The Hurricanes, Red Wings, Capitals and Devils are suspended until Thursday, by which time we should have a much clearer idea of how long New Jersey will have to get by without Jack Hughes (again). Of the assets to launch this new fantasy week, some highlights include the Canucks traveling through New York to take on the Rangers and Islanders, respectively, on Monday and Tuesday. The Flyers host the Penguins on Monday and the Canadiens on Wednesday, when most other teams are inactive, while the story is similar for the Avalanche, who host the Bruins and Knights on both nights with light schedules. More below about a figure you might want to stream in Colorado.
Elsewhere, the Stars have a great chance to get back to winning ways in a Monday-Wednesday home-and-home series against the hard-hit Wild. Some notable matchups on a busier Tuesday include the Oilers visiting a depleted Blackhawks team, missing Connor Bedard and others, in Chicago, the red-hot Panthers taking on the Blues in St. Louis and the Kraken hoping to extend his winning streak to seven. in Buffalo.
Resources: Goalie Depth Chart | Daily lines | Projections | Play for free | Player Qualifier | More added/removed | Mock Draft Lobby | How to watch on ESPN+
Supply
Rickard Rakell, F, Pittsburgh Penguins: Appearing in this space two weeks ago, shortly after returning from injury, Rakell still isn’t getting the love he deserves in the ESPN.com leagues. Enjoying the delightful job of skating on a goal line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, Rakell has four goals and five assists on 23 shots in eight games. Which equates to 2.6 fantasy/contest points over that stretch, more than Crosby himself. So why is the winger still available in more than half of ESPN.com’s leagues? At least stream it against the Flyers on Monday.
Gustav Nyquist, F, Nashville Predators: Enjoying significant minutes on a top line and power play with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly, the veteran forward has scored at least one point in every game since December 21, tallying six goals and six assists in eight games. Three of those twelve points counting on the extra skater. Unlike his linemates, Nyquist remains overwhelmingly tacit in ESPN.com leagues. The Predators host the Ducks on Tuesday.
Martin Jones, G, Toronto Maple Leafs: It’s hard to find any fault with Jones’ recent tour of California, after he allowed a total of two goals in three convincing wins. Credited with “calming everyone down” amid the team’s concerns in net, Toronto’s No. 1 for now is set to start against the Sharks again on Tuesday. The same club he stopped 23 of 24 shots against on Saturday, with the help of solid defense up front. The Maple Leafs then visit the Islanders on Thursday, before hosting the Avalanche on Saturday and the Red Wings on Sunday.
Thomas Harley, D, Dallas Stars: With Miro Heiskanen out week after week, the young defenseman is now logging over 24 minutes per game, including valuable time with the extra skater. Averaging 2.0 fantasy points/contest since the start of the season, a figure that should increase even more, Harley remains free in more than two-thirds of ESPN.com leagues.
Jonathan Drouin, F, Colorado Avalanche: This is more like what the Avs were hoping to get from Nathan MacKinnon’s former Halifax Mooseheads friend. Now skating on a top-scoring line and power-playing with MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, Drouin has 13 points in his last 12 games, including four goals and an assist in his last three. He is also playing a lot of minutes. If he’s not willing to bet on the 28-year-old, at least stream him against the Bruins on Monday and Wednesday in Las Vegas, when most other skaters are inactive.
Stock down
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning Since Christmas, Tampa’s favorite is 1-4-0, with an SV% of .859 and a GAA of 3.66. If not for the lone win against a badly hurt Minnesota team, his fantasy point total would dip into negative double digits. Consider benching Vasilevskiy for another netminder when the Kings visit Florida on Tuesday. And keep going, until the goalkeeper/team gets out of this bad moment.
Alexandar Georgiev, G, Colorado Avalanche: Not against Boston on Monday. Not after Georgiev allowed three goals on 15 shots in half a game with the Panthers over the weekend. The Bruins are filling the net with regularity these days.
Streamer Specials
Nazem Kadri, F, Calgary Flames: The Flames center has five goals and one assist in his last half-dozen games. The Senators, Calgary’s opponent on Tuesday, are giving up an average of 4.33 goals per game this calendar year.
Morgan Geekie, F, Boston Bruins: Given that the Avalanche are giving up goals like nobody’s business these days, deploying David Pastrnak’s linemate on a poorly scheduled Monday seems like a smart move. Especially since Geekie is on another streak, with a pair of goals and assists in his two most recent outings.
