3 days agoBoston Bruins forward David Pastrnak continued his goal-scoring streak, tallying another goal and assist in a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was Pastrnak's 15th point in his last six games, increasing his totals to nine goals and six assists in eight games. A matchup with their rival seemed to be just what the Bruins needed to kickstart their offense, as Danton Heinen and Jake Debrusk with his first goal of the season also chipped in with goals. After a start to the season that saw the Bruins first line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Pastrnak score 14 of the team's 19 goals, it is a good sign for others to start chipping in to generate offense.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoToronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly scored the first and last goals of the game, tallying his second with 1:06 remaining in the overtime period to lead the Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Mitch Marner also chipped in with two assists, while Alexander Kerfoot and Dmytro Timashov added the other two goals. It was Timashov's first career goal, as he had possibly his best game as a Leaf. Look for Timashov to possibly get a shot farther up in the lineup with the injury of John Tavares and the pending injury of Andreas Johnsson who left the game and didn't return.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoToronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen carried the team to a 4-3 victory over their rival Boston Bruins in a shootout, stopping 43 of 46 shots. Toronto's goaltending tandem was under scrutiny coming into the game, ranking 29th in the league in combined save percentage, but this game-stealing performance could help in swaying the critics. With the Leafs below-average defensive play, Andersen will need more games like this if they want to capitalize on their Stanley Cup window. Regardless, Andersen will continue to pile up saves and wins with the number of shots that the Leafs allow, making him one of the best fantasy goalies no matter how many goals he allows.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoSt. Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz scored his first goal of the season in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Montreal, extending his point streak to four games in the process. Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko helped him out with the assists, while David Perron also scored for the Blues. Schwartz managed just 36 points in the regular season last year, but he scored a team-high 12 goals in the playoffs and racked up 20 points in 26 games. He's carried the good form into the new season, finishing without a point just twice so far in eight outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoMontreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin continued his good start to the season with a game-winning goal in Saturday's 5-2 success over the St. Louis Blues. Drouin scored his third goal of a year on a power play at the start of the second period with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Shea Weber picking up the assists. Weber also scored in the contest -- his first goal of the season -- to seal the deal with the Blues net empty. Jordan Weal, Brendan Gallagher, and Nick Suzuki were on target as well. Drouin has seven points through the first eight games and he seems to be back on track after a couple of lackluster seasons in Montreal.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoNew Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood recorded his third career shutout on Saturday, stopping 25 shots in a 1-0 win over Vancouver. The Canucks went into the game red-hot, sitting on a four-game winning streak and averaging five goals per game during the run, but Blackwood had an answer to all of their attempts. Blackwood has won two starts on the bounce to improve his record for the season to 2-1-2. The Devils now get a week off before taking on the Coyotes in what should be a favorable matchup for Blackwood, as Arizona's offense has blown hot and cold so far.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoNew Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes celebrated his first NHL goal on Saturday, which ended up being the game-winner in a 1-0 win over Vancouver. Hughes netted on a power-play in the opening frame after Taylor Hall and Sami Vatanen set him up. Playing against his brother's team, Hughes picked up five and a half minutes of power-play time. The first pick of this year's NHL Draft started the season really slowly, but he's now picked up points in two consecutive games, both of which have been wins for the team. However, Hughes isn't very attractive in fantasy hockey at the moment as he doesn't play much. He has logged less than 14 minutes in back-to-back outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoAnaheim Ducks forward Rickard Rakell picked up two assists and a team-high three shots Friday night as the Ducks topped the Hurricanes 4-2. Rakell now has six points in his last four games and has scored a point in six of his eight games this year. It is worth noting that Rakell has not recorded a point on the power play yet, even though he plays on Anaheim's top power-play unit. Only 27 percent of Rakell's points have come from the power play over the last two seasons, so he does not overly rely on the man advantage for his point production anyways. Owned in 84 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Rakell should be rostered in all but the most shallow leagues.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho failed to record a point on Friday against the Ducks despite seeing just over 23 minutes of ice time. Aho has only three points in nine games and has recorded two shots or fewer in each of his last four games. Coming off of an 83 point breakout season last year, expectations were sky-high for Aho, but he has stumbled coming out of the gate despite Carolina averaging 3.22 goals per game. Aho is still playing well though, even if it is not showing up on the scoresheet. Carolina has generated the majority of shots and goals while he has been on the ice, so there are reasons to trust that he will shake off this slump before long. In the meantime, he could be a prime buy-low candidate for fantasy owners looking to make a trade.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoDetroit Red Wings defensemen Mike Green scored Detroit's lone goal on Friday night as they lost to the Oilers. The goal was not only Green's first of the season, but it was also his first point in general. Age and injuries have caught up to the once prolific offensive defensemen, limiting him to less than 70 games in each of the last two seasons. Despite that, Green has put up at least a 0.5 points per game rate in each of the last three seasons. Losing his spot on the top power-play unit to Filip Hronek makes it unlikely that Green will be able to repeat that, or hold much in the way of fantasy value this season.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen stopped 25 of 26 shots from the Red Wings on Friday night, earning him his fourth win of the season in as many starts. Koskinen has split Edmonton's starts with Mike Smith evenly so far this season but has slightly outperformed him. Koskinen's .934 save percentage will keep him in the conversation to take over the lion's share of starts, but Smith's .917 save percentage will keep it close. Both Edmonton netminders are outperforming expectations early in the season, and along with the team's strong play, whichever of them receives the majority of starts will hold significant fantasy value.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoBuffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt factored in on all three of Buffalo's goals Thursday night, scoring two goals and an assist. Mittelstadt had gone six games without a point after picking up two assists in the season-opener. Five points in eight games are an encouraging start to the season for the young pivot, but there are some reasons to not trust his production, besides it only coming in two games. Mittelstadt has logged more than 12 minutes of ice time in only two of his eight games, and he has only recorded more than two shots on net in two games. Available in 96 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Mittelstadt is worth watching, but there is no need to pick him up yet.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoBuffalo Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton recorded his second shutout in a row, stopping all 47 of the shots he faced Thursday night. Every player in the Kings lineup registered a shot as Buffalo was heavily outshot, although none of them were able to convert. Hutton now has five wins in five starts with a stellar .953 save percentage, giving him his best stretch of play since joining the Sabres last offseason. One of the hottest netminders in the league, consider Hutton a must-start whenever he is in the crease until he proves otherwise.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoArizona Coyotes right wing Phil Kessel scored twice on the power play during Thursday's 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators. They were the first two goals of the season for the 32-year-old. There is some regression expected for Kessel this campaign, but he remains one of the league's elite snipers. Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller and Derek Stepan all tallied two assists in the win while Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves. The Coyotes will be back in action on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoCalgary Flames center Sean Monahan recorded two power-play assists during Thursday's 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The 25-year-old now has two goals, four assists, and four power-play points through eight games this season. He remains a top-15 fantasy center. Mark Giordano also scored a goal and an assist in the contest while David Rittich made 27 saves. The Flames will look to keep rolling on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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