A fantasized look at Thursday's NHL games.
Wow what a game for a couple of Stars out in Calgary. Tyler Seguin scored a four spot and added an assist while Jamie Benn had a whopping 6 points (1+5=6). The outburst gave each player 22 points, tying them for fifth in the league lead in scoring. Seguin now has goals in three straight games and it's obvious that he's the centerpiece of the scoring for Dallas, a much better situation (fantasy wise, at least) than Boston.
Are you as freaked out as I am that after two goals last night, Alexander Steen now leads the NHL in goals and points? We're just about a quarter of the way through the season and he just hasn't had the regression that virtually everyone is predicting. Maybe it's time to realize Steen for what he really is: a pure sniper.
T.J. Oshie broke a quiet streak of just one assist in five games by posting four assists. While you certainly can't complain about 16 points in 17 games, it would be nice if he can even out his goal-assist ratio to be better than 2:14. Just saying.
You can't get much better than the line that David Backes gave you last night. He went 1+2=3, 4 hits, 2 shots, 1 PPG, and plus-2. He's better than a point per game player thus far at 19 in 17. Save some for the Olympics, Dave.
I wonder how many people ran to the wire to grab Derek Roy after his sexy 3 PPP last night (1+2=3). He'd been very ordinary of late with just two goals in his last 11. I wouldn't suggest running to grab him until we see if he can build on this.
Tyler Toffoli is on fire since his promotion. He scored the game winning goal with under a minute and a half to go last night. He's had points in all five games to the tune of 3+4=7 and 15 shots. Go grab him now, while he lasts. He's just 13% owned in Yahoo! leagues.
Kings' prospect Tanner Pearson scored a powerplay goal in his first NHL game but he played under 10 minutes. Still exciting news for those who own him in dynasty leagues.
Slava Voynov had 25 points in 48 games last season so I was surprised to see teams jumping ship on him when he had just 6 points in 18 games this season. He's starting to come around after a goal and an assist last night. I bet he's better than your fourth or fifth defenseman.
Loui Eriksson was used to producing at the NHL level so it was surprising to see him with just 3 points through the first nine games. After scoring a goal last night, he now has a four game point scoring streak going. That's an encouraging sign.
The panicking Martin St. Louis owners had their minds eased last night, if only temporarily. He had 1+2=3 with 2 PPP while playing with the likes of Alex Killorn and Valtteri Filppula.
Speaking of the Finnish one, Valtteri Filppula had two goals and an assist while playing over 20 minutes. He will surely benefit from the added ice time and the opportunity to be setup by MSL. Give him a look.
Patrick Sharp is really heating up now. After a PPG last night he has 4+8=12 with 4 PPP and 26 shots over his last eight games. Spicy.
Moving on to another hot player who just so happens to play in the desert. Shane Doan had a goal and an assist last night and he now has points in 9 of his last 10 games. Over that span he has 8+4=12, 5 PPG, 21 hits, and 35 shots. So much for him being washed up.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson just cannot be stopped. He chipped in with an assist last night to extend his point streak to four games. He's contributing all over the place with 1+4=5, 12 hits, 5 blocks, 9 shots, and plus-2 for the streak. He trails only PK and EK for the scoring lead among d-men.
Michael Stone scored twice for the Coyotes last night and that gives him five goals on the season to go along with zero assists. That seems like a difficult trend for a defenseman to keep up.
Maybe Dan Boyle needed that wake-up call from Maxim Lapierre. He had a the game winning powerplay goal in overtime last night and even added the primary assist on the game tying goal with a minute to go in regulation. Since his return from that scary injury, he has 4+3=7, 4 PPG, and 18 shots in six games. Welcome back, Dan.
I guess Sergei Bobrovsky isn't going to be a Vezina contender this season. Even after playing well last night, he allowed a goal with a minute to go in OT, and took the loss. He's won just one game of his last 6 starts and his peripherals (.908 sv% and 2.83 gaa) are a far cry from what they were last season.
There was a trade last night that had some fantasy implications. The Blackhawks reacquired Kris Versteeg for Jimmy Hayes and Dylan Olsen. Hayes is a mid level prospect with some potential to be a decent NHL player and Olsen is a former first round pick who hasn't quite panned out. Versteeg will see a cut in ice time for sure but it remains to be seen how the Blackhawks will use him.
Called up: Viktor Fasth, Peter Holland, Filip Forsberg, and Tyson Strachan
Sent down: Chris Brown, Taylor Beck, Xavier Ouellet, Jordin Tootoo, Jeremy Morin, Philippe Lefebvre, Christopher Breen, Sami Vatanen, and Frederik Andersen