As President of the “Mark Stone Fan Club” going back to 2014, it’s great to see him playing at an all-world level. Stone had two assists with two shots on Friday before adding a goal and an assist with three shots on Sunday, both against the Ducks. That is four consecutive multi-point games for Stone, who now has a whopping 50 points in 43 games. I’m not convinced that there are five players better than Stone at even strength in the NHL. That’s how good he is, and him with McDavid in the Olympics is going to be completely unfair. He’s firmly in the prime of his career at 28 (about to be 29), and despite the shot rate, we’re looking at a top 20 player for next season. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and the shot rate will go back above two per game next season, and it will force you to build your team in a certain way, but you can’t deny his ability to crush every other category across the board. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Games:
Jake Allen – 28 saves on 29 shots in the 2-1 win over the Flames. Stream Allen in every start, but Price’s return would make me not want to hold Allen. It depends on your league though.
Tyler Toffoli – Two goals on five shots with two PIM. It’s a shame Toffoli missed some time due to injury because he’s having arguably the best season of his career.
Nick Suzuki – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. I expected more from Suzuki this season, but we have to remember that he’s still only 21 years old. Perhaps the big breakout comes next season, but for now, he’s an elite streamer.
Jeremy Swayman – 25 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Islanders. If you’re in a dynasty, grab Swayman now because there’s a chance he’s the #1 in Boston next year. For now, stream him when he starts. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Nick Bonino – Goal and an assist with two shots. Bonino suddenly has six points in his past three games, but I’m still not buying it at all.
Robin Lehner – 16 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Ducks. It was almost like Vegas was trying to blow his shutout, but Lehner made a few big saves with the game effectively over. Lehner has been elite as expected but injuries derailed his season. He can still make a huge difference in fantasy playoffs.
Chandler Stephenson – Goal and an assist with three shots. Stephenson for a fifth round pick will go down as one of the biggest steals in trades of the past decade. He’s the perfect fit with Stone and Patches. Stephenson remains a middling streamer.
Saturday’s Games
P.K. Subban – Goal and an assist with four shots. Subban has been a bit better than last season, but he’s on the fringe. I’d lean towards leaving him on the wire because of the plus-minus.
Yegor Sharangovich – Goal and an assist with three shots. Solid rookie season from the former fifth round pick. He’s only a bottom end streamer for now, but I do see a little bit of upside here.
Pavel Buchnevich – Hat trick on five shots. The Rangers better be ready to back up the Brinks truck for Buch because he’s about to set a career high in points in a season that’s two-thirds as long as normal.
Mika Zibanejad – Three assists. After a dreadful start, Zibanejad has salvaged his season. Hopefully his owners were patient because he’s been incredible down the stretch.
Artemi Panarin – Goal and three assists with four shots. Panarin has scored at a higher rate than anyone else in the league besides McDavid. Pretty, pretty good.
Ryan Strome – Goal and two assists with two shots. Strome is almost to a point per game which just shows you how good Panarin is. He has one year left, but the Rangers have to make a big decision on Strome soon.
John Carlson – Four assists with three shots. Carlson’s numbers are closer to last season’s than I anticipated. A bit of a heater at the end of the season could get him to a point per game.
Alex Ovechkin – Two goals and an assist with five shots. 730 goals has Ovechkin approaching the top five of all-time.
Evgeny Kuznetsov – Goal and two assists with two PIM. Kuznetsov’s fall the last two seasons is a bit perplexing, but it leaves him firmly on the fringe.
Claude Giroux – Two assists with two shots. Giroux is a bottom end hold now and I don’t see a lot of upside from there.
Matt Murray – 23 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Canadiens. Despite Ottawa playing better, I have absolutely zero interest in using Murray in fantasy.
Drake Batherson – Two goals and an assist. I put Batherson in the elite streamer category because the plus-minus drags him down. He’s had an impressive season as he’s not far off a 30 goal pace in a full season.
Josh Norris – Two assists. Norris is a bottom end streamer because of the shot rate.
Brady Tkachuk – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. The points are a bit lower than you would like from Tkachuk, but despite that, he’s been an incredible value and should only get better going forward.
Malcolm Subban – 29 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Red Wings. Subban has been a bit better than expected with a .911 sv%, but I’d consider him a streamer only in quality matchups.
Vinnie Hinostroza – Three assists. He has five assists in six games with Chicago, but he has only six shots on goals and is below one shot per game on the season. If he sticks with Patrick Kane (1+1), he’s a middling streamer.
Alex Nedeljkovic – 27 saves on 28 shots in the 3-1 win over the Predators. Nedeljkovic has been incredible with a 1.92/.930 sv%. I have a feeling I’m going to be super aggressive in my Nedeljkovic ranking next season assuming that he sticks on the Hurricanes. For now, he’s barely playing so I wouldn’t hold him, but I’d stream him against any opponent.
Sam Bennett – Two assists with a shot. He’s playing with Huberdeau which is a nice boost for Bennett. In hits leagues, he could be worth grabbing, but otherwise, he’s a middling streamer unless we see Bennett catch fire.
Victor Hedman – Two assists and a shot. Hedman hasn’t been quite as dominant as normal, but he’s still in the #1D discussion.
Brayden Point – Goal and an assist with four shots. Point has taken a small step back, but without Kucherov the whole season and Stamkos missing a chunk of time, it’s no surprise. I’m still expecting him to be a borderline top 20 player again next season, although I expect him to be more in the 25th overall range.
Mike Smith – 26 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Jets. What a surprise season from Smith with a 2.36/.922. I did not expect that to happen at all. Even over the last month, I expect some regression, but he should still pile up wins and be a top 15 goalie.
Tyson Barrie – Goal and an assist with two PIM. Come on Barrie, get on a heater so my bold prediction of 50+ points is correct! I really hope he stays in Edmonton for his fantasy value.
Connor McDavid – Two assists, as did Leon Draisaitl. Basically expectation for these two now.
Jake Oettinger – 21 saves on 22 shots in the 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets. The Stars play Detroit four times this week so grab Oettinger to stream now while you have the chance.
Roope Hintz – Two assists with a shot. All of their fantasy relevant players besides Heiskanen had two points. It’s annoying that Hintz misses random games because he has 11 points in the past 5 games and is easily over a point per game now. If he can get that shot rate up, he’s be a top 50 player going forward. Either way, this season has been incredible encouraging.
Mats Zuccarello – Goal and an assist with three shots. After a rough stretch, Zucc has five points in the past three games. He’s firmly on the fringe, but I could see holding him for this week with games against inferior opponents.
Sunday’s Games
Sam Reinhart – Two goals. Reinhart has played at a 30 goal pace this season despite Eichel being out. The plus-minus is dreadful, but he’s so good and doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a no doubt first liner.
Victor Olofsson – Two assists with two shots. Olofsson is a clear passenger who is really missing Eichel. He’s a middling streamer.
Rasmus Dahlin – Two assists with eight shots and two PIM. It’s incredible how well Dahlin is playing after they fired dipshit as their coach. Eight points in the past nine games doesn’t do justice for how well he’s playing lately.
T.J. Oshie – Two goals on three shots. Oshie is back to being a bottom end hold with ten points in the past nine games.
Nicklas Backstrom – Two assists with three shots. Backs has managed to stay over a point per game which is quite impressive. Congrats on 1,000 games!
Brad Marchand – Two goals and two assists with three shots. Patrice Bergeron had two goals and an assist with five shots, while David Pastrnak dished three assists. This line is unstoppable and why I can’t write off Boston this season yet.
David Krejci – Two goals. The new second line of Krejci with Craig Smith (2A, 2 SOG) and Taylor Hall (A, 2 SOG) has worked wonders. Krejci is right on the fringe depending on team needs, Smith is an elite streamer, and Hall depends on if you want to gamble on his upside, but I lean towards holding.
Ryan Strome – Goal and an assist, as did Mika Zibanejad. Panarin dished two assists. These guys can’t stop and won’t stop! Unbelievable tear the Rangers are on.
Mikhail Maltsev – Goal and an assist. Nothing to really see here at this point. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Alec Martinez – Two assists. Martinez is a hold for his plus-minus and solid points. He’s a huge asset in blocks leagues. I don’t expect him back in Vegas next season which could tank his value.
Max Pacioretty – Goal and an assist with three shots. Patches has slowed down a little bit, but he’s still at a point per game pushing four shots per game. Just amazing stuff.
Nicolas Roy – Goal and an assist with two PIM. Really nice run for Roy with eight points in the past nine games, but the minutes aren’t good enough to be anything other than a bottom end streamer.
Ilya Sorokin – 30 save shutout in the 1-0 win over the Flyers. Sorokin has been fantastic as a rookie. I assume he gets a full time split next season, if not more starts, but eventually he should be a clear #1 fantasy goalie.
Brian Elliott – 27 saves on 28 shots as the tough luck loser. No thanks on using a Philly goalie right now.
Bo Horvat – Two goals and an assist. Huge props to the Canucks in general for winning this game after their huge COVID battle. Dr. Bo carried his team and showed what kind of player he is.
Nils Hoglander – Goal and an assist with three shots. I had higher hopes for Hoglander this season, but he played this season as a young 20 year old. I still like the long term upside quite a bit.
Zach Hyman – Injured due to a dirty knee from Edler. Here’s to hoping it isn’t serious as Hyman has had a career season.
John Tavares – Two assists with three shots. Even with Matthews returning, it was nice to see Tavares play 21 minutes. Tavares and William Nylander (goal and an assist, three shots) were at their best on Sunday.
Three Point Challenge: We will do Tuesday’s games per usual. I now have 4 correct picks, Veritas remains in second with two with Eli Man Penguin Boy, and Chet joins the group with one pick. You can not select McDavid, Draisaitl, Kane, Marner, Matthews, Scheifele, Marchand, MacKinnon, Panarin, or Rantanen. I’ll go with Barkov 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!
