1 week agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce scored his second goal of the season on Friday night as the Hurricanes won their fifth straight game. In a night where Carolina outshot the Islanders 40 to 19, Pesce notched a game-high six shots on net despite seeing under 20 minutes of ice time for the first time this season. It was also the first time in Pesce's career that he has notched more than five shots on goal in a game. More well known for his defensive play than his offensive production, Pesce is not someone that you need to rush to the waiver wire to pick up despite racking up three points in five games. The takeaway here is that anyone can produce for Carolina on a given night. This makes them a team to watch for streaming options, especially on nights like Friday, where there are only a few games on the schedule.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoAnaheim Ducks goaltender Ryan Miller secured a victory in his first start of the season on Friday, a 2-1 road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 39-year-old stopped 26 of 27 shots faced and looked in control in the crease throughout the contest. In the midst of his third season in Anaheim as the team's backup netminder, Miller has proved to be a legitimate fantasy asset - providing streaming value to fantasy owners on nights when fellow goaltender John Gibson gets a breather. In fact, including Friday's win, Miller has now registered a 2.66 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage and five shutouts in 49 appearances as a Duck. Fantasy owners should tab the NHL's winningest American-born netminder as a top streaming option once again in 2019-2020.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoFlorida Panthers forward Evgenii Dadonov registered his second goal of the season and added an assist as his team came up short in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. The Russian native not only figured into Florida's only two goals on the evening, but also posted a plus-two rating and two shots on goal in 15:44 of ice time in the contest. Dadonov is out to match the most productive season of his young NHL career in 2018-2019, as he cemented himself on the Panther's top line with 70 points (28 goals, 42 assists), 17 power-play points and 195 shots in all 82 games. With Florida primed to take a step forward this season, count on the 30-year-old to be in the scoring mix all season. He'll take on the Flyers up next on Saturday.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoBuffalo Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark picked up his first victory of the season on Friday, leading his team to a 3-2 shootout win over the Florida Panthers. The 26-year-old was busy throughout the contest - turning aside 41 of 43 shots against while also thwarting both Florida's attempts in the shootout. Ullmark is off to a nice start to his 2019-2020 campaign, posting a 2.86 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage through his first two starts. Likely to split time with fellow goaltender Carter Hutton, the Swedish native could earn more time in the crease with performances like this. With Buffalo off to a 4-0-1 start, fantasy owners might be wise to keep monitoring Ullmark's play over the next month.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoChicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw capped off a night of returns with two goals of his own in his home opener after a three-year departure from his former team. Ultimately, his Blackhawks came up short in a 5-4 loss to Patrick Marleau and the San Jose Sharks. Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome were the other goal scorers for the Blackhawks. Corey Crawford has had a rough start to the season, starting off the year with two losses and a 4.62 GAA.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoSan Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau scored two goals in his season debut with his former team. After a two-season hiatus in Toronto, Marleau began his second tour of duty with the Sharks in a big way, leading them to their first win of the season. He could reach his fantasy value pretty easily with his low salary cap, as he slots into a spot on the first line right away. Kevin Labanc, Brent Burns, and Barclay Goodrow rounded out the scoring for the Sharks.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoBoston Bruins forward David Pastrnak continued his solid end to the road trip, tallying a goal and an assist to bring his total to five points over the last two games. Captain Zdeno Chara was the other goal scorer for the Bruins in their 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron also chipped in assists, continuing the trend that has seen their line be involved in six of the Bruins seven goals over their last three games. Jaroslav Halak had another solid outing, stopping 32 of 35 shots in the loss.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoColorado Avalanche forwards Nathan Mackinnon and Gabriel Landeskog tallied two points each in a comeback victory over the Boston Bruins. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, the Avalanche scored four unanswered goals to take the victory. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky rounded out the scoring. Phillip Grubauer was solid in the victory, stopping 39 of 41 shots to shut down one of the league's best teams. If he can continue this play, the Avalanche should be a top contender for the Stanley Cup for the rest of the season.
--Nate Duffett - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoDallas Stars forward Jamie Benn rifled home a feed from Roope Hintz at the start of the third period, giving Benn his first tally of the season. The goal came on the power play and gave Dallas a two-goal lead that would disappear a short six minutes later. After being held pointless in each of the first three games of the season, with only five total shots, Benn now has points in each of the last two games with six shots in the loss to Calgary alone. Skating primarily with Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov on a stacked top line, the points will come for Benn, but it is fair to question if the 30-year-old forward is slowing down when last season he recorded the lowest shots per game and points per game marks of his career since his rookie season.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoCalgary Flames goaltender David Rittich stopped 34 of 36 shots through regulation and overtime Thursday night, then allowed only a single goal in the shootout to secure the win. Both goalies held the opposing offenses in check, but Rittich stepped up against the Stars power-play attack, stopping seven of the eight shots that he faced across four power-play opportunities. Rittich has started all four of Calgary's games this season and has a .929 save percentage to show for it. Despite splitting time with Mike Smith last year and having Cam Talbot join him in Calgary this offseason, it looks like Rittich is in for a big workload this season.
--Russ Ivanac - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoAnaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry failed to record a point for the fourth consecutive game on Thursday. In his team's 2-1 loss to the Penguins, Terry skated just 13:47 and was held to zeroes across the board - no shots, hits or blocks. Pegged as a potential breakout candidate over the summer, the former Denver University standout has been unable to earn a spot in the Ducks' top-six forward group and is therefore limited in displaying his supreme offensive ability. It's not terribly uncommon to see a player struggle transition from the NCAA game to the NHL and, with just 37 NHL games under his belt, Terry still has plenty of time to adjust to the world's top league. However, with no points and just six shots recorded this season, the 22-year-old should likely stick to waiver wire in most fantasy formats until he can earn a more prominent role in Anaheim.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoPittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray recorded his second win of the season on Thursday, defeating the visiting Anaheim Ducks 2-1. The two-time Stanley Cup Champ was beat just once on 32 shots against in this one, including turning aside all 12 shots faced in the final frame. With a 2.52 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage through his first four starts of the campaign, Murray is off to quite a strong start - especially considering the myriad of injuries hitting the team in front of him. With three full NHL seasons under his belt, the 25-year-old has proven to be a steady second-tier fantasy netminder. Fantasy owners would be wise to start him yet again on Saturday when the Penguins take on a win-less Wild team.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby registered a goal and added an assist as his team defeated the Anaheim Ducks by the score of 2-1 on Thursday. The 32-year-old was buzzing throughout his 24:02 of ice time in the contest, also contributing a plus-one rating, two shots on goal and two hits. Missing forwards Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust, the Penguins will continue to expect their captain, an eight-time All-Star, to carry the load offensively. Overall, it's been yet another excellent start to the season for Crosby - having now posted six points (two goals, four assists) to go along with a plus-two rating, two power-play points and nine shots in his first four games. Crosby and the Pens will take on the Wild next on Saturday.
--Chase Davis - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoNashville Predators center Ryan Johansen scored his first two goals of the season during Thursday's 6-5 win over the Washington Capitals. The 27-year-old now has five points through his first four games of the season. Johansen had his most productive season as a member of the Predators in the 2018-19 campaign, and with a more potent offensive cast this season, he should be able to replicate the production. He is a worthy fantasy asset in the majority of formats.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoNashville Predators center Matt Duchene scored a goal and an assist during Thursday's 6-5 win over the Washington Capitals. The 28-year-old is having an excellent start with his new team, as he has recorded a point in each of the first four games. Duchene's linemates Filip Forsberg (one goal, one assist) and Mikael Granlund (two assists) also had multi-point efforts in the game. The Predators offense has looked fantastic to start the 2019-20 campaign as they head into a Saturday matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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