The early edition covers the four games in the Eastern Conference, with potential streamers to replace the injured Matt Boldy on the Wild and Kirby Dach on the Habs.
Canucks at Flyers, 6 p.m. ET
The big story in this matchup is that Sean Couturier is questionable due to an injury, though the good news it’s unrelated to his back. This is obviously not good for the Flyers since Couturier had been playing like a No. 1 center but, thankfully, they’ve got some depth. You’d think Morgan Frost would fill the void, but he’s struggling (0 points, 2 shots, 28.6 FOW%, 13:58 TOI/GP), which means John Tortorella’s probably going back to Travis Konecny, who scored three points in two games against the Canucks last season. He'll be a must-start tonight.
For streaming options, note Cam York (5% rostered) is their PP1 QB and Travis Sanheim (1% rostered) is averaging 25 minutes per game. Sanheim (2 assists, 6 PIM, 3 shots, 3 blocks), in particular, is gaining some fantasy value. With that kind of usage, some more power-play points – he’s their PP2 QB – and the blocks he usually gets, he’s quickly gaining momentum in banger leagues.
The Canucks offense has been wicked, as expected. It’s not showing on the shot total, but Quinn Hughes is shooting the puck a lot more and this is a good chance to buy low on someone who’s fantasy value is going to jump along with his shot volume. He’s on pace for 164 shots, a modest bump from last season’s 154, but note he’s also on pace for 451 shot attempts after taking 368 last season. Hughes' fantasy value feels like it's never going to be lower.
Hughes’ ‘D’ partner, Filip Hronek (45% rostered), is worth streaming. Together they form one of the best pairs in the league, and he’s already at two assists, two shots, three blocks and a team-leading plus-5. There’s been some increased interest in Conor Garland (11% rostered) but it’s a reach; though Garland’s playing on the top line, he’s also averaging less than 10 minutes per game. It's a pass on Garland.
After getting pulled in the season opener and then backup Casey DeSmith in their second game due to the flu, Thatcher Demko is healthy and expected to start. He’s excellent when healthy and a must-start every night, and he alone should give the Canucks a big edge in this matchup.
Wild at Canadiens, 7 p.m. ET
The big news out of Montreal on Monday was that Kirby Dach had suffered a significant lower-body injury, potentially suffering an MCL and ACL injury that may knock him out for the season. This is a huge blow for both Dach and the Habs because he had been pushing Nick Suzuki to be the No. 1 center, and in the season opener registered two assists, three shots, three hits and plus-2 in 21:22 TOI.
This has pushed Alex Newhook (5% rostered) to center and gives him a chance to play more minutes. Newhook needs to show a little more to be considered a regular roster player in fantasy, but this at least gives him a short-term boost as a streamer. This also boosts Sean Monahan (2% rostered), who had an excellent game against the Blackhawks (1 goal, 1 assist, 3 shots, 14 faceoff wins, plus-3). Between Newhook and Monahan, I’d take Monahan because he’s got the PP1 role with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Want another streamer? Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (2% rostered) moves to the top line and he’s really great in banger leagues. He’s scored an assist in two straight games and added five hits and two blocks. He’s a sparkplug, feisty player with some finishing ability, having played on the top line last season and during the preseason.
The Wild are reeling from a significant injury of their own in Matt Boldy, who’s out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. This is going to put a lot of pressure on Kirill Kaprizov, who is a notoriously slow starter. There’s no immediate beneficiary of the minutes vacated by Boldy, except maybe Marcus Johansson (4% rostered) moves to PP1. With the Wild up against the cap, they might play 11-7 and dress Dakota Mermis.
Brock Faber (5% rostered) is getting a lot of attention and rightfully so. He’s trailing only Jonas Brodin in ice time, and I noted numerous times in the preseason that his well-rounded game will be more favored than Calen Addison. Faber has two points, three shots, three hits and three blocks in the early going and might end up being their top defenseman in fantasy. Faber’s worth adding if you’re desperate for a defenseman because the multi-category upside is there.
On that note, Mike Matheson (35% rostered) is still under-rostered and needs to be picked up now.
Lightning at Sabres, 7:30 p.m. ET
Jonas Johansson and a thin Lightning defense might just be what’s needed for the Sabres offense to wake up. Johansson’s been fine, but you really have to watch his matchups and this is one where I’d strongly consider benching him. The Sabres are at home, looking at this game like a litmus test and itching to score goals.
With Steven Stamkos out of the lineup, look for Anthony Cirelli (5% rostered) to play another big game. He played 21:20 on Sunday against the Sens, and has now scored a point in consecutive games. The Sabres defense is porous, so Cirelli’s a good streaming option though note it’s Brandon Hagel who has taken Stamkos’ spot on PP1.
The Sabres offense will come around at some point, so just stick with it. I’m still not sure Zach Benson (6% rostered) will stick with the team all season, and would instead turn my attention to his center, Casey Mittelstadt (14% rostered). Mittelstadt is coming off a breakout 59-point campaign and, so far, has looked better than Dylan Cozens.
Coyotes at Islanders, 7:30 p.m. ET
This is the Coyotes’ second game of a back-to-back after a narrow 2-1 defeat to the Rangers, and it might be a little tougher after a post-game line scrum. Facing Igor Shesterkin and then Ilya Sorokin? You might as well just play the entire game in the neutral and defensive zones because you're not scoring on either.
Anyway, the Yotes look good, and this is perhaps your final warning to roster both Sean Durzi (59% rostered), who is their PP1 QB, and top prospect Logan Cooley (49% rostered), who is also plays on PP1. Both players have seen their rostered percentages increase significantly. There’s still some time for Barrett Hayton (16% rostered), who has yet to score a point, but his usage – L1 and PP1 – makes him a very attractive season-long hold.
I’m really tired of the Isles offense and, with no disrespect to Brock Nelson, it’s an indictment of your offense when he’s your most dangerous scorer. Bo Horvat continues to stuff the stats sheet like he always does in banger leagues (8 shots, 2 hits, 15 faceoff wins), but his value in points league is so limited when he doesn’t score, with an unexciting 30-30 ceiling.
The most frustrating has been Mathew Barzal (63% rostered), who has offered little fantasy value since his rookie season. The Isles are toying with playing Barzal on the left wing to see if he’s better offensively from his off-side, but when raw prospect Simon Holmstrom is playing the opposite wing, it’s just hard to score points. It’s also a waste of his C/RW eligibility since Barzal doesn’t take draws playing with Horvat. It’s early, but every season we think Barzal can score more points, and yet every season he just seems to disappoint. I’ve already dumped him in one of my leagues, but perhaps you have more patience.
