Happy Wednesday, Razzball faithful!
We had some red-hot NHL action last night with 10 games on the schedule!
But no one was hotter than that little devil, Arseny Gritsyuk: 1 G (7), 2 A (9), +3, 3 SOG.
The New Jersey rookie is still getting bottom-six minutes (14:33 TOI) and PP2 time (2:19), but he’s making the most of his limited action. The three-point night pushes his first-year total to 16 PTS in 30 GP and puts him on pace to record a respectable 50 points by the time April rolls around.
Arseny was certainly on fire last night, but with a deep forward group ahead of him on the depth chart, Gritsyuk is going to have to add another couple of points on that 9.7 shooting percentage to get an increase in playing time.
If he can consistently put up more nights like this one, and one of New Jersey’s Top 6 forwards has a setback, get ready to pounce on the 24-year-old Russian in those deeper leagues if you need some scoring help.
Was that the only Devil to bring the heat last night? Did we have any other players setting the fantasy hockey world on fire?
It's not too often that we see 23 year old goalies in the NHL. It happens more often now than in the past, but letting them develop in the minors after junior hockey is a must. Jesper Wallstedt just turned 23 on Friday so he's been in while he was even younger, but this season he has cemented himself as an NHL'er. He is an elite prospect, and the time might already be now. Wallstedt had his second consecutive shutout on Saturday, stopping all 28 shots from the high powered Ducks. Wallstedt has started six games and is 4-0-2 with a 2.10/.924. There are a couple major things working in Wallstedt's favor. One, the Wild are playing much better hockey as they get healthier. Two, despite a win on Sunday, Gustavsson has really struggled. It's far from a guarantee that Wallstedt turns into something this season, but if you're hurting in goaltending like a lot of people are, a speculation add of Wallstedt could pay dividends.
Atlantic Division Preview here
Metropolitan Division Preview here
Happy Wednesday, Razzball faithful!
It’s your new/old hockey writing friend, MarmosDad, back with another divisional preview as we start knocking games off of the NHL calendar.
Last week, I gave you the final Eastern Conference preview with the Metropolitan Division (you can click it to check it out!).
This week, we head West with a peek at the Central division, and boy, am I excited to get rolling on this one!
I nearly jumped the gun and went straight to the Central when I started writing these up, just because I’m kind of obsessed with a certain Winnipeg Jets prospect who opened some eyes in training camp.
That should be enough of a teaser to get us through this preview, especially because the Jets round out our teams at the bottom of our profiles today.
So let’s close our eyes, take a deep breath, and try to find our Central, er, center, as we head out to visit the place with the least creative division name of all…
One way to prove last season's breakout wasn't a fluke? Get an early hat trick. Kirill Marchenko did just that, scoring three times on four shots in the 7-4 win over the Wild. Yes, Marchenko didn't get any points in the Columbus opener, but the eight shots on goal also goes a long way. I was neutral compared to consensus on Marchenko going into the season, but I already kind of regret not being bullish. Columbus is playing a wide open, attacking style, and their best forward will continue to benefit from it. Let's take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
This post is going to be a long one, so I'm going to cut right to the chase. Today, we're going to look at the Top 40 forwards. The top 16 were covered in my Top 20, which you can read here. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave them below. Let's get to it!
Five teams for three playoff spots. One division on the line. There's still some things on the line over the last three nights of the season, so today, I'm going to give you a quick rundown of teams that will be going hard to finish the season, and what teams will take their feet off the gas before the playoffs start. Let's get to it!
Montreal did the seemingly impossible on Monday, blowing a 2-0 lead against the Blackhawks, eventually losing in a shootout. The good news for them is they only need one point against Carolina on Wednesday to clinch, and Carolina has nothing to play for. Additionally, Columbus has to win both of their remaining games in regulation as well. I have a few takeaways from Monday's game. One, Ivan Demidov stole the show in the first period, scoring a goal and an assist. I covered him extensively last week here. Two, for a team with very few bright spots this season, Frank Nazar looks like the real deal for Montreal. He was torching Hutson regularly, and few players have done that in the second half of the season. Nazar will be a very good late round target next season. Lastly, Sam Rinzel stood out on a regular basis. The former first round pick picked up his fourth assist in eight games, playing almost 27 minutes in this one. He's also averaging 2.5 shots per game in the small sample size, but we could see a fantasy impact as soon as next year.
It had to happen in his office. On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin set the NHL goal scoring record, tallying his 895th career goal from his hot spot against the Islanders. In my preseason bold predictions, I said that Ovechkin would break the record this season despite his projections being in the low 30's both by sportsbooks and projection systems. You can see everything I wrote here (I will look back at all of these in a post once the season is over). I have to say that I never saw it coming after his injury. Forty-two goals in 61 games is absolutely insane for anyone, let alone a 39 year old. That's why he's the greatest goal scorer we have ever seen. It will be fascinating to see where he's ranked next season, in what presumably will be his last in the NHL. I had him 45th overall going into the season, a bit above ADP, but I think it has to be higher than that now. The Capitals are very good, and on a per-game basis, Ovechkin is a top ten forward this season. I can't wait to see how the Capitals do in the playoffs, Ovechkin included. Let's take a look at some other highlights from the weekend:
The new Robert Thomas gets things done before 3 a.m. The Blues won their seventh straight game on Tuesday, destroying the Canadiens 6-1. Their best player led the way with a goal and three assists, giving him 2+11 in his last eight games. The Blues are getting closer and closer to a lock for the playoffs, which is a big triumph for Montgomery and the organization. It's not a knock on Kyrou or their other wingers, but I'd love to see what Thomas could do with a superstar winger on his side. In terms of a pure playmaker, Thomas would be in my top ten in the league, and probably top five. He's still only 25 years old and his game should age incredibly well, so now that his shot rate is to a below average level instead of a huge drain, Thomas is a great dynasty asset. Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Who knew that McDavid and Draisaitl injuries would actually help Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? It's been a very disappointing season overall, but RNH is closing in a big way. On Saturday, he scored a hat trick on five shots, playing over 23 minutes in the 5-4 win over the Kraken. That was his third three-point game in the last four, making RNH a short term hold while he's hotter than a pistol. At the least, if he's available in your league, I would be sure to grab him for his Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back against the Stars and Kraken this week. Let's take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Things are shaking out differently than I expected in Detroit. I thought Petr Mrazek was brought in to be the backup to Talbot, but he’s started three consecutive games. After losing to his former team, the Hurricanes, on Friday 4-2 (saved 28/31 shots), he came back with an 18 save shutout victory in the 3-0 win over the Golden Knights. Please, blog, may I have some more?
I was originally going to take Sidney Crosby for three points but realized I took him within the last two weeks. Then, I was going to take Bryan Rust, but thought it was too bold, so went with Matchbox Twenty. Of course Thomas had two points (more on him later), but the other two both had three points. The top line for Pitt was fantastic, with Crosby and Rust each having a goal and two assists in the 5-3 win over the Oilers. Their plus-minuses are quite ugly, but Crosby and Rust have been fantastic for fantasy purposes. Rust doesn't get the credit he deserves for playing like a star. Crosby moved into 9th on the all-time points list and is starting to make a case for being on the hockey Mount Rushmore. He's probably just outside it, but regardless, we can never take Crosby for granted. Both should be top 50 players for the rest of the season, with Crosby having a good chance to get inside the top 25. Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
If the early returns are any indication, the Flyers hit a massive home run picking 7th last year. Matvei Michkov dished two assists with three shots on Tuesday, giving him a five game point streak in which he has ten points. That brings him up to a point per game on the season as a 20 year old rookie (he turned 20 two days ago). We're starting to see the shot rate tick up a bit, and if you're in a league without hits but have PIM, Michkov is a top 20 forward on the season. Now imagine when the minutes increase, the team improves around him, and he grows into a better player. I don't think there's ten players in the league with more offensive talent than Michkov, and if the shot rate continues to grow, we're looking at a fantasy superstar for years to come. Let's take a look at what else happened on Tuesday night:
