Fantasy Weekend Rundown: Larkin and Fabbri's Hot Streak, O'Reilly and More

The big topic heading into the weekend will be the Leafs’ big acquisition of Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari. Despite O’Reilly’s poor season (19 points and minus-24 in 40 games), it immediately solidifies the Leafs’ depth at center, and Acciari is a very useful player who can score (10 goals in 54 games) with a lot of jam (168 hits).

The Leafs have a back-to-back this weekend, ensuring that O’Reilly and Acciari will get acclimated with their new team very quickly. It should be relatively easy tests, however, with a home date against the Habs and then a visit to the Hawks, both teams that are headed for the lottery.

The big news is that Cale Makar is travelling on the road trip, which means he could return to the lineup after a four-game absence. His presence will obviously be huge for the Avs, who play a back-to-back this weekend. This also means that third-string Justus Annunen could make his season debut following a solid season in the AHL (16-8-4/.916/2.55) in a tough Pacific Division.

Torey Krug is expected to play after he missed Friday’s practice, as will Sammy Blais. The Blues are 3-0-0 since trading Vladimir Tarasenko and have not missed his scoring touch at all, scoring 16 goals and making things easy for Jordan Binnington, who has actually played well all season. Brayden Schenn is a strong streaming option taking Brandon Saad’s place on the top line, while Jake Neighbours possesses some upside as one of their top prospects even though he’s playing third-line minutes.

The Panthers need to start building a lot of momentum in a tight wild-card race. They’ve won five of their past seven but are just 2-1-0 in their four-game road trip so far, with only one win in regulation. Sam Bennett is questionable, meaning Eetu Luostarinen is expected to center Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, making him a strong streaming play.

The Preds, meanwhile, are in shambles. Filip Forsberg remains out, and they’ve lost three of their past four with only four goals scored in regulation. Roman Josi and Juuse Saros remain top-tier fantasy options, but it’s capped because Josi gets no help, and Saros can’t win games without goal support.

The Isles are coming off a big 5-4 win in regulation against the rival Pens and replacing Josh Bailey with Anders Lee on the top line, which turned out to be good for everyone. Lee finished with three points, Mathew Barzal had two assists, and Bo Horvat did his thing with 24:18 TOI to lead all forwards and won 14 faceoffs. Bailey finished with a string of zeros and 7:38 TOI, which is more reflective of where he’s at in his career.

The Isles are just scraping by even after their big trade, which is somewhat concerning, so the Bruins will be a good test. They’re coming off a 5-0 win against the Preds, and Pavel Zacha is the one to pay attention to now, with five points in his past five games. He’s already surpassed his career high set last season in 16 fewer games played.

Dustin Tokarski is expected to start after Casey DeSmith lost against the Isles on Friday. It goes without saying that goaltending is a huge issue for the Pens, though Tristan Jarry could return for this game. It’ll coincide with the return of Jack Hughes, who missed the previous four games with an injury. Note, however, that the lines are looking slightly different, with Jesper Bratt lining up with Hughes and Ondrej Palat playing with Erik Haula. Bratt-Hughes should be a very interesting combo, though Palat’s offensive output might dip without Bratt or Nico Hischier. We’ll have to see if the new-look lines pan out.

Look for Scott Wedgewood to get the start since Jake Oettinger started in his home state against the Wild on Friday. The Jackets’ recent slide has put them neck-and-neck in contention with the Blackhawks in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, but the Stars haven’t fared much better, going 2-1-4 in their past seven and not providing much goal support even with basically a healthy lineup (sans Joel Kiviranta). The Stars mustered just two goals in their previous meeting but should pull off the win without any worry, making Wedgewood a good streaming option.

The Leafs may be forced to start Joseph Woll if Ilya Samsonov isn’t ready to go, but in either case, they should dominate the Habs, who have been riddled with injuries. Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari are expected to make their Leafs debuts, and their center depth will be a serious problem for the Habs. How O’Reilly responds despite his difficult season will be interesting, but note he’s likely going to be a defensive specialist behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares, bumping David Kampf to the fourth line. O’Reilly’s fantasy value gets a slight bump because a change of scenery might do him some good, but he’s unlikely to produce much offense. Acciari’s the one who might get a bigger bump depending on his linemates, and there’s a potential fit next to Tavares by bumping Alex Kerfoot, who just doesn’t have a top-six skill set.

Justin Barron had been providing solid 16 to 17 minutes per night, but he’s questionable along with Joel Edmundson after Barron suffered an injury on Thursday. Half of the Habs’ forwards are already AHL call-ups, but note the play of Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who has scored seven goals in 11 games playing on the top line and a worthwhile streaming option as long as he stays hot. If anyone can get the most out of the diminutive scoring winger, it’s Martin St-Louis, who basically wrote the book on how to overcome size and adversity.

Also noteworthy is Jonathan Drouin, who has five assists in four games, but he’s far too boom-or-bust, and it may be too little, too late to recoup any fantasy value. Drouin’s point production is far too dependent on special teams and who he plays with, and through 32 games has yet to score a goal.

Alex Ovechkin is unlikely to play following the death of his father, which takes a big bite out of their offense. Actually, Ovechkin is their offense, and with Marcus Johansson getting hurt on Thursday, the Caps will be without their top two goal-scorers. Darcy Kuemper has not been good enough to steal any games and faces a Canes squad that has been absolutely steamrolling through the competition with a 9-1-0 record in their past 10. Even with Andrei Svechnikov’s 18-game goal drought, which will get snapped at any time, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis have really carried the offense. Even Teuvo Teravainen has come alive, scoring four points in his past five games.

Both teams have been woeful, and it’ll be a test of their mental fortitude. The Flyers arguably played their worst game of the season in Seattle, leaving John Tortorella practically speechless in his post-game presser, while the Canucks went back to basics on defense during Rick Tocchet’s recent practice.

It doesn’t matter that Thatcher Demko suffered a setback and will not be available – no goalie should suffer the embarrassment of playing in front of the Canucks’ tattered defense. Whether they’re testing Arturs Silovs, who got his first NHL start in a loss to the Rangers, or just plain out of options is to be determined, but look for Collin Delia to start. Minor leaguer Phil Di Giuseppe has remained in a top-six role and played a season-high 15:28 last game, making him an under-the-radar streaming option. The Flyers are in slightly better shape, and Tocchet was once a finalist for the job Tortorella won, but there just might not be enough to get revenge.

The Flames have lost five of their past seven and cannot commit to either Daniel Vladar or Jacob Markstrom in net because they have been very, very subpar. It’s overshadowed a three-game point streak by Dillon Dube, some nice play from Jakob Pelletier – playing on the second line but not producing enough to be a fantasy option – and Mikael Backlund’s line continues to rank among one of the league’s best in analytics.

The Rangers will likely start Jaroslav Halak after defeating the Oilers in a shootout Friday night. It’s the seventh straight win for the Rangers. Alexis Lafreniere has scored nine points in his 10 games, and the ‘Kid Line’ continues to be really good for them. If this keeps up, Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil may be worth rostering rather than just streaming.

This should be an interesting matchup, but don’t count on Connor Ingram to have a record-breaking shutout performance again. The Coyotes constantly punch above their weight and have split the season series so far. They’re at a huge disadvantage, but the play of Barret Hayton as their top center and the return of Matias Maccelli closes the gap a little.

The Kings, meanwhile, have scored 15 goals in their past three games and are also expected to get Gabe Vilardi back in the lineup. Pheonix Copley should get the start having gone 5-0-1 and starting to really make the Kings think twice about getting goaltending help. He’s a good streaming option if Copley hasn’t been rostered in your fantasy league already.

The Sabres snapped out of their funk in a 7-3 win against the Ducks, and they have a chance to keep the momentum going as they wrap up their California road trip in San Jose. Eric Comrie won the start, but it didn’t really help him gain the upper hand in their three-goalie rotation. Expect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to start, and he’s the Sabres goalie to roster going forward now, tomorrow and years from now.

The Sharks' offense has lost some of its bite recently, and that’s going to keep happening as long as they keep dealing their veterans. There are some intriguing streaming options, such as Nick Bonino on the top line and Mikey Eyssimont on the second line, both of whom play PP2. However, note that once Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson are gone, Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and everyone else’s production will likely tank. James Reimer was unable to dress Thursday, so he’s questionable for Saturday, putting Kaapo Kahkonen in the starter’s crease.

The Wings are on a heater. They’ve won five straight and seven of their past 10, and a win in Seattle would be their fourth straight on the road. Dylan Larkin has been the de facto leader and remains a top-tier fantasy asset, but Robby Fabbri has also been excellent with a four-game point streak despite averaging just one shot on goal per game. Jakub Vrana was just summoned from the AHL after Lucas Raymond was placed on IR but has yet to appear in a game. With the Wings rolling, there’s no hurry to insert Vrana back in the lineup, though note he had been tearing up the AHL during his rehab assignment and could (should?) replace Filip Zadina in the lineup.

The Kraken, meanwhile, have largely struggled since their hot January, losing four of their past six. Their two wins came against the Flyers, who looked tired and, despite all the hullabaloo of being a new franchise, have been just OK at home (14-10-3). Two players to watch are Eeli Tolvanen, who is on a four-game point streak and has been sensational for the Kraken since getting claimed, and Oliver Bjorkstrand, who has four points in four games after being snakebit for almost the entire season. Bjorkstrand’s a decent high-volume shooter who should have more than just 11 goals, and it might be a sign that his current 8.1 shooting percentage is reverting back to the mean…

The Knights have a bit of their swagger back with a four-game winning streak, and their defensive structure is clearly paying dividends for their goalies because Adin Hill went 2-0-0 with only three goals allowed. Granted, it was the Ducks and Sharks, so this will be a stiff test. Jack Eichel has five points in his past three games, waking up from a six-game slumber, but it’s become quite apparent that he’s not really a franchise center, just a very good one. Paul Cotter has become a great streaming play in the meantime, and he’s scored a goal in three consecutive games.

You could also say the same about Anthony Cirelli, who’s scored six points in four games and has been quite the prolific shooter with 11 shots during that span. Playing with Steven Stamkos obviously helps when the Lightning go with a 12-6 lineup rather than 11-7.

This is a great chance for the Wild to snap their slump because no team in the league is more stuck in purgatory than the Preds. Without Filip Forsberg, the Preds lineup just presents no upside. Even value streaming options such as Juuso Parssinen or Cody Glass have little appeal.

Thomas Greiss should get the start in this one, but the Sens aren’t bad enough to warrant streaming Greiss. The Sens will also be rested, playing their second straight home game, though it’ll be the fourth game for both teams this week.

The Avs are playing on home ice but played in St. Louis the night before, while the Oilers will be just playing their third game of the week. Justus Annunen could draw the start, and it’s going to be a difficult one facing the Oilers, though their goaltending has once again become an issue. Expect Stuart Skinner to start this game. With two straight games with four goals allowed, Jack Campbell’s hot streak is likely over.

There’s a part of me that thinks Patrick Kane will look downright miserable knowing the Rangers and Leafs are no longer trade destinations. It may be his wish to stay in Chicago, but he’s a valuable trade piece, and a change of scenery might spark more offensive production. Cole Guttman is an interesting choice at center without Jonathan Toews, but with two games’ worth of evidence, it’s unlikely Guttman makes any kind of fantasy impact. Guttman replacing Jason Dickinson also means Dickinson has nil fantasy value.

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start following an illness, and the Devils are playing the second half of a back-to-back. What’s been most confounding about the Jets from a fantasy perspective, however, is the lack of ice time for Nikolaj Ehlers. He’s averaging only 14 minutes per game over the past three games, even though he’s been productive at both even strength and on the power play. If Ehlers was playing closer to 18 minutes per game, he could be well over a point per game.

The Coyotes should have the upper hand, and it’ll likely be Connor Ingram’s first start after a 47-save shutout against the Lightning. Even with Johnny Gaudreau producing at a point-per-game pace, the Jackets' offense just doesn’t score very often, ranked 30th in goals for per game in the league. While it’s unlikely Ingram will replicate his otherworldly performance in his previous start, the Jackets are usually a good matchup for any goalie in fantasy.