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Who would have thought that a seven point game wouldn’t get the opening?  It would take something extravagant and that’s what happened, with Jason Robertson scoring back-to-back hat tricks. R0bertson carried the Stars to victory on Friday scoring three on seven shots, including the overtime winner.  He capped it off with an empty netter to seal the game against Minnesota on Sunday, totaling six shots and two PIM with his hat trick.  That brings Robertson to a whopping 29+25 in 47 games and three shots per game.  Robertson seemingly came out of nowhere last season to earn a second place finish in the Calder race.  Now, the sky appears to be the limit.  Robertson is still only 22 years old and has his center of the present and future already with him.  It looks like the Stars have their new Benn and Seguin.  They can only hope Hintz and Robertson reach that level, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.  I don’t think Robertson quite cracks the top 20 for the rest of the season and next year, but he’s a slam dunk top 50 player.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:

Friday’s Games

Kirill Kaprizov – Two goals and an assist with three shots.  He’s on pace for 108 points justifying my top 20 ranking of Kaprizov in the preseason.

Jared Spurgeon – Two assists with two shots and two PIM.  It’s not exciting, but Spurgeon is a bottom end hold in all formats.

Kevin Fiala – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Massive heater from Fiala, who once again has dominated after a slow first month or two.  If only he could start a season how he finished.

Kyle Okposo – Goal and an assist.  Okposo has bounced back nicely to have arguably his best season as a Sabre.  There’s clear deep league value and he’s a middling streamer.

Jeff Skinner – Two goals on seven shots.  The Skinner resurgence continues.  He’s done enough to be a hold again.

Casey Mittelstadt – Goal and an assist with three shots.  It’s been a lost season for Mittelstadt due to injuries.  He’s a bottom end streamer for now, although he was great to end last season so it could turn for the better.

Rasmus Dahlin – Two assists with two shots and two PIM.  Dahlin hasn’t lit the world on fire, but he should easily top 50 points.  Crazy that he’s still only 21 years old.  I fully expect Dahlin to continually get better as the team around him improves.

Sidney Crosby – Goal and an assist with two shots.  A seven game point streak has Crosby at his usual 90+ point pace.

Jake Guentzel – Goal and an assist with three shots.  Guentzel is having the best season of his career and he’s had a 40 goal season before, along with two over a point per game.

Jordan Staal – Two goals on four shots.  Even with five goals in the last nine games, Staal has eight on the season.  Bottom end streamer at best.

Igor Shesterkin – 32 saves on 33 shots in the 3-1 win over the Devils.  Shesterkin has a chance to have the first .940+ sv% since Jacques Plante.  He’s been that outrageously good.

Chris Kreider – Goal and an assist, as did Mika Zibanejad.  And they both had better games on Sunday (spoiler alert!).  The Rangers are among the most top heavy teams in the league so they can make a big impact on their playoff viability at the trade deadline.

Brian Elliott – 22 saves on 23 shots in the 3-1 win over the Red Wings.  He’s an okay streamer when he starts simply for the high likelihood of a win, but the numbers are likely to be below average.

Victor Hedman – Three assists with five shots.  Hedman has been crushing it over the last month to really push Makar for the Norris race.  It’s no surprise given his stature, but Hedman is playing the best offensive hockey of his career.

Nikita Kucherov – Two assists with four shots.  Kucherov is almost at 1.5 points per game in his 20 games.  Pretty, pretty good.

Viktor Arvidsson – Hat trick on five shots.  Arvidsson has been a great addition to the Kings.  He’s a bottom end hold for the massive shot rate and solid points.

Sean Kuraly – Two assists.  He’s getting a ton of minutes, but Kuraly is only a deep league streamer for hits and faceoffs.

Ryan Suter – Two assists with a shot and two PIM.  In a 12’er, I’d look elsewhere.  Anything deeper, and Suter’s generic line across the board is probably worth holding.

Paul Stastny – Two goals on three shots.  Stastny is a solid streamer as long as his role stays the same.

Michael Amadio – Goal and two assists.  Amadio’s role isn’t big enough to make a fantasy impact.

Nicolas Roy – Two goals on three shots.  Roy is getting some chances on the first line but also gets a lot of time on the third line.  It’s changing within games so it’s hard to count on Roy to be more than a bottom end streamer.

Cam Fowler – Two assists with a shot.  Fowler is right on the fringe.  The points are good enough to be a hold, but the PIM, hits, and shots are poor, so I’d lean towards looking elsewhere.

Saturday’s Games

Ilya Sorokin – 27 saves on 28 shots in the 2-1 win over the Blues.  Even with the struggles the Islanders have endured this season, Sorokin has been fantastic.  He’s a bottom end #1 right now and should be better going forward.

Dylan Strome – Two goals on six shots.  When Strome is playing with Kane, he’s an elite streamer.  When he’s not, I have zero interest.  Sometimes, it’s that simple.

Cam Atkinson – Two goals and an assist with three shots.  With the extra categories, Atkinson’s grip on being a hold is tenuous.  Without them, he’s a step off the fringe.

Joel Farabee – Three assists with a shot.  Like many players on Philadelphia, it’s been somewhat of a lost season for Farabee.  It doesn’t really change my long term outlook, but for now, Farabee is a middling streamer.

Thomas Chabot – Three assists with three shots.  Chabot has made a lot of strides at even strength this season.  If Ottawa continues to improve, he could be a solid #2 next season.  He’s clearly a hold in all formats.

Parker Kelly – Two goals on three shots.  Kelly was undrafted so it’s nice to see him in the NHL already at 22, but he hasn’t shown a ton of offense in the AHL.  Easy pass for now.  Welcome to the Razzball Database!

Tim Stuetzle – Two assists with three shots.  Last season, in 53 games, Stuetzle had 12+17 with 111 shots.  This season in 53 games?  12+17 on 113 shots.  I was hoping for a big jump in year two, and while it didn’t happen, it’s still in the cards going forward.

Nick Schmaltz – Two goals and five assists with five shots.  The first seven point game since Gagner had eight almost a decade out, Schmaltz was on fire before this game.  He’s not an automatic hold, but I’m fine with holding Schmaltz when he’s rolling like this.

Shayne Gostisbehere – Goal and three assists.  Gostisbehere has been solid with Arizona.  That Philly gave up a pick to trade him only to acquire Risto is comically bad.  Anyways, Gostisbehere is a hold if your league doesn’t include plus-minus.  If it does, it’s close, but it’s not bad enough that I’d still hold.  I’m not sure what their plan is for him at the deadline so he’s a name to keep an eye on.

Clayton Keller – Two goals and two assists with four shots.  Keller has played at a superstar level this season making him an easy hold.  If Arizona can add a top forward for him to play with in the draft, it could get even better.

Dysin Mayo – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Mayo gets a ton of blocks and decent hits, but there’s little to no offense here.  If you have use for that as a streamer, go ahead.  Welcome to the Razzball Database!

Aleksander Barkov – Three assists with two shots.  Barkov is just off a 50+50 pace over 82 games while being over 3.5 shots per game.  He’s established himself as a clear top 20 guy.

MacKenzie Weegar – Two assists with a shot.  Despite very little power play time, Weegar needs to be held everywhere.  He’s been fantastic across the board otherwise.

Sam Reinhart – Two assists with four shots.  Reinhart is at a point per game despite playing most of the season on the third line.  He’s an incredible player that doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Sam Bennett – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Even with bad assists, the goals/shots/PIM/hits combo is clearly valuable enough in all formats to be held without hesitation.

Anton Lundell – Two goals on seven shots.  Lundell’s offense was supposed to be a work in progress, but Florida is so good offensively that he’s done quite well for himself.  He’s a solid streamer.

Nick Suzuki – Goal and two assists with three shots playing over 22 minutes.  Suzuki has found his form again under St. Louis.  Remarkably, he has only one less point than last season in the same number of games.  I think we see the huge breakout next season now.

Brendan Gallagher – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM.  After years of being a hold, Gallagher is only a bottom end streamer at best.

Chris Wideman – Two assists.  No thanks.

Cole Caufield – Goal and an assist with three shots.  Like Suzuki, Caufield has taken off with St. Louis.  I’m holding right now, but it’s close.

Travis Hamonic – Goal and an assist with four shots.  And there’s your annual Hamonic update!

J.T. Miller – Goal and an assist.  Incredible run from Miller.  If Vancouver decides to trade him, they’re going to get an insane package.

Tanner Pearson – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Easy middling streamer.

Bo Horvat – Two assists with two shots.  Horvat is surging lately, but I lean towards elite streamer unless your league includes faceoffs as a category.

Brock Boeser – Goal and an assist with four shots.  Boeser seems likely to be traded at this point.  Given the disappointment of this season, it could be for the best, unlike if Miller gets traded.  For now, he’s an elite streamer.

John Tavares – Goal and an assist with six shots.  This ended a 14 game goalless drought for Tavares.  The overall numbers remain right in line with last season which is a bonus in my mind.

Auston Matthews – Two goals on eight shots.  The goal race should be incredible down to the wire with Matthews and Draisaitl, possibly Kreider or Connor.  Where Matthews ranks for next season is an interesting questions.  There could be a case for #2, there could be a case for as low as #5.  Thankfully I don’t have to decide now!

Alex Ovechkin – Goal and two assists with four shots.  He’s fallen off quite a bit after his incredible start, but Ovechkin is on a 50+50 pace despite that.  At 36 years old!

Tom Wilson – Goal and an assist with three shots.  Wilson should easily set career highs in all the offensive categories.

Conor Sheary – Two goals on three shots.  Five points in the last three games for Sheary.  He scored on the second PP unit which did improve with the return of Anthony Mantha, but Sheary is only a middling streamer.

Brad Marchand – Two assists with a shot.  Marchand has shown no signs of slowing down as he’s been among the best offensive players in the league for five years running.

Jakub Voracek – Goal and an assist.  If you want to see a building explode, watch Voracek tie the game in the last two seconds against the Bruins on Nash’s retirement ceremony night.  If you need assists, use Voracek as a streamer.

Patrik Laine – Two assists with four shots.  Monster heater from Laine.  It’s a blast to watch him when he’s in form, especially because the defense is so poor that it’s just great action.  You love to see it.

Juuse Saros – 20 save shutout in the 8-0 win over the Sharks.  I watched a decent amount of this game, more than I ever should have, and it was an embarrassment from the Sharks in the second half of the game.  Saros has been a bit worse lately as Nashville has taken a step back, but he’s still a slam dunk #1.

Roman Josi – Four assists with seven shots and two PIM, +6.  Josi isn’t mentioned with Hedman and Makar in the Norris race, but he should be.

Michael McCarron – Two goals and two assists.  Matt Luff had two goals and an assist, while Phillip Tomasino dished three assists.  The first two guys have no fantasy value, while Tomasino is only a bottom end streamer.

Matt Duchene – Two goals.  The Duchene renaissance continues.

Elias Lindholm – Two goals and an assist.  Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists with three shots, while Matthew Tkachuk tallied three assists, two PIM, and two shots.  In a matchup of the Best of the West, Calgary held their own because of their top line.  Colorado had the better of the game, but that’s to be expected.  The Flames top line has been so good that they have a real chance in any series come playoff time.

Nazem Kadri – Two assists with five shots.  The goals have dried up a bit, but the assists haven’t.  Kadri’s shooting percentage is very close to his career average now.  Just a monster season that I didn’t think he had in him.

Valeri Nichushkin – Two assists with two shots.  Big Val has done enough to be a hold as long as you can deal with poor STP.

Sunday’s Games

Cal Petersen – 19 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Sabres.  One of the most boring games of the season, Petersen was solid when called upon.  He’s been a huge disappointment overall.  He’s a borderline hold because of the upside, but it also comes down to league format.

Andreas Athanasiou – Two goals.  He’s stuck on the third line in Los Angeles and I don’t see it getting any better.  Athanasiou is a bottom end streamer.

Jordan Kyrou – Goal and an assist.  Seven game point streak for Kyrou has him back above a point per game.  He’s made a solid jump in shot rate this season, but it’ll take another one next season for him to easily be a top 50 player.

Vladimir Tarasenko – Two assists with two shots.  He’s slowed down quite a bit, but Tarasenko is still hovering around a point per game.  Before the season, we all would have taken this with Tarasenko coming off multiple shoulder surgeries.

Jack Hughes – Two assists with two shots.  Hughes has already reached true superstardom.  It’s something to keep in mind with somebody like Stuetzle, that year three can be the big breakout.

Joe Pavelski – Goal and an assist with three shots.  I still don’t understand how the COVID pause completely turned Pavelski’s trajectory around.  He went from looking washed to completely thriving in the bubble and the next two seasons, including this one at 37 years old.

Jamie Benn – Goal and an assist.  Decent run of form for Benn, but he’s only a middling streamer.

John Klingberg – Two assists with six shots and four PIM.  Klingberg was pointless in the previous eight games.  He’s probably worth holding, but it’s bottom end now.  A trade would probably do him some good.

Roope Hintz – Two assists.  The jump in shots this season has done a lot to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke for Hintz.  He looks like a guy who will float around the top 50 to 75 for years.

Kirill Kaprizov – Two goals, both assisted by Mats Zuccarello.  No surprise that these two continue to go off.

Mikhail Sergachev – Goal and two assists with three shots and two PIM.  I can’t help but think about how good Sergachev would be on a team where he ran the first power play.  On the other hand, I’m stunned that he’s still only 23 years old and he should smash his previous career high in points.

Cal Foote – Goal and an assist.  Foote is stuck in a minimal role.  He’s useless right now, and I don’t see a lot of fantasy upside long term.

Patrick Kane – Goal and an assist with four shots, as did Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome.  The Blackhawks used to have depth, but right now, they’re extremely top heavy.  We know where their goals are coming from.

Calle Jarnkrok – Goal and an assist with three shots.  Jarnkrok is a solid middle 6’er, but that’s only enough to be a bottom end streamer.

Igor Shesterkin – 45 saves on 46 shots in the 4-1 win over the Jets.  I’m out of superlatives for Igor so insert another one here.

Chris Kreider – Two goals on five shots.  I never saw this season coming from Kreider.  He started the season on the third line to balance them out and now he has 38 goals!  There’s no way I’ll be in on Kreider next season at his projected price, but ride it out for this season.

Jacob Trouba – Goal and an assist with two shots.  Revenge game for Trouba.  His bounce back has done wonders for the Rangers as a whole giving them a second quality pair.

Artemi Panarin – Two assists.  The shots are trending in the wrong direction, but everything is still great for The Breadman.

Adam Henrique – Goal and an assist with four shots.  Nice bounceback season from Henrique has him as a solid streamer.

Troy Terry – Two assists with four shots playing over 23 minutes.  You can tell by the minutes that Anaheim really pushed for this game against a goalie starting his first NHL game.  Terry is a prime regression candidate, but there’s not a ton of time left for that to happen.  Ride it out, but I’m not all the way in for dynasties.

Jonathan Marchessault – Goal and an assist with seven shots.  As discussed a few times lately, Marchessault is still doing enough to be held, it’s just not as good as in the past.

Robin Lehner – 39 saves on 40 shots in the 2-1 win over the Senators.  Both goalies were great in this game, but Lehner stole this one for Vegas.  His overall numbers haven’t been as good as we anticipated going into the season, but if you dig deep, Lehner is actually pushing towards the top five in goals saved above expected.  In other words, it’s the defense in front of Lehner letting him down, not his own play.  If Vegas can straighten that out, Lehner could finish the season in a big way.

Three Point Challenge: We’ll do Tuesday’s games per usual.  You can’t take McDavid, Draisaitl, Huberdeau, Matthews, Kadri, Kaprizov, Gaudreau, Ovechkin, Rantanen, or M. Tkachuk.  I’ll go with Marner against the Kraken.

This is my longest notes in quite a long time, well over 3,000 words!  I’m going to wrap it here, so if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please ask them below.  I’ll be back on Wednesday recapping the action from the next two nights.  Thanks for reading, take care!