Ramblings: Bishop’s Career Over, Beauvillier Healthy Scratched, B. Tkachuk Hat Trick (Dec 12)

Ian Gooding

2021-12-12

According to Stars GM Jim Nill, Ben Bishop won't be able to play any longer. The veteran goalie was attempting to come back from knee surgery and hadn't played since August 2020. Bishop recently completed an AHL conditioning assignment, but he gave up eight goals, likely figuring that the knee wouldn't allow him to compete at the highest level any longer. You'd have to assume that Bishop's contract (signed through 2022-23) ages out on LTIR, where the Stars placed him on Saturday. It's an unfortunate end to the career of a onetime standout goalie.

In its current state, the Stars goalie situation isn't affected a whole lot because Bishop hasn't played this season. Braden Holtby should continue to receive the bulk of the starts (as he did on Saturday, a 2-1 loss to San Jose), while Jake Oettinger remains with the big club. Anton Khudobin hasn't played in nearly a month, so I wonder if a team that encounters a goalie injury reaches out to Dallas. Given the tight cap situations of many teams, I don't imagine Khudobin's $3.33 million salary (signed through 2022-23) will be easy to move.    

Dynamic but underperforming winger Anthony Beauvillier was made a healthy scratch on Saturday. I had high hopes for Beauvillier, who I've enjoyed watching during the Islanders' back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Final. However, that success hasn't translated to the regular season, where Beauvillier is now without a point over his last 13 games. The Isles' issues this season have affected Beauvillier, as I've mentioned for various other players from struggling teams. Only the Coyotes and Canadiens have a lower goal-per-game output than the Islanders (2.17 GF/GP).

That being said, Beauvillier might be a buy-low candidate or a player to keep an eye on as a waiver-wire pickup later in the season. Last season he stumbled out of the gate (6 PTS in 19 GP) before finishing the season as a point-per-game player (7 G and 13 PTS in 14 GP). The Islanders have shown to be a better team than this in recent seasons, and a 13-game road trip to start the season put them behind the 8-ball. A higher-than-normal proportion of home games should benefit their scorers in the second half.

Without Beauvillier in the lineup, the Isles won their first game in eight tries in their new arena, a 4-2 win over New Jersey. If Barry Trotz believes in the theory of keeping a winning lineup intact, then it's possible Beauvillier could miss additional games. But he's far too talented to stay out of the lineup long-term.

In Saturday's only day game, Brady Tkachuk recorded his first career hat trick. Included were two power-play goals, which happened to be his first two power-play points of the season. For a player who is known for dominance in multiple categories, this is a very low total. Regardless, Tkachuk has been on a solid run lately, scoring 14 points (including eight goals) over his last 10 games. In true Tkachukian fashion, Brady also finished the game with seven shots and three hits. He's also on the highest scoring pace of his career (21 PTS in 22 GP) in… you guessed it… his fourth season.

Since the bite, Tkachuk has 10 points over his last six games.

Tkachuk's second power-play goal was originally credited to Thomas Chabot, who is still without a goal this season. I was hoping for a little more from Chabot this season, but he has at least chipped in six assists over his last four games, including two helpers on Saturday.

Drake Batherson had three assists in the Senators' 4-0 win over Tampa Bay, giving him eight points over his last five games. Batherson is quietly having a breakout season with 24 points in just 20 games, which leads the Senators.

Anton Forsberg pitched a 25-save shutout for the Senators. He probably wasn't a goalie you were reaching for in a matchup with the Lightning, but it is worth mentioning that he has three quality starts in his last four games. The Senators might be the exception to the rule in that the $5 million goalie (Matt Murray) is in the AHL while the journeyman Forsberg is getting the starts because he appears to be the team's best goalie at the moment. Forsberg should receive multiple starts next week because the Sens play four games, but they're not easy matchups at all (@FLA, @TB, @PHI, vs. BOS).

Petr Mrazek made his first start since late October – just his third start of the season. Mrazek stopped 31 of 35 shots he faced in earning a 5-4 win over Chicago. After a strong start, Jack Campbell has struggled over the past couple weeks, allowing at least three goals in each of his last four starts. A healthy Mrazek will help the Leafs manage Campbell's workload better. The problem is that Mrazek has been so injury-prone that he has played only a combined 15 games over the past two seasons.

William Nylander scored a goal and added two assists in this game. He has goals in six of his last eight games and 14 points over his last nine games. With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Nylander's linemate John Tavares has 15 points in his last nine games. That line will be leaned on more heavily with Mitch Marner expected to be out of the lineup for a few weeks.

We've been waiting for Dylan Strome to get his opportunity, and he finally received it. He was moved to the top line with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat on Saturday, but he was held without a point just as his linemates were.

Just like his team, John Gibson has been better than expected. However, Gibson left Saturday's game after the second period with a lower-body injury. Anthony Stolarz took over in the third period and was already scheduled to start today (Sunday) against St. Louis. Stolarz is rostered in just 9 percent of Yahoo leagues, and the Ducks have relatively easy matchups against Seattle and Arizona next week. The downside is that those are the only two games that Anaheim plays next week. It is not known at this time how much time, if any, Gibson will miss.  

At the other end, Casey DeSmith stopped all 33 shots he faced to earn his first shutout and just his second win of the season. Tristan Jarry's exceptional play this season has limited DeSmith's starts. However, DeSmith has made a statement recently with starts in two of the Penguins' last three games, allowing just one goal combined.

With Jordan Binnington in COVID protocol and Ville Husso in IR, Charlie Lindgren has earned back-to-back wins this week, including a 22-save effort against Montreal. With onetime Flames prospect Jon Gillies the next man up for the Blues, it's possible that Lindgren starts today's (Sunday's) game against Anaheim. Check Goalie Post for the latest, of course. Binnington has been on COVID protocol for a week and a half, so it is possible he returns sometime next week. But in the meantime, why not take a flier on Lindgren? A home-and-home with Dallas followed by a road game in Winnipeg are on the schedule for next week for the Blues.

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Remember yesterday when I said that James van Riemsdyk has his massive hot and cold streaks? Yep, he's at it again. JVR scored twice on Saturday, leading the Flyers to back-to-back wins on the road. He has scored goals in both of those games after not recording a single point in his previous 11 games. Having this type of player on your roster is enough to pull your hair out because by the time you get him back in, he's started another stretch of providing your team with absolutely nothing. Both he and the Flyers have to be feeling better about themselves with the back-to-back wins, even if Saturday's win was against the cupcake Coyotes.

Travis Konecny recorded two assists on Saturday, giving him five points (all assists) over his last four games. Konecny has scored just one goal in his last 17 games. With better luck in the shooting department (only 6.9 SH%) and the new coach bump, Konecny could very easily start finding the back of the net with more regularity soon.

Sebastian Aho scored two goals and added an assist, which gives him back-to-back two-goal games as well as multiple points in each of his last five games. Aho is creating his own opportunities as well, having taken at least four shots in each of his last four games. Only Connor McDavid has had a longer streak of multiple-point games than Aho is on. Aho also has points in nine of the Hurricanes' last 11 goals.

Zach Hyman took a hard hit along the boards late in the third period. His shoulder area appeared to be in a lot of pain, and he didn't return to the game. Since it was late in the game, it's difficult to tell whether he was injured enough to leave the entire game if it happened in an earlier period. Just something to keep an eye on with Hyman.

Max Domi scored two goals and added an assist – all in the second period against Seattle. Domi has missed a chunk of the season, but he's been effective in the games that he has played (six goals and 14 points in 16 games). Before adding him, just keep in mind that his shooting percentage is at an unusually high 22.2% and his PTS/60 at 3.8. So far, he is having a much better season under Brad Larsen than he was under John Tortorella in his first season in Columbus, but that shouldn't be a huge surprise.

It's easy to question the four-year contract he received, but Linus Ullmark has played well recently. Over the Bruins' last two games in the province of Alberta, Ullmark has posted back-to-back wins where he has had to make at least 40 saves. In fact, Ullmark has allowed exactly two goals in each of his last five games. Last week I discussed what might happen if the Bruins sign Tuukka Rask. That is still a distinct possibility and it will affect both Ullmark's and Jeremy Swayman's workload should it happen.

Evander Kane was held without a point in his AHL debut, although he took five shots. I don't know where it goes from here with Kane, who could well be ready now and confidently affirmed that in an interview after the game. Based on his multicategory league ability, he will be a must-add in fantasy leagues if he returns to the NHL this season either with the Sharks or another team. Kane had a ton of off-ice issues this past offseason, so we can't believe with any certainty that he will be back this season. He is 27 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, so a few fantasy teams have already attempted to be proactive.

Finally, is it just me, or is the Michigan no longer a must-see play now that someone seems to try it on a nightly basis? There were at least two attempts on it on Saturday alone.

In a TV studio somewhere in the United States, Torts is fuming.

For more fantasy hockey discussion, follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding

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