There are a couple teams making surprising runs to get back into the playoff race. The most surprising to me, by far, is the Flyers. In a huge showdown with Detroit on Saturday, the Flyers stomped them early and held on for the win. Owen Tippett stole the show with a hat trick and an assist with seven shots. He had two shots in the 2-1 OT win over the Stars, putting Philly two points out of the playoffs, albeit losing the tiebreaker to every team in front of them. Philly has a bunch of games this week against their direct competition, so expect Tocchet to lean on their studs. There are only two games on Friday, so Tippett has a real case to be held. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Games:
Dylan Garand – 27 saves on 28 shots in the 6-1 win over Chicago. With the Rangers out of it, Garand is getting a look. He should be Igor’s backup next season and is one of the best goalie prospects. He’s one to keep an eye on for the long term, presumably as a trade piece for New York. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
J.T. Miller – Goal and two assists with five shots. We know what Miller is capable of, but most of the time, he’s loafing out there. I see him as more of a streamer in 12’ers at the moment.
Jonny Brodzinski – Two goals on three shots. Nothing to see here.
Alex DeBrincat – Goal and two assists with four shots. It’s the best full season of DeBrincat’s career. While I wouldn’t quite expect this level again next season, he’s proven to be a top 50 player.
Patrick Kane – Goal and an assist with two shots. Twelve points in Kane’s last ten games as he tries to get Detroit into the playoffs. Easy hold everywhere while he’s on this tear.
Moritz Seider – Two assists with a shot. Seider has already reached career highs in goals and assists. He’s become a solid #2 in 12’ers that aren’t banger leagues, and a clear #1 with his hits and blocks contributions.
Saturday’s Games:
Emil Lilleberg – Goal and two assists with two PIM. No Kucherov or Hedman, no problem on Saturday. Lilleberg provides very little to fantasy, despite this huge performance.
Brandon Hagel – Goal and an assist with three shots. What an absolute monster Hagel has become. Full blown superstar.
Charle-Edouard D’Astous – Goal and an assist. D’Astous has five points in his last three games, so if you want to ride the hot hand, go for it.
Matthew Tkachuk – Two goals on four shots. It’s simply a matter of health for Tkachuk. If he can manage to play 70+ games next season, he should return top 25 value.
Brayden Schenn – Goal and two assists with five shots. I’m bumping Schenn up to solid streamer as he gets a huge workload from Roy.
Marc Gatcomb – Goal and an assist. Gatcomb gets a ton of hits, but he has only 6 points in 42 games counting these two points. Nothing here. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Matthew Schaefer – Two assists with five shots. Is he a top five defenseman next season already? He has to at least be considered in that range. Does he even have a ceiling at this point?
John Carlson – Two assists with four shots and six blocks, playing over 28 minutes. Safe to say that Carlson has become the 1A to LaCombe’s 1B in Anaheim.
Connor McDavid – Goal and two assists with six shots.  Zach Hyman had a goal and an assist, while Evan Bouchard dished two assists, adding five shots. McDavid is carrying Edmonton into the playoffs. No matter what spot they finish in, they’re probably the favorite in the Pacific bracket. It depends how bullish you are on the Mammoth.
Igor Chernyshov – Two goals on three shots. The top line for the Sharks came through, as Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist, while Will Smith had two assists. Cherynshov has 14 points in 19 games this season. The first pick in the second round in the Celebrini draft, Cherynshov should be a popular sleeper for next season. For now, he’s a solid streamer.
Mavrik Bourque – Two goals and an assist. He hasn’t taken a massive jump this season, but we’re seeing signs from Bourque on a regular basis now. That he played over 19 minutes with Mikko Rantanen (1+1) returning shows that Bourque has solid streamer value the rest of the way, assuming he stays with Jason Robertson (1+1, 5 SOG).
Jamie Benn – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. The shot rate has cratered, but Benn has put up more points than I expected this season. Middling to solid streamer.
Erik Karlsson – Goal and two assists. We haven’t seen a run like this from a defenseman in years. Eighteen points in his last ten games, including seven multi-point games! Full credit to Karlsson for the bounce back.
Taylor Hall – Two assists with four shots and two PIM. Middling streamer.
Shayne Gostisbehere – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM in his return. Injuries are the only thing that’s stopped Ghost this year. He’s pushing a point per game.
Nikolaj Ehlers – Goal and an assist with two shots. It is hilarious that after his atrocious start, Ehlers still has a very good chance of setting a career high in points.
Mats Zuccarello – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. Zucc is on the fringe right now. He’s probably worth holding, but we’re to the point where we need to maximize starts. If you need to cut someone from a streamer, Zucc is fine.
Ryan Hartman – Goal and an assist with three shots. Nice finish to the season for Hartman. As long as he’s with Kaprizov, Hartman is a solid streamer.
Quinn Hughes – Two assists with three shots playing over 31 minutes. Considering that Minnesota is virtually locked into their spot, it is crazy to see Hughes get this workload. Fantasy owners love it though!
Casey Mittelstadt – Three assists with a shot. Nice little stretch from Mittelstadt, but the shot rate is so dreadful that he can’t get past middling streamer.
Pavel Zacha – Two goals on four shots. While Zacha has been very good this season, 22% shooting is the main factor. While he won’t be regressing this season as the end is here, it’s going to come next year.
Viktor Arvidsson – Goal and an assist with two shots. He’s not the player he was in Nashville or Los Angeles before the injury, but Arvidsson has bounced back nicely from a dreadful year in Edmonton. Solid streamer.
Bobby McMann – Goal and an assist with three shots. The line had a three point goal on both goals, as Chandler Stephenson had 1+1 and Kaapo Kakko had two assists. McMann is on a god run in Seattle with 7+4 in eight games. Easy hold everywhere and it seems like the best case for him in free agency is to stay in Seattle.
Jacob Fowler – 23 saves on 24 shots in the 4-1 win over the Predators. Fowler has been getting about a game per week right now and has been solid overall. The 21 year old is still the likely goalie of the future for Montreal, making him a top dynasty asset.
Ivan Demidov – Goal and an assist with two shots. The current second line for Montreal all had two points, as Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen also had a goal and an assist each. While the shot rate isn’t there, Demidov has shown that he can be a big contributor. Point per game next season already wouldn’t surprise me. Newhook has been very good when healthy. It’s nice to see him get his career back on track. He’s a middling streamer. I really like what Kapanen has done as a rookie. That said, I do think Montreal brings somebody in over him in the summer and puts Kapanen as their 3C. I’m slightly skeptical of his fantasy value in the future.
Jordan Binnington – 12 saves on 13 shots in the 5-1 win over Toronto. The Blues being the hottest team in the league is hilarious. Their goalies tanked their season, and now both are playing very well. Hofer is the top guy at the moment, but Binnington is still a fine streamer.
Robert Thomas – Two assists with a shot. This is the Thomas that we are used to. He has 15 points in 12 games in March.
Jordan Kyrou – Two assists with a shot. Kyrou is one of the biggest disappointments this season. After three straight 30+ goal seasons, he might not break 20. Middling streamer.
Dylan Holloway – Goal and an assist with four shots. Holloway is an easy hold everywhere at the moment. He has eleven points in his last ten games and an elite shot rate.
Jake Neighbours – Two assists with two shots. Even though the team has been rolling, Neighbours has been ice cold. Bottom end to middling streamer for the time being.
Gabe Vilardi – Goal and an assist with four shots. Vilardi’s numbers are virtually identical to last season. He’s a bottom end hold.
Travis Konecny – Two assists with two shots. Philly is trying to sneak their way into the playoff picture, but Konecny has actually been cold. We’re still holding though.
Jamie Drysdale – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. The points are respectable enough to get him close to the fringe, but my long term expectations for Drysdale have been tempered.
Moritz Seider – Two assists with five shots.  Patrick Kane also had two assists as the Red Wings made a late comeback only to ultimately fall short. See Seider under Friday’s games.
Adrian Kempe – Goal and an assist. It’s been a small stepback for Kempe driven by a small drop in shot rate. Overall, his value is similar to usual.
Mikhail Sergachev – Four assists with a shot. All your assists are belong to Sergachev lately! Seven assists in his last two games, and eleven in his last nine. He’s a middling to bottom end #2 in 12’ers.
Alexander Kerfoot – Two goals. I’ll be honest, I kind of forgot about Kerfoot because he was out so long due to injury. He’s getting fourth line minutes right now so despite a flurry of points, it’s hard to get him above bottom end streamer.
Logan Cooley – Two goals on three shots. What a bizarre season for Cooley, who is scoring at an excellent rate, but his assists have plummeted. I’m still very bullish in the long term.
Clayton Keller – Two assists with two shots. Keller’s shooting percentage is the lowest it’s been since 2019-20, which is the only reason his goals are slightly down. He’s a model of consistency at this point in his career.
Elias Pettersson – Two assists with a shot. I can’t imagine using any other Canucks forward right now, but I don’t really want to use Pettersson either. This team is a dumpster fire.
Morgan Frost – Goal and two assists, as did Matt Coronato. This game shows more about the Canucks than anything about the Flames. Calgary has been playing better, but I’m not too interested in anyone on their team besides their goalies.
Zayne Parekh – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. Parekh is starting to show some signs now that Calgary is giving him regular ice time. I remain a big fan long term and think we could see it as soon as next season.
Justin Sourdif – Goal and an assist with four shots. Nice rookie year for Sourdif. Bottom end streamer for now, and I’m not sure if it gets any better long term, but he’s a nice depth addition for the Caps.
Cole Hutson – Two assists with two shots. I’m no scouting expert, but it blows my mind that Hutson went in the second round after what his brother was already showing. I have picked up Hutson in a 10’er and playing him, so it’s pretty clear I think he should be held everywhere. Long term, I’m not sure how high the upside is, but the 19 year old looks like he belongs already. Welcome to the Razzball Database!
Jack Eichel – Goal and two assists with two shots. Nice to see a big game from Eichel after he recently snapped a six game pointless streak. His totals are on a more reasonable pace now.
Rasmus Andersson – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. To be blunt, Andersson has been awful for the Golden Knights. I laughed when they used him in the shootout in this game. I wouldn’t use him outside of deep leagues.
Sunday’s Games:
Igor Shesterkin – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 3-1 win over the Panthers. The Rangers season was torpedoed because Igor and Adam Fox (1+1, 3 SOG, 4 BLK) were hurt for an extended period. Both of them will be ranked right back where they were going into this season, although there’s a decent chance Fox’s value could swing if he’s traded.
Viktor Arvidsson – Three assists with three shots. Insane comeback by Boston as Columbus blows another game late.  Pavel Zacha had two goals and an assist with five shots. I covered both above.
Charlie McAvoy – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. This has easily been McAvoy’s best season. Solid #2 in 12’ers despite the poor shot rate.
Mason Marchment – Goal and an assist. Marchment is a solid streamer as he continues to do well since being traded to the Blue Jackets.
Kirill Marchenko – Two assists with a shot. He’s cooled off a bit lately, but Marchenko is a clear hold everywhere.
Filip Forsberg – Goal and an assist with four shots. It feels like Forsberg has been disappointing, but here he is sitting with 34+33 and over three shots per game. Look for a huge workload as the Preds try to hold onto the last playoff spot.
Jake Guentzel – Goal and two assists with three shots and two PIM. Guentzel has scored in six of his last seven games as he gives himself a chance for a new career high in points.
Jakub Dobes – 34 saves on 35 shots in the 3-1 win over the Hurricanes. Dobes has given up two goals or less in five straight starts. It’s clear that he’s the #1 right now so even though the totality of his numbers aren’t great, Dobes should be held everywhere.
Nick Suzuki – Two goals and an assist with five shots and two PIM. I kind of figured Suzuki would have stayed in the 80-90 point range, but he’s got a shot at 100 points. Demidov’s power play ability has helped, but Suzuki has been dominant at even strength.
Cole Caufield – Goal and an assist with three shots. Predicting a huge season from Caufield in my ten bold predictions certainly panned out. He’s actually second in the league in goals behind MacKinnon.
Lane Hutson – Two assists. All your assists are belong to Hutson!
Samuel Ersson – 17 saves on 18 shots in the 2-1 OT win over Dallas. He’s been good lately, but streaming Ersson is a big risk. Vladar should get the majority of starts anyways.
Frank Nazar – Two goals on seven shots. We’re seeing the flashes, but Nazar hasn’t quite put it together yet. That said, a breakout next season is firmly in play.
Anton Frondell – Two assists with three shots. The former third overall pick has four assists in four games since he debuted. He’s a fine streamer right now with an obviously high ceiling in the long term.
Jack Hughes – Two goals and two assists with eight shots. Hughes has established himself as a 100ish point player per 82 games. The problem is he hasn’t managed to stay healthy. If he does, he’ll easily be a top 10 player.
Nico Hischier – Two assists with two shots. Rough year for Hischier, but I’ll say it again: I’m throwing this season out for most of the Devils. I firmly expect Hischier’s points to go back up.
That’s all for now guys. Can’t wait to see Torts behind the bench again on Monday! Crazy that Vegas made this move. I’ll be back on Friday recapping the action from the two days before. MarmosDad will be back on Wednesday so be sure to look out for his post. As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any coments, or give any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
Great read as always! In playoffs, would you start Hofer (hot streak) or Adin Hill (vs Van/Cgy) this week?
Love the blogs Viz. You the man