety plus upside for me now.
It’s a weird situation for Chychrun. He’s hurt now as you know, but should start practicing soon. He has a trade looming over his head, one that is a near-certainty to happen. When he gets traded, it will certainly be to a contending team (at least a playoff lock) so he should thrive and at that point, be very good in fantasy again. The problem is, how long will he be in Arizona and potentially hurting you with a terrible plus-minus? I’m inclined to stash him as you are. Is it H2H points, or total points at the end? If it’s H2H, I’m definitely holding him because I just want to get to the playoffs when Chychrun can be a #2 fantasy D even in an 8 man.
Thanks! It’s total points
Then I’m indifferent, I’m good with holding him but if you need the IR spot for another reason, you can afford to let him go.
is Forsling the best D to own on the Panthers with Ek down? Just saw he wasn’t on PP1 and they are going 5 forwards. If montour is PP1 when he gets back is he the better add?
We’ll see if that actually happens, I’m very skeptical of Maurice going 5F tonight. That’s just a DFO projection not being cited from any Florida reporter. I’ve gone through the Florida reporters on Twitter and haven’t seen anything about PP units. Regardless, I still prefer Forsling to Montour. I was very high on Forsling going into the season and nothing has happened for me to change that opinion.
good call out about clifton, who i added over say lindell (if he’s not shooting and not on any PP and he’s already weak in hits/blocks anyway in general bye bye) right after i saw those minutes a few days ago. obviously this isn’t year long as those BOS D guys injured will be back but that’s weeks away at least.
but i’m also about to actually waiver him in deeper spots too clifton, where he’s being streamed as if he’s equal to guys in FA in say 16 teamers start 6 D, and clearly more valuable than that right now.
Yeah for sure, might as well run with Clifton while you can. I was surprised Kuz only got one game to be honest
that kuznetsov “high-stick” was str up 80’s stuff. clearly if that ain’t intentionally hitting somebody in the head with (part of) the stick what would be?
Pastrnak for 3 pnt!
Sounds good!
Hey Viz,
Would you drop sergri bob for carter hart? regular goalie cats
No, I would still hold onto Bob. I think Florida is too good and the wins that come with that give Bob too high of a floor to cut.
WTH.
Ill go with Sid the Kid tonight.
Sorry Y2B, I did say Tuesday’s Games in the post though. That’s why mine didn’t count for Pettersson either, it had to be on Tuesday. Sounds good on Crosby.
I’ll take Aho in the challenge.
How do you like Tomasino as a NA stash? Any chance he makes any kind of impact? Our league cut some dead weight and dropped from a 12 team to an 8 team and I’m still trying to adjust to the way that affects things.
he was getting better even with his limited minutes and at end of last year was moving up lines a bit too (no longer center though, which sucks for faceoff leagues, albeit that might be why he got sent back down, to continue to work on center responsiblities (even though he had done that for years prior anyway)). surprised he didn’t start up this year with how many games he played last.
probably one of the better NA stashes.
I can see it if the Preds give him a chance eventually. I agree with EMPB, I think he’s worth the stash.
10/18: kucherov
10/20: panarin vs SJ (and can’t believe everybody won’t tie a bunch of people if he hits playing SJ) for 3 pt thurs
drat should’ve went with the dish, but had i done that people would’ve assumed i was a time traveler or insane or something.
What a bizarre game that was.
16 team dynasty h2h with hits/blocks/shots/PIMs/faceoff wins/PPP/SHP/goals/assists regular goalie stuff. need at least 6 STL players at all times in season (have 7 even with the kostin loss, and he might even be a drop now from that, but used to have power forward upside). P below means prospect elig (100/50 for skaters/goalies) and can be toggled from starting to prospect list (max 10).
C (4): ROR, hintz (LW), draisaitl (LW), dach, s.laughton (LW)
LW (4): n.paul (C), kunin (C), j.schwartz, p.zacha (C)
RW (4): boldy (LW. P), rantanen, r.thomas (C), pavelski (C), oshie
D (6): doughty, pietrangelo, m.ferraro, provorov, borgen (P), nurse, parayko
G (1): kuemper, oettinger
IR (anybody that might not play for any reason can be in these, or stay in them when healthy after not being): fabbri, brink (P), schmaltz, iafallo, edmundson, hague, perunovich (P)
prospect list (10, voted up from 7 just lately): neighbours, hofer, bolduc, kostin, mcmichael, m.savoie, r.sandin, j.kemell, d.jiricek, j.pelletier
s.wright for my boldy seems pretty slam dunk right. but of course one super highly ranked prospect who’s already doing well vs one who’ll probably take a few years, but with these categories i’d think slam dunk, s.wright obviously goes no worse than 3rd that i’ve seen, and some of those weren’t faceoffs leagues (slav going 1.1 is believeable in non faceoffs leagues, which i’ve mostly seen even in faceoffs leagues. did here.) prospect elig can be called up/sent down as many times as you like till they hit the 100/50 games played.
Hi Viz, (JKJ)
12 tm h2h pts, G(3), PPG(1), A(2), PIM(0.25)
Who would you rather have – Thompson or Tuch
Always big THANKS!!
Also, need a 3rd goalie – Based on the above scoring system, who’s the drop – Mark Stone or Batherson?
THANKS x 2