LOGIN
It wouldn't be the first time that a Sabres trade acquisition got off to a hot start before flaming out, but this one looks different.  Bowen Byram was a monster again on Tuesday, scoring two goals on four shots finishing +4 in the 7-3 win over the Red Wings.  They'll have to win their next two games against the Islanders and Red Wings again, but the Sabres are creeping back onto the fringe of the playoff race.  Byram's workload in his three games as a Sabre are that of a #1 defenseman, even if that honor goes to Dahlin.  There's no doubting Byram's ability, and he's looking like a guy who can be a huge difference maker down the stretch this season and beyond.  He's clear must own everywhere.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
After his big breakout last season, Martin Necas has had a rough go of it this season.  Much like his team, he's started to turn his game around over the last month.  Since coming back from a two week injury on January 19th, when Necas had 9 goals on the season, he has seven goals in seven games, culminating with a natural hat trick in the first period against the Avalanche on Thursday.  On top of the goals, Necas has been taking a ton of shots.  He's averaging five shots on goal per game in the past seven, with 4+ in six of the last seven games.  If you're lucky enough to be in the 20% of leagues that Necas is available in, grab him immediately.  If you've held onto him, here's to hoping he keeps up this form to make up for the poor first half.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Out of the top ranked goalies in the preseason, only Hellebuyck has played at an elite level.  This is a big reason why I don't take goalies in the first two rounds, if not longer, because the variance is too high.  My #1 goalie going into the season was Jake Oettinger.  He didn't play well in the first half and also missed time due to injury.  The All-Star break proved to be a good reset, as Oettinger was out of his mind on Tuesday.  Oettinger made 47 saves in the 2-1 win over the Sabres, stealing the game for the Stars.  After tomorrow, there's only two back-to-backs in the next four weeks for the Stars.  We should see Oettinger get plenty of action, and I'd bet on him finishing the season strong.  I don't do midseason rankings because I don't see a lot of value for the time it takes.  You have the team you have, and if you are making trades, you need to target your weaknesses to improve.  That said, if I was ranking for the rest of the season, Oettinger would still be a top five goalie.  I'm not betting against him.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Fantasy Hockey Weekly Newsletter: Week 17 Hello everyone. Welcome to the seventeenth edition of JOT This Down! Keep the questions, comments, and concerns coming. I’ll be here all week to answer any and everything you may have. The schedule is quite wonky this week. Multiple teams only play 1 or two games and the Sharks do not have a game. After this week, the schedule goes back to normal for a while. Keep tabs on your rosters as there will be many off days, and decisions will need to be made regarding whether or not to hang on to fringe players.
To change up from my usual daily notes, I'll be looking at one player on each NHL team today.  All of them had a change in value recently, and I'll look at how they're doing it and what it says about them going forward.  Let's get to it! Anaheim is in dire straits right now.  It's no surprise that they plummeted down the standings after a hot start.  The good news is that Mason McTavish should be back any game now (Zegras sooner than later).  McTavish is the only Duck that I consider a definite hold when healthy.  He's been dropped in a few places because he was never put on IR, but if you're in one of those leagues, I'd grab him.
It was quite the low scoring day on Thursday, with eight of the eleven games going under their betting total, two of which needed overtime to do so, plus there was a miracle in Boston (more on that later).  There were four shutouts on the night, all of which were quite surprising.  I'll go in chronological order.  The Avalanche were undefeated on the season, so naturally Tristan Jarry shut them out, making 31 saves.  Jarry now has two shutouts, two dreadful starts, and one mediocre start.  He's one of the highest variance goalies around.  I'm lower on him than most, but I acknowledge that he could be a bottom end #1.  Next, Jonas Johansson had his second consecutive shutout, making 23 saves against the Sharks.  He's clearly must own for now, although like Jarry, the downside is undeniable.  Joel Hofer shutout the Flames, making 27 saves.  I was high on him because I don't believe in Binnington.  Both have been off to a hot start, but I'm skeptical of the Blues being good defensively.  I'm bullish in Hofer for dynasties, but in redrafts, he's a selective streamer with upside.  Lastly, Jonathan Quick shut out the Oilers, making 29 saves.  He made a couple spectacular saves, but color me skeptical.  I think this says more about the Oilers without McJesus than anything.  Quick is a reasonable streamer in plus matchups for now, but know that it could blow up in your face.  Let's see what else happened on Wednesday and Thursday night:
Steve Yzerman can't ask for a better start from his big offseason swing.  After his first game without a point as a Red Wing, Alex DeBrincat followed it up with a hat trick and an assist with five shots in Sunday's win over the Flames.  That brings DeBrincat to a whopping eight goals and four assists in his first six games with Detroit.  He's clicked with Dylan Larkin (two goals and three assists over two games) to give Detroit an elite first line.  We've seen DeBrincat score 41 goals twice before playing with Kane, so it's not like this is completely out of nowhere.  While this shooting percentage won't last, given how much Detroit is rolling the first line, I'm expecting career highs across the board for DeBrincat.  There's a real chance Detroit plays its way into the playoff picture this season if the first line can win its matchups on a regular basis.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
It's one of my favorite posts of the year!  Sure, a lot of trades have been done in advance of the deadline, but there's sure to be more action today.  Starting around noon eastern, I'll be updating this post with instant analysis on every trade that takes place.  All of the moves from Wednesday and Thursday are below as well, with all previous moves in other posts.  
To say the injuries are piling up on Washington is an understatement.  They have six players on IR plus Orlov missed Monday's game.  The salaries of these players combines to over $40 million.  Washington pulled off the upset over the Oilers on Monday on the back of their power play.  Four of the five Capital goals came on the power play, with Evgeny Kuznetsov leading the charge with two goals, two assists, four shots and two PIM playing over 20 minutes.  It hasn't been the best start to the season for Kuz, but this will certainly help.  It's also encouraging that he has 3+ shots in five of his last seven games.  If I owned Kuz in fantasy, I would be patient.  With the lack of depth Washington is dealing with, the minutes should get back up towards the 20:17 he averaged last season.  Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights: