Hey guys! I’m very sick at the moment so I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I’m going to focus on players who aren’t trivial holds in this set of daily notes. In other words, sorry Jakub Voracek, but this is the extent of me writing about you. Let’s focus on Nino Niederreiter for a minute. El Nino killed it last season; he was a borderline top 50 player, definitely top 75. He hasn’t started off that well and then was injured. Niederreiter returned on Thursday and had a hat trick before the midway point of the second period. He scored three goals on four shots as the Wild cruised to victory over the Sabres. We know his upside and after this game, he’s up to 13 goals in 30 games. The penalty minutes are strong, he’s +11, and he’s only 48.5% owned because of his injury. Go pick him up now if he’s available. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the past two nights:
Andreas Athanasiou scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Ottawa. He scored seven shots and played in the top six so he’s definitely worth streaming at the moment.
Jimmy Howard has had five consecutive starts allowing two goals or less. He’s worth owning right now and Howard is available in over 50% of leagues.
Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Hartman each had two points playing with Patrick Kane. Both of them are solid streamers although I do prefer Hartman.
Jeff Glass started again and got the win against the Rangers allowing two goals on 25 shots. You can gamble on him if you want but there’s a reason the 32 year old just made his NHL debut.
Ivan Provorov scored two goals on four shots and added an assist in the win over the Islanders. He’s right on the fringe and it comes down to whether or not you need his shots from the blue line.
Damn you Reid for calling Sebastian Aho for three points. I have no idea how he’s available in 30% of leagues. He’s on pace for 25+40!
Cam Ward had an easy time of it shutting out Pittsburgh making 21 saves. My biggest takeaway is Pittsburgh stinks right now and barring a massive change, they’re missing the playoffs. Ward is the #1 now so if you want to own him given how dominant Carolina is with the puck, I can’t argue.
Carter Hutton has been incredible this year and it continued Thursday. He saved 32 of 33 shots ending Vegas’ winning streak. This was Hutton’s third straight start so I’d pick him up. I’m sure he’ll get one of the two Blues games over the weekend since they have a back-to-back.
Minnesota’s second line had three points each, headlined by Nino. Mikko Koivu scored a goal and two assists bringing him towards a 40-45 point pace with good secondary stats. He’s a nice streamer but I’m not holding.
Tanner Pearson scored two goals and an assist with four shots against Calgary. He moved on the first line which is excellent for him long term. The problem is that the Kings have one game Saturday against Nashville and then they have their week off. You can stream him Saturday if you want but don’t hold him during the bye.
Al Montoya was traded to Edmonton for a conditional 4th round pick and I have no clue what Chiarelli is doing.
Jonathan Bernier recorded a 34 save shutout against the Blue Jackets. With Varly out, Bernier should see the starts going forward. Again, like the Kings, the Avs have their bye week coming up, so leave him on the wire for now.
How is Mikko Rantanen available in over 1/4th of leagues?
Ryan Ellis scored in his second game back. They have two more games before their bye week so I’d grab Ellis for now to potentially drop him during the bye.
Anthony Duclair scored a goal but the main story is that there are substantiated rumors that Duclair requested a trade and the Coyotes are looking to oblige. Lot of talent here, I think it’s a small buy low by some team.
That’s all for now guys. If there are other things you want to know, please ask me in the comments section and I’ll be sure to answer it. I’ll be back Monday recapping the weekend’s action. If you’re in horrible weather areas, stay safe. Thanks for reading, take care!
