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Has Sam Reinhart lived up to being the second overall pick in his draft?  Definitely not.  Is the book closed on him becoming a great player?  I don’t think so.  Reinhart has shown flashes this season but his quality of linemate has been quite poor.  Last game, Reinhart moved to the first line with Jack Eichel and Evander Kane.  This move paid dividends on Tuesday night where Reinhart scored a goal and two assists with four shots playing 18:36 in the 5-4 OT loss to the Penguins.  What does this mean going forward?  Well, Reinhart becomes an elite streamer and potential hold as long as he’s playing with Eichel and Kane.  Subjectively, I think Reinhart has been much stronger on the puck this year and if not for Eichel missing a glorious chance and another point blank save, Reinhart could have easily reached 4-5 points in this game.  Obviously we can’t expect that on a nightly basis but there’s no reason Reinhart can’t play around a 25+35 pace going forward.  Here’s to hoping Phil Housley does what’s right and keeps him there.  Let’s take a look at what else happened around the league the past two nights:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Add another goalie to the list of guys who struggled in the opening month only to turn it around.  Braden Holtby, the consensus #1 goaltender going into the season, showed us why this weekend with two big performances.  Holtby saved 27 shots in Friday’s 4-1 win over the Penguins and followed it up with 29 saves in the 2-1 SO win over the Oilers.  Just like that, his save percentage is back to its normal level.  Sure, the goals against average is still a little high, but goals are up around the league and it’s not out of the realm of possibility it goes back down.  With the massive win total as well, expect Holtby to get back to the #1 goalie by season’s end.  Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Aleksander Barkov is in a dead heat with McJesus for the most time on ice per game as a forward in the NHL.  Barkov has been making those minutes count in October and he continued to do so on Monday.  Barkov finished the month with a bang scoring a goal and three assists with two shots against the Lightning.  The bad news for Barkov is that his team was still electrocuted by the Lightning losing 8-5.  The good news for us fantasy owners is that it doesn’t affect us.  Barkov has been outstanding and if these minutes last, a top 50 season is a near lock.  Let’s take a look at what else happened around the league on Monday night:

Please, blog, may I have some more?