It's been a rough week. With 18 players in COVID-19 protocol at last count, the Calgary Flames have been idle since last Saturday. Missing several key skaters and/or coaches, the Carolina Hurricanes (having their own game with the Minnesota Wild postponed this week), Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils and others have scrambled to ice healthy, competitive sides. The province of Ontario has instructed the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators to play in half-full arenas until further notice. In perhaps the most jarring move of the week, the Montreal Canadiens shuttered their doors, last-minute, to all fans ahead of Thursday's game with the Flyers. Since then, the league has postponed Montreal's Saturday meeting with Boston. Never even mind the fading prospect of NHL participation in the upcoming Olympics. Other than that no one has fallen seriously ill from COVID - and thank goodness for that - it's all been rather bleak.
So how about we focus on some good news, if just for a moment? Amidst all the worry and uncertainty, fun things are still happening during this (not yet paused) NHL campaign. Alex Ovechkin is scoring like a player possessed. Steven Stamkos is making not-so-old injuries seem like a distant memory. The Minnesota Wild are proving a cohesive, group effort can work in winning more often than not. Other teams and players are also exceeding expectations, which merits our attention. For a brief change of pace then, let's have a tour of what's going right around the NHL - a good news report, if you will - and the accompanying fantasy fallout.
Anaheim Ducks: How about them Ducks? So much for waiting for the alleged house of cards to tumble in Anaheim. More than a third way through the season, Dallas Eakins' squad is 17-9-5 and sits atop the Pacific Division. At first concerned about the perceived absence of secondary scoring behind a top line consisting of Troy Terry and Ryan Getzlaf (and usually Adam Henrique who's currently hurt), I've since felt reassured that the Trevor Zegras/Sonny Milano/Rickard Rakell trio should pitch in sufficiently. (Have you heard of this Zegras kid? People say he's fun.) Suffering a minor lull of late, that second line remounted the scoring horse in Wednesday's win over the Kraken. Zegras (rostered in 39.2% of ESPN.com standard leagues) and Rakell (22%) are largely available in ESPN.com leagues and shouldn't be. Milano (14.5%) has a role to play in deeper leagues.
Trevor Zegras joins The Point to break down his amazing circus pass to set up Sonny Milano's goal.
While Cam Fowler (58.2%) is puzzlingly under-rostered as a consistent performer on Anaheim's blue line, the most intriguing fantasy drama is unfolding in net. John Gibson is banged up and presently sidelined. We're still not sure of how badly and for how long. Enter backup Anthony Stolarz (11.4%), who's been stellar in Gibson's stead. An analytics darling this season, Stolarz also boasts sparkling conventional numbers with a .932 SV% and 2.13 GAA. He's allowed three total goals in four recent appearances - including one partial and one full shutout - and won all three of his starts. If you need a temporary streaming option through the coming days, Anaheim's No. 2 could serve beautifully. The Ducks are scheduled to face the Coyotes, Oilers, Flames (fingers crossed), and Canucks before the Christmas break.
Vancouver Canucks: Record-wise, the Canucks are batting 1.000 under new head coach Bruce Boudreau. Since Dec. 6, the club is a flawless 6-0, allowing 1.67 goals/game while scoring 3.17. The power play is humming along at a 31.3% clip, while the penalty kill is also much improved. A run of perfection that's bound to skid to a halt shortly. (Perhaps against the visiting Maple Leafs on Saturday).
However, just as the team isn't as unbeatable as this current streak suggests, they're not nearly as bad as the pre-Boudreau version either. As a group and individually. Posting five goals and two assists through 10 days, Brock Boeser has evidently rediscovered his scoring touch (and, not coincidentally, sense of confidence). Available in more than 25% in ESPN.com leagues, Boeser should be sized up as a potential asset immediately. That the winger appears a little testy whenever asked about the team's fresh success under their new bench boss only adds to his fantasy harm. Testy can be good. Forward Elias Pettersson is also showing signs of renewed scoring life, with a pair of goals and an assist in his past three games. While Pettersson remains largely accounted for, linemate Conor Garland could be obtainable in your ESPN.com league. Garland should merit consideration in deeper fantasy leagues, as I'd suggest the best is yet to come.
On the blue line, Oliver Ekman-Larsson hasn't yet had the chance to settle in under his new coach, having lost a handful of games to injury. But the former Coyotes top defenseman is back now and slotted in on the secondary power play. Underperforming to date, Ekman-Larsson is heartily due to rebound from the measly five points accumulated in 28 games. Even with Quinn Hughes gobbling up more quality minutes with the extra skater, the 30-year-old should be contributing at a much greater clip. I like the sixth-overall draft selection (2009) as a fantasy asset who's due, beginning in early 2022.
Between the pipes, Thatcher Demko (81.5%) should now be spoken for across the fantasy spectrum - and not only because he's averaged 8.28 points/game in ESPN.com standard leagues since Boudreau's arrival. Demko is still going to stumble on occasion, but not nearly as often as in the games leading up to Dec. 5. Plus, and this is big in my view, new president of hockey operations/interim GM Jim Rutherford isn't entirely content with how the Canucks are currently constructed. In win-now mode, Rutherford appears intent on filling gaps ahead of the season's trade deadline. Such moves should only add to Demko's value as a goaltender with a greater shot at winning, night in and night out. Same applies to backup Jaroslav Halak, as a Daily Fantasy commodity, when offered the chance to give Vancouver's starter a night off.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Without Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust and, since the very beginning of the 2021-22 season, Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins still sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division, having won five straight. Filling in for Rust on the left side of Sidney Crosby, versatile forward Evan Rodrigues (16.4%) has been a revelation of late, potting a goal and five assists in four games, including three points in Monday's win over the Canadiens. Dubbed E-Rod by teammates and coaches, the 28-year-old is shooting a lot more than ever before and is reaping the benefits. While Guentzel's return won't affect Rodrigues' role, Rust's healthy comeback well could. But we're not there yet. In the meanwhile, Crosby's current left wing presents as a solid streaming option on any fantasy roster sporting it's own injury-related holes.
In additional positive news for the club, the Penguins might not be long for Malkin's season debut. The team's other prolific center is "getting closer", according to coach Mike Sullivan. Traveling and practising with the team (in a non-contact role), Malkin could, realistically, return to action soon after the Christmas break. Fantasy managers might be interested to know the veteran scorer is still available in approximately a fifth of ESPN.com leagues.
Lastly, don't sleep on backup Casey DeSmith (1.7%) as a streaming or daily fantasy asset. Playing second fiddle to Tristan Jarry, the Penguins' No. 2 has been superb in a pair of recent starts, including a 33-save shutout of the Ducks. Pittsburgh is scheduled to face the Buffalo Sabres, Devils (twice) and Philadelphia Flyers through four games in the next seven days. Betcha the backup suits up for at least one of those very winnable contests.