RADIO
Mathew Barzal, Valtteri Filppula Scores For Isles In Loss
1/22:New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal scored a goal with a plus-1 rating, three shots on goal and a blocked shot in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss against the Chicago Blackhawks, while center Valtteri Filppula also connected for a goal, plus-1 rating and a minor penalty. Barzal came up empty in the shootout, however, as goaltender Cam Ward stopped him to end the game. Isles backstop Robin Lehner stopped 38 of the 40 shots he faced, including some huge stops in overtime. But Lehner was unable to stop Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews in the shootout. The Islanders will look to bounce back Feb. 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a nice measuring stick game after the All-Star break.Source: ESPN
Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome Each Post Two Points
1/22:Chicago Blackhawks right wing Alex DeBrincat posted two assists with a team-high six shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout win against the New York Islanders, while center Dylan Strome added a goal and an assist. The only thing that can cool off DeBrincat is the All-Star break, as he has posted seven goals with 10 points across the past eight outings. He has emerged as a must-start fantasy option this season, especially in pools which do not use the plus/minus category. Strome has caught fire over the past four, recording three multi-point games with two goals and seven points.Source: ESPN
Cam Ward Cools Off Islanders In Shootout Win
1/22:Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Cam Ward allowed two goals on 36 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout victory against the New York Islanders, earning first-star honors in the win. Ward denied Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal in the extra session, while his teammates scored their first two attempts against his counterpart Robin Lehner. The 34-year-old backstop heads into the All-Star break with an 8-8-4 record, and he has won back-to-back starts just once (Dec. 18-20) since his first two starts of the regular season back in early October. At this point he is a decent low-end No. 2 in deeper pools, or a solid No. 3 backstop.Source: ESPN
Pekka Rinne Stands Tall On Monday
1/22:Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne led his team to a 4-1 victory on Monday afternoon, stopping 35 of 36 shots against to capture his 18th win of the campaign. The 36-year-old entered the matinee contest winless in his previous three appearances (had allowed 14 goals over that span) so the win could be a big confidence-booster for last year's Vezina Trophy winner. Despite recent struggles, Rinne remains a top fantasy goaltender has still has a respectable 2.47 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in 35 starts. With the Preds nearly back to full health, the Finnish native's numbers should be on the rise and he'll look to put up another strong performance against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.Source: NHL.com
Frank Vatrano Nets Four Points In Blowout Win Over Sharks
1/22:Florida Panthers right wing Frank Vatrano had a goal and three assists during a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night. Vatrano is currently riding a three-game goal streak while playing on the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Evgenii Dadonov. He also sees time on the second power-play unit. Vatrano is an interesting fantasy asset that is worthy of ownership in deep league formats. Aaron Ekblad, Mike Matheson, Keith Yandle, Vincent Trocheck, and Nick Bjugstad also had goals in the contest while Barkov tallied three assists. The Panthers are now off until February 1 against the Nashville Predators.Source: NHL.com
Devan Dubnyk Earns Impressive Road Victory
1/22:Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk allowed two goals on 32 shots in Monday's 4-2 road victory against the Vegas Golden Knights, outdueling All-Star Marc-Andre Fleury in the process. Center Charlie Coyle scored the game-winning goal in the third period, while left wing Marcus Foligno, center Mikko Koivu (empty-net goal) and center Eric Staal also chipped in with markers. Dubnyk has won back-to-back starts and he is 6-3-0 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in nine outings in the month of January. The Wild play Wednesday on the road against the Avalanche before heading into the All-Star break.Source: ESPN
Colin Miller, Alex Tech Are Offensive Stars For Vegas
1/22:Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller picked up two assists with four shots on goal and three hits in Monday's 4-2 home setback against the Minnesota Wild. Right wing Alex Tuch stepped up with a power-play goal, two shots on net and a hit over 19:51 of ice time. Miller has managed four helpers in two games since returning from a 13-game absence due to injury. Tuch has been a huge surprise for Vegas, registering 16 goals with a team-high 39 points and a plus-12 rating, including four goals and nine assists with a plus-7 rating across the past 12 contests. The winger has emerged as a surprise must-start in all fantasy pools.Source: ESPN
Marc-Andre Fleury Suffers Rare Loss At Home
1/22:Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury coughed up three goals on just 21 shots in Monday's 4-2 home loss against the Minnesota Wild. The Knights had a 1-0 lead midway through the second period, but Fleury allowed two goals before Max Pacioretty evened the score 2-2 heading to the room after two. However, Fleury yielded an even-strength goal to Minnesota's Charlie Coyle before the Wild struck for a late empty-net goal to ice the game. Fleury slipped to 15-5-3 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 23 starts at home. He'll look to atone Wednesday against Nashville, unless the team elects to go with Malcolm Subban since Fleury will be in the All-Star Game festivities over the weekend in San Jose.Source: ESPN
Mackenzie MacEachern Notches His First NHL Goal
1/22:St. Louis Blues left wing Mackenzie MacEachern registered his first NHL goal in Monday's 4-3 road loss against the Los Angeles Kings, beating goaltender Jonathan Quick midway through the first period to open the scoring. He joined center Oskar Sundqvist and center Ryan O'Reilly (power-play goal) in the scoring column, while left wing Ivan Barbashev and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo each chipped in with a pair of helpers. The Blues will continue their road trip on Wednesday in Anaheim before heading out for the All-Star break.Source: ESPN
Jordan Binnington Suffers First Regulation Loss
1/22:St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington allowed four goals on 29 shots in Monday's matinee road loss against the Los Angeles Kings. He slipped to 4-1-1, suffering his first loss in regulation, although he still maintains a rather stellar 1.96 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. Binnington has been quite the revelation for the Blues, and he has eaten into the playing time of veteran Jake Allen, who carries a 15-15-4 record, 3.04 GAA and .897 save percentage. The Blues will wrap up their road trip in Anaheim on Wednesday before heading out for the All-Star break. You can likely expect Allen will get the chance to show what he can do in that one.Source: ESPN
Anze Kopitar Helps Kings To Home Victory On Monday
1/22:Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar posted a goal with an assist and a plus-1 rating in Monday's 4-3 victory against the visiting St. Louis Blues. Left wing Brendan Leipsic had a pair of assists with a plus-1 rating to join the multi-point club, while right wing Tyler Toffoli also chipped in with a goal and an assist with a plus-1. Kopitar and his fantasy owners are likely sad to see the All-Star break upon us, as he posted five goals and eight points over his past nine outings, including two multi-point efforts of his past five. The Kings are off until Feb. 2 when they kick off a road trip against the New York Islanders.Source: ESPN
Jonathan Quick Nails Down His 302nd NHL Victory
1/22:Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick allowed three goals on 36 shots in Monday's 4-3 victory against the visiting St. Louis Blues to pick up his 302nd win in the National Hockey League, surpassing Mike Richter's for sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list for U.S.-born goaltenders. "It's a cool milestone but we're just trying to get back in the playoff race," said Quick. Defenseman Paul LaDue found the back of the net in the third period to lift the Kings to a home victory over the Blues, a team they're pursuing in the west. Quick remains a decent No. 2 fantasy backstop in most leagues. The Kings are now off until Feb. 2 when they head east after the All-Star break to tangle with the Islanders.Source: ESPN
Robin Lehner Records Shutout On Sunday
1/21:New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner posted his third shutout of the season in his team's 3-0 defeat of the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. The 27-year-old wasn't overly busy in this one but came up perfect in stopping all 19 shots faced to earn his 15th win of the campaign. With the clean sheet, Lehner continues to build upon a remarkable first season with the Islanders - currently leading the NHL with a 2.02 goals-against average and sitting second with a .930 save percentage in 24 starts. He's evolved into a must-own fantasy goaltender (despite being owned in just 73% of Yahoo! leagued) and can be relied upon as a starting option each night he takes the crease.Source: NHL.com
Alex DeBrincat Lights Lamp Again On Sunday
1/21:Chicago Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat buried a goal and collected an assist in his team's 8-5 defeat of the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon. With his second-period tally, DeBrincat has now found the back of the net in six of his past seven contests and has seemingly taken his game to the next level offensively. In fact, the second-year talent has now racked up 15 goals in 24 games since the beginning of December and is now on pace to hit the 40-goal mark for the first time in his young career. DeBrincat has recently solidified his place as a top-100 asset in most fantasy formats and, due to his recent scoring streak, needs to be active in lineups each night he plays.Source: NHL.com
John Carlson Scores Twice In Sunday's Loss
1/21:Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson registered two goals but his team came up short by the score of 8-5 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Despite finishing the contest with a minus-one rating, the 29-year-old also registered four shots and three blocks in playing a game-high of 25 minutes and 50 seconds of ice time. Carlson continues to build off his career season last year (in which he led all defensemen in scoring with 68 points) with 45 points (eight goals, 37 assists) through his initial 47 games. The talented rearguard contributes in nearly all fantasy categories (plus-19 rating, 19 power-play points, 106 shots) and has emerged as an undisputed top-five defenseman in nearly all fantasy formats. He'll look to fill up the box score once again in his team's next game versus the Sharks on Tuesday.Source: NHL.com
