Happy Thanksgiving to my friends south of the border. Let’s check in on some of the hottest options in the league!
HOT – Robby Fabbri – Blues – 3 goals, 5 points in last 4 games
Since being scratched against Nashville on November 10, Fabbri is riding a four-game scoring streak. Was he motivated by the benching or is this simply the result of being bumped up onto Vladimir Tarasenko’s line upon his return? Whatever the cause, fantasy owners are happy because Fabbri’s slow start was becoming worrisome.
Will Fabbri continue to see top line and top power play usage going forward? That’s a question we simply cannot answer.
HOT – Victor Rask – Hurricanes – 4 goals, 5 points in last 5 games
Being the Hurricanes’ #1 centreman is perhaps not a distinction that carries much weight in fantasy circles but the 15 points in 17 games that Rask has thus far should grab your attention. Rask isn’t going to finish with the 70 points he is on pace for but hitting the high 50’s would be a breakout that fantasy owners could get behind. That sort of scoring is in play.
As a bonus, the Hurricanes offer a fantastic schedule for the upcoming week with four games, three of which come on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, which all light days on the schedule this week. Rask, and his teammates like Teuvo Teravainen, Noah Hanifin and Sebastian Aho offer value as streaming plays for this week.
HOT – Patrick Eaves – Stars – 7 goals, 10 points in last 8 games
The Stars are finally getting healthy with Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza and Cody Eakin all returning this past week. Their return hasn’t slowed down Eaves any. In fact, it may help him, as the Stars were able to reunite Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin on Saturday, with Eaves playing third wheel. It’s a great spot, and in which Eaves has flourished before.
The knock on Eaves is that he can never sustain this sort of play. Whether through injuries or inconsistency, his play always falls off. This has been the best 10-game stretch of his Stars’ tenure. Can he stay healthy enough to be a long term asset for fantasy owners? The smart money is against it but rather than rooting for an injury, scoop him up and see how long it can last.
HOT – Andrei Markov – Canadiens – 2 goals, 10 points in last 8 games
Markov’s nine-game scoring streak came to a close against the Maple Leafs this weekend but is a key cog in fueling the Canadiens’ offense. He skates on the top power play unit, acting as a key setup man for Shea Weber’s bombs from the point. Don’t sleep on Markov because of his age. He remains one of the smartest, smoothest puck movers in the game.
HOT – Cam Ward – Hurricanes – 6 Wins, 1.88 GAA, 0.934 Sv%, 1 Shutout in last 10 games
Ward has been an anchor for years. The last time he had a league-average save percentage was 2012. You should be skeptical. Even with his run of hot play, Ward’s save percentage still sits below the league average. All this said, sometimes you have to make like a homeless man with a pizza box and make due with what you’ve got available.
NOT – Alex Ovechkin – Capitals – 2 goals, 2 points in last 7 games
Overall, Ovechkin is fine. He is on pace for 41 goals and 59 points. Those are fair numbers but odds are that you drafted Ovechkin expecting much more. There are also some concerning trends to monitor here. Barry Trotz has declared that he wants to limit the wear and tear on his stars by reducing their ice time. Ovechkin is down to 18:28 per game after skating over 20 minutes per game in each of the past four seasons. The last time Ovechkin’s minutes fell below 20 per game was in his anomalous 65-point 2011-12 season.
Also concerning is the reduction in shots per game, likely resulting from the clipping of his minutes. Ovechkin is still among the shot leaders but he normally blows the league away and he is currently trailing Brent Burns. Ovechkin is on pace for “only” 341 SOG, which stinks if you drafted him expecting near 400.
NOT – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Capitals – 1 goal, 1 point in last 9 games
Can you say buy low? The minute-clipping that has struck Ovechkin has not been a factor for Kuznetsov who is averaging just four seconds fewer per game than he did a season ago. He is skating in the exact same role as last season when he busted out for 77 points. Expecting that many points again is foolish at this point but so is writing him off entirely. Kuznetsov has yet to score on the power play this season. Pucks are going in while Kuznetsov is out there at even strength he has only recorded points on those goals about 50% of the time. A player as talented and involved as Kuznetsov should expect to record points closer to 75% of the time. He is lagging on all fronts but it should turn around soon enough.
NOT – Richard Panik – Blackhawks – 0 points in last 9 games
Remember when Panik was leading the league in goals or was that just some strange fever dream? Panik is a popsicle and it doesn’t look like it will turn around at any point. He is barely even shooting the puck with just 27 SOG in 19 games.
NOT – Jacob Trouba – Jets – 0 points in last 6 games
Trouba has yet to score this season. Am I shocked? No. People look at the 29 points Trouba scored in 65 games as a rookie as an indication of high upside. While that’s true in theory, in practice the Jets use Trouba in more of a shutdown role. He has skated over half of the Jets’ penalty kill minutes since returning while seeing only secondary power play time.
On the plus side, he been skating on the right side, lining up across from Tobias Enstrom. Thus far, he has been freed of the Mark Stuart anchor that has dragged him down. Will this continue once Tyler Myers returns? It’s debatable but the fact he hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunity with Myers out does not bode well for his fantasy prospects. On another team, Trouba could likely be a #1 option. On the Jets, he’s not fantasy relevant in most formats.
NOT – Brian Elliott – Flames – 5 Losses, 3.62 GAA, 0.869 Sv% in last 5 games
Elliott has struggled mightily for the Flames and is now losing his starting gig to the capable Chad Johnson who has started four in a row. Elliott has a good chance to right the ship if he gets the start against Buffalo tonight. Johnson started both ends of their last back-to-back but the Flames may not want to tire him out.
While Elliott has a good chance of getting back on track, the Flames ultimately are not a good team, especially not with Johnny Gaudreau out with a broken finger. Unless you are in a supremely deep league, Elliott is looking droppable.
Steve Laidlaw is the Managing Editor of DobberHockey. Follow him on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.
