It was a crazy day on the National Hockey League ice, both indoors and outdoors. The NHL stepped outside at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia as the Penguins and Flyers battled for Keystone State supremacy. We also had four shutouts, so fantasy owners saw plenty of points from goaltenders, as well as skaters. There was one hat trick, several multi-point performances and the trade winds started blowing, too. Let’s get started!
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Saturday’s Fantasy Five
Jakub Voracek registered a goal, two assists and a plus-1 rating with six shots outside in the 4-3 overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins. His goal forced overtime, as he snapped a three-game scoreless skid. Voracek now has five goals and 11 points over the past 11 games in the month of February. The comeback was amazing, as the Penguins fell apart late, thanks in large part to a pair of injuries to the defense corps. Brian Dumoulin was leveled by Wayne Simmonds and he left with a concussion, and Kris Letang also bowed out with an upper-body injury. Voracek’s game-tying goal set up the winner by Claude Giroux, who snapped a four-game scoreless skid. He has managed three goals and 10 points over the past 11.
[[ad:athena]]Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside all 26 shots he faced against the San Jose Sharks, posting shutouts on back-to-back days for the first time in franchise history. He improved to 26-18-1 with a 2.75 goals-against average and .908 save percentage, and he is now 7-2-0 with a 1.79 GAA and .937 save percentage with three shutouts in the month of February. The Blue Jackets are facing a ticking clock with Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin impending unrestricted free agents this summer, so they’re going for it now. They have added Matt Duchene from the Ottawa Senators on Friday, and they raided the Sens again for Ryan Dzingel, shipping Anthony Duclair away along with picks to Canada’s capital city. The time is now for Bobrovsky to build his stock and he is responding.
Robin Lehner was hard on the Vancouver Canucks in a road victory on Saturday night, stopping all 36 shots he faced for his fourth shutout of the season, and third shutout in the past 19 days. He improved to 19-9-5 while his GAA is down to 2.07 and he has a sparkling .931 save percentage. He was a little better before the All-Star break, but he still is 4-2-1 with a 2.29 GAA and .929 save percentage in seven starts since the break. It seemed ludicrous when folks were ruminating about Lehner being a potential Vezina Trophy candidate, but he certainly has the resume.
Sam Reinhart bagged three goals in a matinee victory against the Buffalo Sabres, good for his third-career hat trick. He has racked up five goals with 10 points in 11 games during the month of February. It was his first multi-goal performance since Nov. 29 in Tampa Bay. He stepped up his game with Casey Mittelstadt sidelined due to illness, and Kyle Okposo out due to concussion. Reinhart’s trick wasn’t the only feel-good situation in Buffalo, either. Jeff Skinner left in the second period with what appeared to be a serious leg injury. He was assisted off the ice by the training staff, and it looks like he was down for the count. Skinner surprisingly returned in the third period, which is when Reinhart netted an empty net goal to make the hats fly.
Carl Soderberg registered a pair of assists with a plus-2 rating and three blocked shots in a victory in Nashville, his third consecutive multi-point game. He has three consecutive multi-point games, posting three goals with seven points and a plus-9 rating. Soderberg is already in uncharted territory with 21 goals, as he never had more than 16 in a single season before. He is also just 10 points shy of tying his previous career high of 51 points set back during the 2015-16 season. Currently he is projected to finish with 28 goals and 54 points.
Fantasy Game of the Night
The Montreal Canadiens opened the night in Toronto on fire, registering three first-period goals. It looked like the night was going to end up with a rather lopsided total on the scoreboard. Andrew Shaw opened the scoring, and he also chipped in with an assist on Jeff Petry‘s power-play mark. Petry also had two points in the first period, assisting on Tomas Tatar‘s 21st goal of the season. Shaw has registered two goals, four assists and a plus-2 rating with 17 penalty minutes in seven games in the month of February. The goal was his first since Jan. 14 in Boston, his first in 15 games which was also the last time he posted a multi-point showing. Paul Byron, Max Domi and Brett Kulak also etched their names onto the scoresheet with assists. That all happened in the first period, and then...
The Toronto Maple Leafs finally had the alarm clock go off in the second period. After falling behind 3-0, Auston Matthews got the home crowd energized with a power-play goal. Tyler Ennis also struck on the power play, and the Leafs were feeling much better about themselves in the room after 40 minutes. William Nylander scored the equalizer at 6:58 of the third period, and Zach Hyman registered the go-ahead go with 1:50 left in regulation to give Toronto its first lead of the evening. Andreas Johnsson and Zach Hyman found the empty net to tack on two more goals, as the Leafs doubled up the Habs 6-3. Patrick Marleau, Mitchell Marner and Morgan Rielly racked up two assists each, while Marner and Rielly each managed a plus-3 rating. Ron Hainsey didn’t get any points, but he had a plus-3 rating, four blocked shots and three hits. Nylander has managed three goals with seven points over the past 10 games, as he slowly knocks off the rust after his long layoff due to a contract impasse. Frederik Andersen stopped 32 of the 35 shots he faced to improve to 28-13-3 with a 2.59 GAA and .922 save percentage in 44 starts.
Quick Hits: Alex Ovechkin kicked off the afternoon with his league-leading 44th goal, finishing with a plus-1 rating and eight shots on net in Buffalo. … Rasmus Dahlin lit the lamp for the eighth time, as he now has the fourth-most goals ever by an 18-year-old in NHL history. … Ryan Strome netted a pair of markers with a plus-2 rating in a win over New Jersey. He has three goals, seven points and a plus-6 rating over the past seven outings. … Chris Kreider registered his 25th goal, just the second time in his career he has reached the milestone. … Mika Zibanejad posted two assists with a plus-1 rating, reaching the 60-point mark for the first time in his career. Unfortunately for Zibanejad, the Rangers traded Mats Zuccarello to the Dallas Stars, breaking up the Z Brothers. Zuccarello should see a bump in fantasy appeal with a better plus/minus rating in Big D. The Stars also added Ben Lovejoy to their blue line, sending Connor Carrick and a pick to New Jersey. … Torey Krug left the game in St. Louis due to a lower-body injury. … Tuukka Rask allowed just one goal on 29 shots, but he was on the short end of the hard-luck loss in a shootout. Jordan Binnington improved to 14-2-1 with a 1.70 GAA and .934 save percentage in the win. … Jonathan Huberdeau posted a goal with an assist and a plus-2 rating, his third straight multi-point game. He has four goals and eight points during his current four-game point streak, too. His name has been bandied about in trade rumors, but that’s not apparently a bother to him. … Keith Yandle had a goal and an assist, both on the power play, giving him two goals and seven points over the past eight. … Boone Jenner had a goal with a plus-1 rating, giving him two goals and eight points with a plus-3 rating in nine games in February. … Curtis McElhinney continues to make the most of his chance to start, and he is helping keep the Hurricanes in the playoff chase. He improved to 16-7-1 with a 2.25 GAA and .923 save percentage. … Philipp Grubauer posted his first shutout of the season, and seventh of his career, stopping all 38 shots he faced in the Music City. … Sidney Crosby posted a goal with an assist, giving him four goals and 13 assists over the past 12 games. … Evgeni Malkin had a goal with a plus-1 rating, as he now has five goals, 10 points and 33 penalty minutes across the past seven. … Sean Couturier had a goal and an assist with two hits and two blocked shots in the outdoor game. He has six goals, 11 points and a plus-4 rating in 11 games in February. … Carter Rowney scored a goal in Edmonton, but he also checked out of the game early after being hit in the side of the head or neck area by a shot from the point. … Devon Toews pushed his point streak to five games, chipping in with six assists and a plus-3 rating during the span. … Ryan Pulock scored his seventh of the season in Vancouver. He managed three goals and 16 assists through his first 50 games, but he has four goals and 11 points over the past 11 contests.
