Fantasy Hockey Daily Roundup — 03/08/19
The Fantasy Hockey Daily Roundup highlights the most prominent fantasy hockey news in the NHL. It provides analysis Monday through Friday on the fantasy implications of the day’s biggest stories.
Donato Continues to Wild Out in Minnesota
Ryan Donato has excelled in Minnesota since being acquired from the Boston Bruins on February 20. The 22-year-old has two goals, seven assists, and 20 shots on goal in eight games with the Wild. He’s been an effective player at 5v5 with a 52.1 CF%, though his 11.7 on-ice SH% is due for some regression. Still, Donato has played himself onto the top line in Minnesota alongside Eric Staal and Jason Zucker. There isn’t a better spot to be in that lineup, and he’s even getting a look with the first power-play unit. He carries triple-position eligibility in Yahoo! (C,LW,RW) and is available in 74% of standard leagues. Jump on him now if you still can.
Donato’s arrival coincides with an impressive run of play from Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk owns a 6-0-1 record with a .943 SV% since February 21. He shocked the hockey world by blanking the Lightning in last night’s 3-0 victory. His hot streak has led Bruce Boudreau to make the uncommon decision of starting his netminder on back-to-back nights. Dubnyk will be back in between the pipes for tonight’s game against the Panthers.
Palmieri Returns to Devils Lineup
Palmieri will rejoin the Devils tonight in Washington. He hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury on February 25. He is expected to skate on New Jersey’s top line, though he will be without linemate Nico Hischier. Hischier remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team for their two-game road trip. Palmieri will instead skate alongside Travis Zajac and Kenny Agostino. To say New Jersey is icing a depleted lineup would be an understatement, and Palmieri’s upside is obviously hampered by the team’s injury struggles. Still, Palmieri is a proven goal-scorer and he will be heavily-utilized while New Jersey continues to get healthy. Check your waiver wire to see if someone got impatient and dumped him during the injury. He’s available in 39% of standard Yahoo! leagues and makes for an excellent addition to any fantasy playoff run.
Voracek Bolsters Philly Lineup in Saturday Return
Jakub Voracek will return to the Flyers lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Islanders. He is expected to resume his spot on Sean Couturier’s line on the opposite wing of Oskar Lindblom. Voracek hasn’t played since March 1 due to a lower-body injury. His return is a huge boost to the upside of Couturier and Lindblom. The three of them are averaging an impressive 29 scoring chances per 60 at 5v5 together. Lindblom has taken full advantage of his role inside Philly’s top-six, playing himself onto the fantasy radar. He is an excellent streaming option next week when Philadelphia plays on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. He’s almost universally available at just 3% ownership in standard Yahoo! leagues.
Minor Update on Karlsson
Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said today he is “very confident” that Erik Karlsson will play before the playoffs. With the fantasy playoffs on the horizon, the news isn’t very encouraging for Karlsson owners. By all accounts, it doesn’t sound like Karlsson is particularly close to returning to the lineup. The fact that the remainder of his regular season is even in question raises serious doubt as to weather Karlsson will dress again before the end of the season. Still, given his elite upside, you’ll want to hold onto him as long as there’s a possibility he returns this fantasy season.
Weekend Streaming Options
Jakub Vrana (21% Owned)
Vrana is playing the best hockey of his career right now, totalling four goals and nine assists in his last 17 games. He seems to have locked down the 2nd line LW spot with Backstrom and Oshie, and the Capitals have a fantasy-friendly weekend schedule. They’ll take on the Devils at home tonight before the Jets come into town on Sunday.
Kevin Hayes (33% Owned)
Hayes has a goal and four assists in four games with the Jets and remains readily available in a lot of leagues despite skating over 17 mins per night on a line with Ehlers and Connor. The high-level talent around him should offset any dip in ice time he sees in Winnipeg. He’s an excellent option if you’re looking to get a couple of extra games into your lineup this weekend.
Tyler Myers (27% Owned)
Myers has an ATOI of 21:50 in the eight games since Dustin Byfuglien suffered an ankle injury. He’s racked up three goals and 16 shots over that span. With Josh Morrissey also out, Myers is locked onto Winnipeg’s second power-play unit alongside Nikolaj Ehlers and Hayes.
Ivan Provorov (45%)
Something was amiss with Provorov at the start of the season. He had just 12 points in his first 40 games but has added another 12 in the last 27, which is closer to the 40-point pace we saw from him last year. He let down a lot of people who drafted him, but might be able to help in the fantasy playoffs. Over that 27-game stretch, Provorov is fifth among defensemen in ATOI, playing 25:27 per game.
Travis Sanheim (15%)
Sanheim is more available and frankly more productive than Provorov. Sanheim’s racked up four goals and seven assists in his last 13 games—that’s tied for fourth among defensemen in the NHL over that span. He is an excellent streaming option for the weekend and into next week. Philadelphia could be involved in some high-scoring affairs as they face the Senators, Maple Leafs and Penguins next week.