7 hours agoNew York Islanders defenseman Devon Toews had a big game on Saturday, finishing a 6-4 loss to Washington with three points. He scored the team's final goal and dished out two assists. Anthony Beauvillier also had a pair of helpers in the game, Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas and Jordan Eberle took care of the other goals. Toews had a nice start to the season with an eight-point October, but he's been slumping offensively since then. He had only two points in 16 games before Saturday's outbreak. The 25-year-old defenseman is now on 18 points overall for the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
7 hours agoWashington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin followed up his Thursday's hat trick against the Devils with another one on Saturday vs. the Islanders, helping the team win 6-4. Carl Hagelin, Tom Wilson, and Jakub Vrana also scored for the Caps, who produced a five-goal third period. Ovechkin is now among the 10 best goal-scorers in league history with 692 markers. Eight of them have come in his last three appearances. He'll get some extended rest now, with the All-Star game coming up and him getting a one-game suspension for skipping it.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
13 hours agoTampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy extended his personal winning streak to 10 games on Friday with a 7-1 victory over Winnipeg. He finished the game with 30 saves, improving his record for the season to 24-9-2. The 25-year-old Russian is now only the fourth goalie in league history to record winning streaks of 10-plus games in back-to-back seasons. He's done especially well since the turn of the year, producing his first two shutouts of the season and allowing more than two goals just once in seven outings. Vasilevskiy has a 2.54 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage, and he hasn't lost more than two starts in a row all season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
13 hours agoTampa Bay Lightning forwards Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov crushed Winnipeg on Friday night, combining for five goals in a 7-1 win. Cirelli scored his first career hat trick and Kucherov found the net twice, Ondrej Palat finished the big victory with three assists. The Bolts are full of offensive talent, and Cirelli became the team's seventh player this season to reach double figures in goals. He heads to the All-Star break on a three-game point streak. Kucherov will be taking a three-game goal streak with him, and he's now scored twice in back-to-back games. The Russian already has nine goals in January after entering the month with only 13 goals for the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
13 hours agoVeteran goaltender Ryan Miller slowed the potent Carolina Hurricanes offense as the Anaheim Ducks won 2-1 in overtime. It was his best start since the beginning of December. He stopped 25 of 26 shots. Forward Sam Steel scored the winning goal, which was just his fourth of the season. He now has 15 points in 43 games. In their first game without star defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who suffered a broken leg in the team’s previous game, the Hurricanes lacked jump. Sebastian Aho scored the lone goal for Carolina, which was his first goal in eight games. He now has 41 points in 48 games. Goaltender James Reimer was solid in net and stopped 35 of 37 shots. It was his second good start in a row despite the loss.
--Marc Hulet - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer stopped all 27 shots on goal in Thursday's 4-0 victory against the Sharks, earning his first shutout of the 2019-20 season in the contest. Valeri Nichushkin, Cale Makar, Ryan Graves and Matt Calvert each scored a goal in the win, while superstar center Nathan MacKinnon had the rare night where he was held off of the score sheet. Grubauer improves to a record of 13-10-4 to go along with a 2.81 goals against average and .911 save percentage through 28 games on the season. Grubauer should be started across all formats as the Avalanche will need their number one netminder to continue his high level of play to secure a top-three position in the Central Division playoff race.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoAnaheim Ducks left winger Rickard Rakell finished with one goal, one assist, a minus-one rating and three shots on goal in Thursday's 4-2 victory against the Predators. Rakell scored his 12th goal of the season midway through the second period, giving the Ducks a two goal advantage. Josh Manson, Adam Henrique and Derek Grant scored one goal apiece in the contest, while John Gibson made 33 saves to earn the victory. Rakell has produced 12 goals, 16 assists and 28 points through 41 games to sit tied in second for the team lead in points, but his fantasy value in standard formats is limited as the Ducks are 30th in the NHL in goal scoring production, while owning one of the worst power play percentages in the league. Nonetheless, Rakell has recorded three points over the past three games, making the 26-year-old forward worth owning in standard fantasy formats.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoColumbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins stopped 32-of-34 shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 victory against the Hurricanes, as the 25-year-old earned his third consecutive win during the month of January. Merzlikins improved to a record of 7-6-4 to go along with two shutouts, a 2.50 goals against average and .922 save percentage through 19 appearances. The surging Blue Jackets currently hold the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture — with a large part of their success being credited to the rookie netminder. Merzlikins has settled in as the primary goaltender for the team as a result of the unfortunate injury and meniscus surgery goaltender Joonas Korpisalo underwent at the beginning of the new year. Merzlikins should be owned across all fantasy formats with his current stretch of dominant performances, and will look to continue the winning ways when the Blue Jackets take on the Devils in a favorable matchup on Saturday.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoNew York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad totaled two points in Thursday's 3-2 victory against the Islanders, as the 26-year-old finished with one goal, one assist and five shots on goal in the contest. Zibanejad's multi-point effort marked his 12th game of at least two points on the season — to go along two goals, four assists and six points over the past five games. Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo and forward Chris Kreider each added a goal in the victory, while goaltender Alexandar Georgiev earned his 12th win of the campaign. Zibanejad is up to 18 goals, 19 assists and 37 points through 33 games, making the talented forward a must-own player across all fantasy formats moving forward.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoBoston Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak stopped 29-of-30 shots on goal in Thursday's 4-1 victory against the Bruins, recording his second win during the month of January. Halak allowed a goal to Sidney Crosby just 24 seconds into the opening period, but the 34-year-old was sharp the rest of the way, blanking the Penguins for the remainder of the night to improve to 11-5-6 on the season. Halak has produced a 2.42 goals against average, three shutouts and .921 save percentage while sharing the crease alongside Tuukka Rask — primarily in a timeshare throughout the past two seasons. With Rask (concussion) being placed on the injured reserve on Thursday, the Bruins recalled netminder Daniel Vladar from Providence on an emergency basis. Halak will receive the majority of starts with Rask sidelined, and he should be owned across standard formats for his solid production throughout the season.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby finished with a goal and three shots on goal in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Bruins. Crosby accounted for the lone Penguins goal in the game, as he opened the scoring just 24 seconds into the first period with a blast from the top of the point past goaltender Jaroslav Halak. Penguins forward Dominik Simon and defenseman Jack Johnson produced an assist on the goal, while Crosby logged 20:56 of time on ice in his second game back after the 28-game absence. The 32-year-old has been limited to only 19 games due to a sports hernia surgery in November, but the superstar center has managed to total seven goals, 15 assists and 22 points through 19 contests — making him a must-start player across all fantasy formats.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoLos Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar had a big night with three points on Thursday against Florida, but he couldn't lead the team to victory. The Kings found themselves 4-0 down before the Kopitar show started. He scored the final goal in a 4-3 loss and tallied two assists. Alex Iafallo continued his good form with his 10th goal of the season and Adrian Kempe netted one on a power-play. The team has struggled in 2019-20, but Kopitar has kept his performance levels high, picking up 43 points in 49 games. No other King has managed more than 27 points.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoFlorida Panthers right wing Evgenii Dadonov scored his 20th goal of the season on Thursday against the Kings, helping the team to a 4-3 victory. Frank Vatrano and Michael Matheson both scored in a second consecutive game, while Brian Boyle registered the eventual game-winner. Dadonov entered January with 14 goals, but he's now on a run of six goals in seven games, which makes him one of the hottest goal-scorers in the league. The Panthers have been full of goals this season, and they already have seven players in double figures. Dadonov leads the pack, and he also has 17 assists through 46 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoVancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson picked up two power-play assists during Thursday's 3-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. The slick Swedish pivot has tallied nine points over his past eight games. Pettersson is one of the brightest young stars in the league, as evidenced by his 50 points in 48 games. The 21-year-old is deserving of ownership in all fantasy formats heading into a Saturday matchup with the San Jose Sharks.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoVancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat recorded a power-play goal during Thursday's 3-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. The 24-year-old has produced five points over his past four games. Horvat is one of the offensive leaders for the Canucks, and he has lived up to expectations so far this season. He is deserving of ownership in the majority of fantasy formats. Horvat will look to continue his steady play on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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