Despite seeing nearly a month of games in our NHL schedule, it was a season debut last night that spoiled the Rangers’ modest 3-game winning streak. Pyotr Kochetkov was recalled from the AHL (Chicago) for his first game of the year on Tuesday evening, after getting the green light to return from a lower-body injury. The 4th year backstop made 25 saves on 25 shots and held off the Rangers’ offense for a 3-0 win at NYR. After winning 27 games last year, Kochetkov looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, and is worth an immediate pickup if an impatient manager needed some roster space and cut him loose in a shallow league. Check the FA list as soon as possible, or float out a trade offer before the 26-year-old goes on a run.
Here’s what else I saw in Tuesday night’s NHL action…
*Notes are as of 11:30 PM EST Tuesday night*
Sean Walker – 1 G (2), 1 A (1), +1, 3 SOG, and 24:16 of ice time. Sean Walker isn’t exactly a household name among poolies with points-only categories, but he’s logging some serious minutes on the back end of a very strong squad as he fills in for an injured Jaccob Slavin. He might not “Wow” anyone with flashy point totals, but if you’re looking for volume on the back end in a 12-team league, this could be a worthwhile pickup for the short term.
Igor Shesterkin – 29 saves on 31 shots and the loss vs CAR. Outside of a 5-hit game from center Sam Carrick, there wasn’t much to look for from the New York Rangers’ stats page.
Jeremy Swayman – 28 saves on 31 shots and the win (5) at NYI. The one went back and forth all night and ended up tied after OT. Swayman stopped Simon, Holmstrom, Bo Horvat, and Jonathan Drouin in the shootout for his 5th win in 9 starts.
Pavel Zacha – G (3), 3 SOG, +1, PPG (1), 3 H. The trade winds are already swirling around the league, and every time the fans are “Booin’ the Bruins”, Zacha’s name seems to find the rumor mill the next day. Boston fans don’t want to hear this, but teams in search of a bona fide second-line center could do a lot worse than a guy who’s averaging over 18 minutes a game and already has 13 points in 15 games.
Ilya Sorokin – 24 saves on 27 shots and the loss (4). Sorokin has an identical GAA to Swayman’s 2.77, but came up on the short end in the win column when Marat Khusnutdinov beat him in the shootout after scoring to push the game to OT with a late tally in the third.
Matthew Schaefer – 1 A (6), +1, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 1 H. It wasn’t a flashy night on the scoresheet for the 1.01 from this year’s NHL Entry draft, but the kid certainly flashed enough on the ice to show what the buzz has been all about. If you haven’t watched this one play yet, do yourself a favor and tune into the next NYI game. If you’re wondering how he has 11 points in 13 GP as an 18-year-old rookie, you won’t wonder for long. He’s a beauty.
Bo Horvat – 2 G (9), 5 SOG, +1, 2 H. Horvat’s two-goal night launched him into a tie for second best in the league behind MacKinnon, Hughes, and Caufield. Jeremy Swayman managed to stop him when it mattered most, though, as Horvat missed his attempt in the shootout.
Daniel Vladar – 16 saves on 20 shots and the win (5) at MTL. Darth Vladar and the Flyers got out to an early 3-0 lead and looked like they were ready to blow out the Habs before giving up 4 unanswered in the second period. Vladar can thank Nikita Grebenkin for pushing things into overtime with a late 3rd-period tally.
Bobby Brink – 2 G (5), 2 PIM, 3 SOG, 15:25 TOI. I almost backed up the Brinks truck for our lede today before seeing Kochetkov’s shutout. 9 PTS in 13 GP for a bottom 6 RW is pretty solid if you’re looking for someone to fill out a deep league bench.
Sam Montembeault – 38 saves on 42 shots and a 5-4 shootout loss at home to PHI. The Flyers jumped on the red-hot Habs and scored three in the first period last night and were well on their way to handing Montreal its 4th loss in 12 games…until the Habs woke up and scored 4 unanswered goals in the second period. Montembault was a busy guy last night, but despite the late comeback, his night was spoiled by a Trevor Zegras shootout winner.
Ivan Demidov – G (4), A (8), 2 PIM, 3 SOG, 2 PPP, and 15:21 TOI. The kid affectionately known as “The Demi-God” in Montreal is living up to the early-season hype. He’s got 12 points in 13 games and hasn’t gone back-to-back games without recording at least one point. Keeper league gold here, folks.
Karel Vejemelka – 17 saves on 18 shots and a 2-1 OT win at BUF. Utah, sitting in second place in the Central after 13 games, is likely a bit surprising to some folks, but the truth is this team is solid. There are more than a few pundits who think, with the right trades, the Mammoth can make a lot of noise in the West this year as long as they beef up the lineup with some veterans to support the talented kids that lead the charge.
Clayton Keller – 1 G (5), 1 A (9), +2, 6 SOG, 20:07 TOI. At 27 years old, Keller might not qualify as one of Utah’s “kids”, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a Mammoth part of the team’s offense. Sorry. That one was too easy.
Alex Lyon – 33 saves on 35 shots and the loss (in OT) to UTA. What do you want him to do, score a couple of goals too?
Justus Annunen – 22 saves on 25 shots and the OT loss at MIN. And Justus for all? Maybe not. And no wins for him yet, either (0-2).
Steven Stamkos – 1 G (2), +1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG, 1 H, 1 BLK, 15:42 TOI. I remember watching this guy when he played with the Sarnia Sting. As a 16-year-old. And now he’s 35. With 2 goals in 15 games played. And I’m old.
Filip Gustavsson – 32 saves on 34 shots and the OT win (4). 1.90 GAA, .941 SV%
Kirill Kaprizov – 1 G (8), 1 A (10), 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 25:14 TOI. There were a few folks who raised their eyebrows when Kirill scored the big extension with the Wild this summer. With 18 points in 13 games to start the season, he’s proving those doubters wrong.
Zeev Buium – 1 G (3), PPG, -1, 1 SOG, 13:02 TOI. Buium isn’t blowing any doors off of fantasy leagues, but he’s making the most of the limited power-play time he’s been getting. He might not be a 50-point defenseman this year, but I’m still buying in as a growth stock in dynasty leagues. Steer clear if your league tracks plus/minus, though. He’s a -11.
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 21 saves on 24 shots (through two periods). Ok, Grandpa, but why did you have to change the spelling of your last name? Ugh.
Nikita Kucherov – G (5), 2 SOG (through 2nd period). That’s 11 points in 11 GP and counting for the superstar winger.
Scott Wedgewood – 15 saves on 16 shots (end of 2nd). I’m pretty sure it’s just me who sees “S. Wedgewood” and immediately hears, “Higher Love” playing in his head. Steve Winwood would probably be proud that his biggest hit still plays, but Scott Wedgewood? Not so much. That said, he was on his way to locking down his 8th win in 12 starts and is a clear ‘must-start’ in any league.
Victor Olofsson – 2 G (5), +1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG, 1 BLK. For all the spotlight that I shone on JJ Peterka in the preseason write-up here, Olofsson is doing his best to remind Buffalo fans that he was a goal scorer once upon a time, too. 15 G in 56 GP with Vegas last year isn’t exactly an earth-shattering number, but riding the PP1 unit with a superstar cast should help him hit some career highs in goals this year.
John Gibson – 22 saves on 23 shots through the first half against VGS. Sitting at 4-3 with a 3.32 GAA and .882 SV% isn’t exactly vintage John Gibson numbers, but he was off to a hot start against a very potent offense last night.
Lucas Raymond – 2 SOG, along with Dylan Larkin and Elmer Soderblom (2 SOG each).
Akira Schmid – 14 saves on 14 shots (Through 2 periods). He’s 5-1 in 7 starts and was holding the Red Wings off the board halfway through last night’s game. Be forewarned. The “Waka Waka” and “Hips Don’t Lie” references are incoming. Soon.
Sergei Bobrovsky – 14 saves on 18 shots (Through 2 periods). A 4.62 GAA and a .800 SV%? You’re off the case, Bobrovsky!
Lukas Dostal – 15 saves on 18 shots (Through 2 periods). A 4.62 GAA and…wait! Did I just copy and paste this? Nope. Dostal’s SV% is a much better…833. Oof.
Cutter Gauthier – 2 G (9), -1, 2 SOG, 7:35 TOI. Two goals in less than 2 periods? With one on the power play? Gauthier could have been a steal on some drafts (he was undrafted in my shallow, 10-team, head-to-head league), and currently sits in a tie for second most goals in the league. EDIT: He scored a THIRD before the end of the second period!
Connor Hellebuyck – 6 saves on 7 shots heading into the 2nd. And there’s that gee-dee six-seven again.
Adrian Kempe – G (6), +1, 1 SOG. 16 points in 14 games for Kempe, and a healthy 33 hits if your league tracks that, too.
Darcy Kuemper – 9 saves on 9 shots vs WPG at home. He’d won just once in his last 4 GP heading into last night. So far, so good with one period down and two to go (at the time of writing).
That’s all for this week, folks. I hope the recap helped fill you in on the happenings from last night’s earlier games. I’m hoping to be able to give you the full rundown for future weeks after work, coaching two kids’ teams, and the general chaos of life settles down a bit. Feel free to drop questions or comments in the chat here, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Happy Wednesday, and I’ll see you next week!
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