When you look at Zach Parise‘s totals for the season, they look like close to what you’d expect from him at the halfway point of the season; 14 goals and 11 assists. However, he missed 9 games so far this year so he’s actually playing at a 40 goals, 30 assist pace after his second hat trick of the season Tuesday against the Blue Jackets. Parise is taking over 3.5 shots per game, has 4 GWG for those who play with that category and has been a great value where he was selected on a per game basis. Here’s to hoping he stays healthy down the stretch because he’s playing outstanding for the Wild. Here’s what else I saw on Tuesday night:
Andre Burakovsky – Goal on three shots. He’s been bumped up to the second line which is a massive increase in playing time; the Capitals rely heavily on their top six. I’m picking him up in 12’ers because of his upside right now; I’d at least look to stream him in their next game on Thursday against the Islanders.
Marcus Johansson – Goal on three shots. He dropped to the third line which hurts his value a bit but I’d still hold since he’s on the first power play unit.
Evgeny Kuznetsov – Goal and an assist with four shots. While all of the talk is about the Capitals first line and Braden Holtby (25 saves on 27 shots in the win), Kuznetsov is quietly on pace for a 70 point season. Glad I had him ranked higher than most because I have plenty of Kuz stock.
Patrice Bergeron – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. There’s no slowing him down right now.
Torey Krug – Assist with six shots. Krug is somebody I’m looking to acquire in trades. The assists are very good and the shot rate is elite; he’s taking just over 3 per game as a defenseman. Despite the shot rate, he only has 3 goals to show for it. That’s certainly going to change for the better.
Ryan Spooner – Assist with four shots. Definitely must-own right now in the Bruins top 6.
Roberto Luongo – 31 saves on 32 shots leading the Panthers to their tenth consecutive victory. Hotter than a pistol right now and Luongo’s season long numbers are staggering. Good to see him get the Panthers back as a serious playoff team.
Jonathan Huberdeau – Goal and an assist with two shots. His goal was a breakaway in which he absolutely dangled Linus Ullmark. It was impressive to see Huberdeau in person tonight as he was noticeable on the majority of his shifts. The goals haven’t been there but you can see why he went second overall and could post 50 assists this season.
Jaromir Jagr – Goal on three shots with two PIM. It was great to see the legend work in person. Amazing that he’s playing on a 30+30 pace over 82 games when he’s turning 44 next month.
Corban Knight – Goal and an assist with two shots. He’s done well since he’s been called up but he’s only playing 10 minutes a game so he’s not on my radar at the moment.
Derek MacKenzie – Goal and an assist with a shot. And here’s your annual Derek MacKenzie update!
Jack Eichel – Assist on five shots. It was an absolutely filthy pass setting up a tap in. Looking great every game for the last few weeks (12 points in the last 8) and is starting to look comfortable on a game to game basis. Love his potential for the rest of the season and going forward.
Ryan O’Reilly – Goal on three shots. Still rolling, especially on the power play.
Antti Niemi – 23 saves on 29 shots in the 6-2 loss to the Rangers. Woof.
John Klingberg – Goal on three shots. Starting to heat up after a cold stretch.
Jason Spezza – Two assists with two penalty minutes. Much like Kuznetsov, Spezza is quietly on pace to have about a 30+35 season with three shots per game and elite special teams points. He should end up close to the top 50 at this rate.
Henrik Lundqvist – 21 saves on 23 shots in the win. It’s progress for Hank after a recent poor stretch. If for some reason he’s available in a buy-low scenario, do it.
Jayson Megna – Goal and an assist with three shots in his first game being recalled. I don’t make anything of it yet but he’s worth monitoring.
Rick Nash – Three assists with two shots. The Rangers have been struggling and they need Nash to step up and take the lead offensively. This was a great sign.
Derek Stepan – Two goals on five shots. Repeat what I said about Nash here.
Keith Yandle – Goal on four shots. Yandle is also crucial to the Rangers’ offense; I’d like to see his minutes increase but I doubt it happens considering how poor Yandle is defensively.
Corey Crawford – 34 saves on 36 shots in the 3-2 OT win over the Pens. He’s quietly going about his business having another outstanding season. I wonder if he’ll ever start to get the credit he deserves.
Patrick Kane – Two assists with a shot. Almost standard for him at this point to get two points in a game.
Artemi Panarin – Two goals on three shots. Must be nice to play with Kane. Then again, I don’t want to sell Panarin short; he’s a very talented player who is also making things easier for Kane. He’s on pace for a 22+46 season which is remarkable considering he was a late pick flier going into the season.
Brent Seabrook – Two assists with a shot. I’d still sell high on Seabrook if I could. Barring another injury to Duncan Keith, there’s no chance he repeats his first half of the season. –
Sidney Crosby – Goal and an assist with two shots. He’s back. Expect him to play at over a point per game pace for the second half of the season.
Kris Letang – Goal and an assist with seven shots and four PIM. Oh baby. I’ve been preaching to buy low on Letang for a few weeks and he now has nine points in his last five games. That window is closed. Would it surprise me if Letang is the best defenseman for the rest of the season? No, it wouldn’t. I expect him to be the second best behind Erik Karlsson.
Devan Dubnyk – 29 saves on 31 shots in the win over Columbus. They’re not saying boo, they’re saying Duuuuubbbbb. He’s given up two goals or less in five straight starts and is finding his groove.
Mikael Granlund – Goal and two assists with two shots. He’s one of the better assist guys out there and isn’t a complete black hole in shots like most of the others are.
Ryan Suter – Two assists with two shots while being +4 in the 4-2 win. He’s on pace to set career highs across the board offensively and should end up as a borderline top 10 defenseman this year. He’s always received massive minutes; now he’s starting to do something with them.
Mikko Koivu – Went to the hospital after a hard fall into the boards. Hopefully it isn’t as serious as it looked because he’s had an amazing year up to the halfway point.
Nick Foligno – Goal on four shots with two PIM playing over 20 minutes. The time on ice is a huge factor for his value going forward. He’s not going to match last year’s totals but there would be a ton of value here if he’s playing big minutes on a regular basis.
Ben Scrivens – 27 saves on 31 shots in the 4-3 loss to Philly. New backup goalie, same as the other backup goalies. I don’t want anything to do with him or any other Montreal goalie until Carey Price is back.
Daniel Carr – Goal and an assist with a shot. He’s shown some upside since he’s been recalled with five goals and two assists in 14 games. He’s on my streaming radar at the moment since he was recently bumped to the second line. He’s worth watching closely in the next few games to see if he’s someone worth holding in 12’ers.
Alex Galchenyuk – Goal on three shots. Still rolling. He is going to be amazing next season.
Brendan Gallagher – Goal on two shots. Starting up right where he left off before the injury. Huge addition to the struggling Habs.
Sean Couturier – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. He’s an excellent defensive player who’s finally starting to show some offensive upside; he’s playing at a 40 point pace with no power play time. He’s still only 23 years old so the potential is there. I’m not owning him yet but I’d strongly consider it if he starts getting consistent power play time.
Shayne Gostisbehere – Goal and an assist with two shots. I really don’t understand why the Flyers aren’t playing him more minutes. The rest of their defense is complete trash yet he’s playing 15 minutes a game. He has 16 points in 22 games now; play him more!
Brayden Schenn – Goal and two assists with three shots. Meh, there are better options out there than Schenn. He looks to be settling in as a 40-50 point player.
Wayne Simmonds – Goal on two shots. He’s up on the first line now which bodes extremely well for his fantasy value for the time being.
Connor Hellebuyck – 44 saves on 45 shots in the 4-1 win over the Predators. Hellboy stole the show in Smashville and was close to getting a shutout in this one. The stats are looking phenomenal and I can’t see the Jets taking away his starting job. He’s still available in a decent amount of leagues so check yours and grab him immediately if he is.
Mark Scheifele – Assist. He’s back from injury so make sure to get him back in your lineup if you have him or pick him up if his owner dropped him.
Drew Stafford – Two goals on three shots. Pick up Stafford now and roll him until he cools off. His heaters are prone to lasting for extended stretches and he’s getting a great opportunity in Winnipeg right now.
Pekka Rinne – 14 saves on 17 shots. Yikes. His numbers on the season are all creeping towards below average now and I’m not sure that it gets better in that division.
Steven Stamkos – Goal on three shots. It seems like he’s been disappointing yet he’s on pace for 35 goals. That’s not to say 35 goals is great, it’s below his normal standards, but he hasn’t been a disaster.
Mark Giordano – Two assists with a shot. He’s officially on the blue fire in NBA Jam. After an absolutely dreadful start, he’s still on pace for 50 points now with 50 PIM and 2.5 shots per game. This is all with horrible special teams points. There’s massive upside here for Gio’s second half.
Karri Ramo – 30 saves on 31 shots in the 3-1 win. He’s starting almost every game and the numbers are starting to get close to league average. He’s a great third goalie to have at this point in 12’ers because you know you’ll get a ton of starts from him if one of your top 2 goes down.
Wednesday Streamers: There are 5 games on Wednesday meaning it should be a big streaming night per usual. Here are my top 3 options of the night:
Rickard Rakell (4%) – Going back to the well on this one. The Ducks are starting to heat up and the Leafs, while playing better lately, have been giving up a ton of goals. Look for Rakell to get on the scoresheet tonight.
Kris Versteeg (7.7%) – He’s back on the first line and gets to go against a Canucks team that has been the worst possession team in the NHL over the last 15 games.
Robby Fabbri (0.4%) – You don’t see me repeat a streamer who is below one percent owned unless their ownership goes up after the first time. Fabbri is still available in almost all leagues yet he finds himself in a great spot tonight. The Blues should dominate the puck with ease against the Avalanche and Fabbri is getting a chance to play with Vladimir Tarasenko tonight. Fabbri can’t ask for a better situation to succeed.
That’s all for now guys. Be sure to check out Matt’s latest article that went up late in the afternoon yesterday; it’s a very good buy/sell article that should help you guys out. As always, feel free to ask any questions or post any comments below. I’ll be back tomorrow recapping the action from Wednesday night. Take care everyone!
