2 weeks agoToronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander scored his second goal of the season during Monday's 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He fired four shots on goal in 16:14 of ice time. Nylander struggled through a difficult 2018-19 campaign, but he is poised to have a big season alongside Auston Matthews on the Maple Leafs' second line. Frederik Gauthier also scored in the contest while Frederik Andersen made 27 saves in the loss. The Maple Leafs will be back in action on Wednesday against the daunting Tampa Bay Lightning.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoNew York Islanders forwards Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier led the Islanders to a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night, tallying a goal and assist each. Ten different skaters had points for the Islanders, with Brock Nelson and Anders Lee chipping in the other goals, to even the Islanders record at 1-1. The Islanders have struggled on offense since last season, and it will be rare that they score more than three or four goals in a game, and when they do it will probably be spread out amongst the roster like we seen last night.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine scored the only goal for the Jets in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders. This was Laine's first goal of the season in his third game, giving him three total points on the season. Laine now finds himself on the first line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, getting his wish to play with better players. Laine's placement on the line should help their chemistry on the powerplay as well, where Laine will usually score a fair number of his goals. If he can remain on Scheifele's flank, his fantasy value should increase significantly, especially as the Jets defensive group continues to struggle and the coach has to send his top offensive guys out more often to chase leads.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoPittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (lower body) will be sidelined "longer-term", according to head coach Mike Sullivan. Malkin fell awkwardly during Saturday's 7-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, and while he is expected to return this season, it will not be for a while. Nick Bjugstad (lower body) also hurt himself in the contest, which means that 25-year-old forward Teddy Blueger is now the team's second-best center behind Sidney Crosby. It is unclear how Sullivan plans to utilize his forwards, as Alex Galchenyuk and Jared McCann could also see an increased role. The Penguins play the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, so wait until the lineup is released to make any pickups.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh Penguins
2 weeks agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton registered a goal and added an assist in his team's 4-3 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. The 26-year-old picked up both points on the man advantage and also added two penalty minutes, three shots and one hit while leading all Carolina blueliners with 25:19 of ice time in the contest. Coming off a mildly disappointing first season in Carolina (39 points in 82 games), Hamilton is off to a nice start in 2019-2020. Through his first three games, the Ontario native has posted four points (one goal, three assists), three power-play points, nine shots and one hit. He'll look to stay hot in his next game versus the Panthers on Tuesday.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoDallas Stars forward Roope Hintz made it three goals in three games on Sunday, scoring a pair in a 4-3 loss to Detroit. Tyler Seguin also found himself on the scoresheet as the Stars suffered their third consecutive loss. It's been a very rough start for the team, but Hintz, who had 22 points in 58 games last season, is nicely up and running. He skates on the second line with Joe Pavelski and Mattias Janmark, while also logging minutes on the first power-play unit. The team hasn't yet scored a single power-play goal, but with all the talent on their top unit, it should only be a matter of time.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoDetroit Red Wings right wing Anthony Mantha had a career night on Sunday against Dallas, scoring all four goals in a 4-3 win. Mantha became the sixth player in franchise history to score a hat trick in their home opener and the third to get a natural hat trick. The Stars were up 2-0 before Mantha started his show with a power-play goal in the second frame. Dylan Larkin and Filip Hronek both helped him out with two assists. Mantha had a career-high 25 goals last season, even though he ended up playing in just 67 games. He already has five goals and seven points in two games this year, so it looks like he's heading towards a monster year.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoDallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin will be between the pipes on Sunday against the Red Wings in Detroit. Coming off of a loss on Saturday, it is no surprise that starter Ben Bishop will get the night off as Dallas plays their third game in four days. Khudobin is coming off a strong season where he earned 16 wins in 37 starts with a save percentage of .923 percent. He was not quite as strong on the road, posting a save percentage of .918 percent, but was still effective. Despite the Red Wings putting up five goals against Nashville on Saturday, this remains a solid matchup for Khudobin, who is one of the better options available with only three games scheduled for Sunday.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Stars on Twitter
2 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit will see his second straight start on Sunday as starter Connor Hellebuyck is kept on the bench. Head coach Paul Maurice indicated that tapping Brossoit for Sunday's game has more to do with Brossoit's play on Friday than anything. Maurice specifically mentioned Brossoit giving the team a chance to mount a comeback, however, Brossoit had given up four goals in the first two periods to put them in that situation in the first place. It is a bit perplexing of a decision, but it may be an indication that Hellebuyck does not have as firm of a hold on the lion's share of starts as expected. Brossoit was stellar last year, posting a .925 save percentage, and will look to play closer to that than he did on Friday.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: Brian Compton
2 weeks agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek will take the crease as his team completes the second game of a back-to-back set against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. The Czech native is fresh off an opening-night victory against the Canadiens on Thursday in which he turned aside 33 of 36 shots against for the shootout win. The unquestionable starter in Carolina this season, Mrazek is looking to build off a successful first season in Carolina - having collected 23 wins to go along with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in 40 starts. Selected on average with 130th overall pick in Yahoo! fantasy drafts, the 27-year-old could end up being one of the best draft-day bargains around.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: Chip Alexander
2 weeks agoDetroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha picked up a goal and two assists en route to his team defeating the Nashville Predators by a score of 5-3 on Saturday night. The 25-year-old was noticeable throughout the contest - also registering a plus-three rating, four penalty minutes and five shots on goal while skating 21:26 in time on ice. Mantha has emerged as a legitimate fantasy asset in just three seasons in the NHL, capped off by a stellar run following the All-Star Game in 2018-2019 in which he tallied 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in his final 30 games. He's cemented himself on the Wings' top line and should remain a dangerous scoring option throughout the 2019-2020 campaign. If you happen to play in the 30% of Yahoo! leagues in which Mantha is not owned, make sure you add him prior to his next tilt versus the Stars on Sunday.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoDetroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi registered two goals and a pair of assists on Saturday, leading his team to the a 5-3 road win against the Nashville Predators. The 24-year-old also ended the night with a plus-four rating and two shots on goal in 19:48 of time on ice in the contest. Bertuzzi appears to be picking up right where he left off after establishing himself as a true top-six forward in 2018-2019 - having posted 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) to go along with a plus-11 rating, four game-winning goals, 131 shots and 76 hits in 73 games played. Playing alongside Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha on the Wings' first line and top power-play unit, Bertuzzi could prove to be a valuable commodity in most fantasy formats in 2019-2020. He'll look to keep producing as his team hosts the Stars on Sunday night.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Jake Gardiner deposited the game-winning goal in overtime on Saturday, giving his team a 3-2 victory over the visiting Washington Capitals. It was Gardiner's first goal in a Hurricanes uniform - having signed with Carolina via free agency over the summer. The 29-year-old also finished the contest with the plus-one rating, two shots, three hits and three blocks in 17:19 of time on ice. Gardiner can probably be considered an under-owned fantasy asset (34% owned in Yahoo! leagues) at the moment. Cemented in the Hurricanes' top-four defensive group while also holding down a spot on the team's top power-play unit, Gardiner is, at the very least, a player for fantasy owners to monitor moving forward.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoBoston Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak picked up where he left off last season, posting a 35 save shutout in a 1-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Halak was a huge part of the Bruins cup run last season, posting a 2.34 GAA and .922 save percentage in the regular season. His solid play helped the Bruins give starter Tuukka Rask plenty of rest, which propelled him to an outstanding playoff performance in which he probably would have been named the playoff MVP if the Bruins had managed to pull out the win. Halak will have tons of fantasy value if he can once again play in half of the team's games this season, best case scenario being if you can roster both Halak and Rask and change your lineups on a day-to-day basis. Talented goaltending plus stingy defense should equal happy fantasy owners this season.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoBoston Bruins forward Brad Marchand scored the only goal that was needed for a 1-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. The Bruins have only scored three goals through their first two games but have a 2-0 record, showing that they will once again commit to the team defense that brought them to the Cup Finals last season. It will be the same story for the Bruins this season. Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Torey Krug are studs in the fantasy world but the rest of the team won't have the type of value that you would expect in a cup-favorite team.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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