Happy Wednesday, Razzball faithful!
I can say that I’m glad I didn’t take a sick day last Friday to watch the “excitement-challenged” trade deadline unfold the way that it did. I suppose for something to unfold, it would have needed to be packaged up neatly to begin with.
All that means is the asking prices were far too high on the “sellers” pieces, and the buyers were not willing to pay them.
Nicolas Roy for a conditional first-round pick? No thanks.
Corey Perry for a second-rounder? Wow.
Is there ANY Perry worth that kind of premium?
Ok, maybe one.
Alright, alright, maybe two. I get your point.
But, I digress.
You know who’s not digressing? The Minnesota Wild! (segueway: nailed it!)
The Wild stayed on topic and made sure they gave Filip Gustavsson (25 saves on 25 shots) more than enough offense to give the big Swede his 4th shutout of the year and 7th win in his last 8 starts.
Gustavsson is 24-10-5-1 on the year with a sparkling 2.19 GAA and .914 save percentage.
Posting Top 5 goalie ratios is one thing, but if you’re not a Wild fan, do you really want your favorite team facing the two-headed monster that is Gustavsson/Wallstedt in the NHL playoffs?
If there’s one team that has a legitimate chance of knocking out a Colorado or Edmonton out of the West, this is the group to watch.
Sure, there were goal scorers in this one. And there were more one-goal nail-biters than blowouts across the schedule…so there’s just one more thing to say!
Here’s what else I saw in Tuesday night’s NHL action…
Kirill Kaprizov – 1 G (37), 1 A (41), +2, 2 PIM, 3 SOG, 3 H, 20:45 TOI. 78 points in 65 games is enough for your first round pick, but the 227 shots are gold in H2H leagues, too.
Vladimir Tarasenko – 2 A (19), +3, 2 SOG, 14:02 TOI. I know I said it above, but a team with not one but TWO excellent goalies, a loaded blue line corps, and a forward group of superstars, role players, and veterans like Tarasenko and the Foligno brothers is not a team to bet against when the postseason games begin.
Lukas Dostal – 12 saves on 13 shots in the 4-1 win at WPG. It was a relatively quiet night for the Czech youngster. He’s 8-2 in his last 10 games.
Ryan Poehling – 1 G (8), 1 A (19), +3, 5 SOG, GWG, 3 H, 16:06 TOI. Nothing more than a low-end streamer with a good game Tuesday night.
Jackson LaCombe – 1 G (8), 1 A (37), +2, 4 SOG, 1 BLK, 27:21 TOI. Now this is a 2-point night that means a bit more. LaCombe continues a follow-up to his breakout season from last year. 45 points in 64 games means he’s already hit a career high with 18 games to go.
Alex Killorn – 1 G (9), 1 A (13), +2, 1 SOG, 17:50 TOI. Nothing to see here unless you’re in a 30-team deep league with roster spots for bottom 6 grinder types that can chip in a dozen goals a year.
Connor Hellebuyck – 31 saves on 34 shots and the 4-1 loss to ANA. Hellebuyck posted a .928 save percentage in his last three games (all wins), but took a step back Tuesday night to fall back below .500 (16-17-8-1).
Adin Hill – 14 saves on 16 shots and the 2-1 loss at DAL. He was outworked by Jake Oettinger Tuesday night, but it’s not his fault the Knights only scored once.
Jack Eichel – 1 G (23), +1, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 5-for-10 FOW. There’s that one goal scored.
Jake Oettinger – 26 saves on 27 shots and the 2-1 win vs VEG. Sure, he outworked his opponent, but this one could have gone either way. The real story is how Jake the Snake has been – 9 wins in his last 10 games, and his loss was a shootout one.
Jamie Benn – 1 G (12), 1 SOG, GWG, 2 H, 1 BLK, 15:12 TOI. When we oldies produce results that count, but aren’t overwhelming, it kind of looks like this. Benn is 36 years old, which translates to about 85 in ‘real people’ years.
Dustin Wolf – 24 saves on 28 shots and the 4-0 loss at NYR. That’s 12 GA in his last three starts. I don’t know if there’s anyone in the league who’s looking forward to the end of April more than Dustin Wolf. (Although I’m sure Vancouver fans would argue that one).
Jonathan Quick – 21 saves on 21 shots in the 4-0 shutout win. Nothing like a night against the Flames to fire up the troops!
Alexis Lafreniere – 3 G (18), +2, 5 SOG, GWG, 18:38 TOI. That’s 13 points in the last 10 GP for Lafreniere.
Mika Zibanejad – 2 A (34), +2, 2 SOG, 4-for-10 FOW, 18:45 TOI. Mika-Chu is on a hot streak of his own. He’s got 8 points in his last 4 games.
Elvis Merzlikins – 16 saves on 18 shots and the 5-2 win at TB. He’s a pretty ‘meh’ 6-4 in his last 10 starts, and Jet Greaves is the clear #1 here. The .884 SV% is pretty ugly, so I wouldn’t fault you for cutting him and adding a more consistent backup.
Conor Garland – 2 G (11), +1, 6 SOG, 1 H, 11:39 TOI. Talk about making the most of your limited ice time. After being held off the scoresheet in his Blue Jackets debut on Saturday, Garland had another two-goal game Tuesday night. That’s 4 G in 2 GP.
Sean Monahan – 2 A (21), +1, 4 SOG, 1 BLK, 7-for-13 FOW, 15:53 TOI. It’s a modest 33 points in 60 games for Monahan. He’s a streamer in anything but the deepest of leagues.
Zach Werenski – 2 A (48), 1 BLK, 22:59 TOI. Despite the blank score sheet (outside of the two assists), this guy is most certainly NOT a streamer. 68 points in 57 games makes this guy a Norris finalist, if not the winner.
Ilya Sorokin – 20 saves on 23 shots and the OT win over STL. Sorokin starts another win streak after getting pumped for 5 in LA last Wednesday night. He’s 8-2 in his last 10 starts.
Mathew Barzal – 1 G (18), 2 A (42), +1, 4 SOG, 21:21 TOI. Here’s another one with more than a point-per-game average over his last 10 games (14 pts).
Jean-Gabriel Pageau – 1 G (15), +1, 1 SOG, 6 H, 17:55 TOI. This one’s for our H2H folks with those extra categories. A guy with 30 points in 57 games who can give us a half dozen hits every time out is a solid use of a roster spot.
Bo Horvat – 1 G (28), -1, 9 SOG, 9-for-17 FOW, 21:53 TOI. Wayne Gretzky (and Michael Scott) famously said, “You always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. Well, Horvat only missed 8 of them on Tuesday night.
Joel Hofer – 46 saves on 49 shots in the 4-3 OTL vs NYI. It’s a shame that the 4-game win streak had to end like this because Hofer has been playing like an H.O.F.’er. He allowed 4 goals total in the four games leading up to this one and faced nearly 50 shots trying to keep the Blues in this one.
Jimmy Snuggerud – 1 G (13), 2 A (19), +2, 2 PIM, 8 SOG, 3 H, 19:46 TOI. Teach me how to Snuggie, indeed! My Blues preseason youngster pick-to-click has been firing on all cylinders lately. He’s got 7 points in his last 3 GP, and 13 pts in his last ten games.
Robert Thomas – 2 A (27), +3, 1 SOG, 1 H, 16:21 TOI. I was surprised that all the smoke around Thomas produced no fire, but this is how trade deadlines sometimes go. JKJ, friend of the hockey side here and our bullpen writer on the baseball side, is a big Blues fan and said he was hoping they didn’t move the star center. It’s a good call. This is the kind of guy you build around, not rebuild with via trade. 13 points in his last 10 games.
Daniil Tarasov – 25 saves on 28 shots in the 4-3 win over DET. This was Tarasov’s first win since January 29th. I assume he started so that Bobrovsky had some time to unpack his bags in the dressing room after not being dealt at last Friday’s trade deadline.
Carter Verhaeghe – 2 G (19), +1, 4 SOG, 1 H, 17:09 TOI. With all the reports here of guys on scoring heaters, Verhaeghe is certainly not one of them. He has 5 points in his last 10 games.
Vinnie Hinostroza – 1 G (4), 1 A (8), +2, 1 SOG, 1 H, 1 BLK. You know it’s never a good thing when you get traded away from a contender and lose your spot to a guy like Nick Foligno. The good news is he’s now playing for the back-to-back Cup champions. The bad news? Uh…there probably won’t be a three-peat.
John Gibson – 24 saves on 28 shots and the 4-3 loss at FLA. For the record, I would’ve lost a bet if you asked me if he was younger than Jamie Benn (he is). He’s also 24-14-1-1. For reference sake, he hasn’t won this many games since 2018-2019 (26 wins in 58 starts).
Justin Faulk – 1 G (12), 1 A (22), -1, 1 SOG, 1 H, 1 BLK, 20:48 TOI. After a quiet first game with the ‘Winged Wheel”, Faulk broke a personal 4-game pointless streak Tuesday night with his new club.
Stuart Skinner – 39 saves on 43 shots and the 5-4 OT loss at CAR. The Pens are now 3-3 in March and are missing captain Sidney Crosby more than some people think.
Bryan Rust – 2 G (23), 1 A (26), +2, 3 SOG, 23:14 TOI. It’s tough sledding with Crosby sidelined, but guys like Malkin and Rust always seem to step up whenever the captain goes down.
Erik Karlsson – 2 A (38), +2, 2 SOG, 1 H, 2 BLK, 28:01 TOI. Ok, so he’s not the 100-point threat that he used to be, that’s a given. But he is poised to crack the 60-point threshold for just the second time since the 2017-2018 season.
Alexander Nikishin – 1 G (9), 1 A (16), +2, 2 PIM, 2 SOG, 2 H, 19:49 TOI. He’s had a rough couple of months as far as points totals are concerned (3 points since February 1st), but he’s still a solid choice in keeper or dynasty leagues.
Joseph Woll – 30 saves on 32 shots and the 3-1 loss at MTL. Well, would you look at that! Guess who hasn’t won in their last 8 games and is winless since the Olympic break? If you guessed Woll, you’d be wrong (he’s only lost 4 in a row), but you’d be warm!
William Nylander – 1 G (22), -2, 3 SOG, 20:03 TOI. The Score ran a “story” about William Nylander’s quote that it’s “hard to stay optimistic” amidst the Leafs’ losing skid. Come on, man. Leaf fans have been optimistic for nearly 60 years. You’ve got a lot more time to put in before you can get the ok from fans to hit the ‘no faith’ stage in Toronto.
Jakub Dobes – 17 saves on 18 shots and the 3-1 win over TOR. The kid needs just three more wins to match his age. (He has 21 wins and is just 24 years old).
Phillip Danault – 1 G (5), +2, 1 SOG, 1 H, GWG. He gets a bonus point for the GWG. Not really, but it’s always nice to see the Leafs lose, even if it’s to the Habs. On a side note, I saw Nick Kypreos chatting about the deadline and how the buzz around the league was that the Leafs and Habs were discussing a Matthew Knies deal until the buzzer, but that they’d “revisit talks this summer,” and I thought, “How much more can the Leafs sabotage that team?”
Lane Hutson – 1 A (54), +2, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 21:33 TOI. There’s not much excitement to report here, but the extra stats are nice in those deeper leagues. 65 points in 63 games from a defenseman is unbelievable enough, but when you consider that he’s only 22 years old…he’s likely the best young defender not named Matthew Schaefer.
Yaroslav Askarov – 20 saves on 25 shots in the loss at BUF. No one wants to tangle with the Beasts in Buffalo these days, but for what it’s worth, Askarov has just 3 wins in his last 10 games, so the Sharks were in tough from the get-go.
Alexander Wennberg – 1 G (13), 1 A (28), -4, 4 SOG, 10-for-15 FOW, 17:12 TOI. Minus 4 and just 17 minutes on the ice? Yikes. That’s a rough night on the defensive end of the ice.
Macklin Celebrini – 1 G (33), -1, 1 SOG, 3 BLK, 24:25 TOI. Seriously, is there anyone who takes this kid lower than third in drafts next year? Do you take him before MacKinnon? Asking those questions now is a lot less silly than they would have been back in October.
Alex Lyon – 17 saves on 20 shots and yet another win. He’s 8-2 in his last 10 games and in the immortal words of Buffalo icon Rick Jeanneret, “This team is good. SCARY GOOD!”
Jack Quinn – 3 G (15), 1 A (28), +4, 4 SOG, 1 H. He should probably send a thank-you note to Alex Wennberg.
Jason Zucker -1 G (20), 1 A (16), +4, 2 PIM, +1, GWG, 1 BLK. I know a few Sabres fans who were frustrated by the games missed due to injury, but 36 points in 48 games is almost as good as Zucker getting a clean bill of health for the playoff run.
Darcy Kuemper – 21 saves on 23 shots in the OT loss at BOS. A tough loss for Kuemper that could have gone either way and was decided on a nifty long pass in 3-on-3.
Drew Doughty – 1 G (4), 1 SOG, 1 BLK, 24:44 TOI. This one was a shot from the point that looked like it was headed about 3 feet wide of the net…until it hit Elias Lindholm’s skate in the crease and deflected behind Swayman. You know what they say, you have to be good to be lucky. I’m sure Doughty isn’t complaining.
Jeremy Swayman – 14 saves on 15 shots in the OT win. He’s lost two games in regulation in his last 10 starts and is the main man in the Bruins’ race to secure a playoff spot. Someone tell Korpisalo to go down to Providence to pick up a barrel of chowder. I can’t see him getting much time until (or if) the Bruins lock in a spot.
Charlie McAvoy – GWG. The 3-on-3 goal in OT was a thing of beauty as Mark Kastelic threw an old-school three-line pass from behind his own goal line up to David Pastrnak. Pasta just managed to stay onside and send a streaking McAvoy in for a nice backhand-forehand deke to seal the deal. This was a big two points for the Bruins.
Connor Ingram – 15 shots on 17 saves before leaving with 35 seconds left in the second period due to a Nathan McKinnon collision. For what it’s worth, MacKinnon was driving hard to the net and tried to dive out of the way to avoid contact before drilling Ingram in the head. Call in the EBUG!
Tristan Jarry – 10 saves on 11 shots with about 3 minutes left. He made some pretty solid saves in an emergency fill-in for the injured Ingram.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 2 G (17), +1, 2 SOG, 18:59 TOI.
Connor McDavid – 1 G (36), 1 A (74), +1, 5 SOG. Only 110 points in 65 games? I thought this guy was supposed to be good!
Leon Draisaitl – 2 A (60), -1, 6 SOG, 2 H. Only 94 points in 62 games? Ha! McDavid has more than 100!
Mackenzie Blackwood – 20 saves on 24 shots (with a minute to go). He played great and stood on his head all night, despite the unflattering shot total. This one was a battle of two super-teams, and it didn’t disappoint.
Martin Necas – 1 G (29), -2, 4 SOG, 1 H. 77 points in 66 games looks a lot less impressive after reading the McDavid and Draisaitl numbers.
Juuse Saros – 37 saves on 39 shots THROUGH TWO PERIODS! Oh, man. The Predators’ defense took the night off again. Saros might face 50 shots by the time the final horn sounds.
Jonathan Marshessault – 2 A (10), +1, 1 SOG, 1 H. I wasn’t sure he was old enough to qualify for a Memberberries reference or if he was just really unproductive for the last few years. Well, he scored 42 goals just two years ago. And he’s 35 years old. So I guess it’s the former.
Joey Daccord – 17 saves on 20 shots (through two periods). With an 18-14-3-2 record and a .903 save percentage, Seattle’s #1 netminder isn’t exactly “wow” ing anyone, but he’s holding down the fort with some support from Phillip Grubauer when needed.
Matty Beniers – 1 G (17), -1, 5 PIM, 3 SOG, 9-for-19 FOW, 17:58 TOI. Kappo Kakko had a goal, too, but Beniers had a scrap, too, so that gives him the edge in the write-up points!
That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Happy Wednesday, and I’ll see you next week!
Editor’s Note: The servers being down on the site for the past few days stopped me from posting on Monday. I will be back on Friday, per usual. -Viz
