Ramblings: Matthews 50 in 50, Roslovic Busts Slump, Finishing Your Fantasy Week (Apr 10)

Ian Gooding

2022-04-10

It might not be true 50 goals in 50 games, but scoring 50 goals over any 50-game span is quite an accomplishment. The last player to score 50 over 50 games was Mario Lemieux during the 1995-96 season. Here's the goal that put Auston Matthews into a goal-per-game pace over a 50-game span.

For good measure, Matthews scored another goal just 27 seconds later, which gives him 58 goals on the season. 60 seems like a certainty now. 65 is well within reach. What about 70?

On Matthews' first goal, Jake Allen appeared to pull something and had to leave the game. Allen had played 11 of the Habs' last 12 games since returning from injury, facing no fewer than 30 shots in his 10 previous games prior to Saturday. His .911 SV% since returning on March 17 is impressive considering the high shot total, which clearly factors into his 3.61 GAA. If Allen has to miss time, then it's probably back to Sam Montembeault as the Habs play out the string.

Cole Caufield is now riding a four-game goal streak. His success with new coach Martin St. Louis has been well-documented, with the updated total at 17 goals and 30 points in Caufield's last 27 games. He should be treated as a point-per-game player the rest of the way.

Brendan Gallagher has had a rough season just like his team, but at least he has points in three consecutive games and five points and a plus-5 over that span.

The NHL currently has two 50-goal scorers in Matthews and Leon Draisaitl. Chris Kreider appears to be the next player to join that club, scoring his 48th and 49th goals on Saturday. I mentioned this a while back, but Kreider is the league leader in tip-in goals with 17. No other player has more than eight. Both of Kreider's goals on Saturday were actual shots, in case you were wondering and hadn't seen them. Kreider is also the league leader in power-play goals (25).

Mathieu Joseph's mini-run ended, as he was held without a point with a minus-2 in the Senators' 5-1 loss to the Rangers. Joseph entered Saturday's game with 10 points over his last four games. The Sens play again today (Sunday) and he’s been on the top line, so he’s still an option if he’s available in your league.

You probably weren't making a point to start Jack Roslovic this weekend, as he entered Saturday's game without a point in his last six games and without a goal in his last 11 games. Sure enough, Roslovic not only broke that slump, but he also recorded a hat trick along with an assist while taking six shots. Roslovic hasn't been without his opportunities, having lined up with team-leading goal scorer Patrik Laine.

Zach Werenski also filled the statsheet in multicategory leagues with three assists, six shots, and five blocks. In what has been a meh season for the Blue Jackets, Werenski has quietly put together a strong second half with 22 points in his last 22 games.

You may recall that yesterday I suggested that Sergei Bobrovsky would be a possible drop after a recent rough patch. Well, I said it because it was something I was planning to do. Spencer Knight was available and starting the second of the Panthers' back-to-backs, so I made the swap. Normally I wouldn't be this bold in dropping a league leader in wins, but I am in jeopardy of losing my playoff head-to-head match. Plus if I make it to next week, I am holding the Panthers goalie who is simply playing better right now and could start the majority of games while the incumbent is given more rest than usual for the playoffs.

Sure enough, my gamble paid off. Knight stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced to pick up a 4-1 win. The game was closer than it looked, as the Panthers scored two empty-net goals late in the game. Yet sometimes fantasy wins and losses come down to plays like this:

Roman Josi was held off the scoresheet in this game, so he's "stuck" at 87 points. To get to that point, he's had an amazing run of 34 points over his last 18 games. That puts him right near the top of the hot players list on Frozen Tools, and that for all players – not just defensemen.

You've probably heard of numerous Flames on pace for career-best seasons. Noah Hanifin is already there. With four assists against Seattle on Saturday, Hanifin is one point shy of reaching 40 for the first time in his career. Not surprisingly, his plus-26 is also the best of his career.

Continuing on the subject of plus/minus (I'm sure a few of you are clicking away now), Mathew Barzal's minus-5 was the worst plus-minus of the day. Several players have had a single-game plus/minus that low this season, but Victor Hedman's minus-6 against Florida on December 30 is the lowest of the season.

Justin Faulk scored a pair of goals while adding an assist on Saturday, giving him goals in three consecutive games and back-to-back multipoint games. He also has 11 points over his last seven games. This run started not long after Torey Krug was sidelined, so Faulk is really picking up the slack. He's always had the ability to produce in multiple categories, so after a couple of down seasons he's returned to being a well-rounded fantasy asset.

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I mentioned Nick Leddy yesterday as a waiver-wire possibility, and he added another point on Saturday. Leddy scored a goal, giving him points in five consecutive games. Some players don't jump out as improved fantasy-wise when they are traded, but they somehow click with their new teams.

Robert Thomas continues to be on fire, extending his point streak to nine games. With a goal and two assists on Saturday, Thomas has 17 points in his last nine games and goals in three consecutive games.

I'm happy that I invested in Vladimir Tarasenko stock on multiple fantasy teams, even though I was uncertain about it at the start of the season. Tarasenko scored a goal and added two assists with a plus-3, which gives him seven points over his last five games. The Blues are a sneaky-good offensive team that may not have anyone that will challenge for the scoring lead, but their offense is currently in the top 5 in goals per game (3.64 GF/GP).

Please don't punch Trevor Zegras in the mouth for this, old hockey men…

A low-scoring Oilers/Avalanche game might have swayed your fantasy week in some way. Regardless, it's probably not what you had expected. The star of that game turned out to be Darcy Kuemper, who stopped 49 of 50 shots in picking up a shootout win. Kuemper has picked up quality starts in each of his last four games, which is reassuring to fantasy teams as well as Avalanche fans who might be a bit concerned about the team's goaltending situation entering the playoffs. Eight goalies lead the league with between 33 and 35 wins – Kuemper is one of them.

With Brock Boeser and Tanner Pearson out of the Canucks lineup, Alex Chiasson has been stepping up in a scoring-line role. With another goal and assist on Saturday, Chiasson has six points over his last three games. Chiasson also took a team-high seven shots and has taken 14 shots over those three games. This is all situationally based, so Chiasson's fantasy value goes poof once Boeser is back in the lineup. Chiasson has spent time on the first-unit power play throughout the season, so that role may not disappear.

Conor Garland scored his first goal in 20 games. He is heating up a bit points-wise with five points in his last five games. He has also reached 40 points for the first time in his career, which might be a surprise but remember that the last two seasons have been COVID shortened.

Max Pacioretty returned to the Vegas lineup on Saturday after being out for the past month, scoring a goal while taking four shots. He's been a point-per-game player again this season, but because of various injuries he has missed over half of his team's games.

Mark Stone back in time for the fantasy playoffs? Yes please! Although Stone did not play on Saturday, the fact that he participated in the morning skate was a positive sign. It's possible that Stone returns to action sometime next week, although it will be interesting to see how the Golden Knights maneuver their cap situation. My mind is on a bunch of other things fantasy-wise, so I'm not going to try to figure this one out.

If you're in the final day of your head-to-head week, target players that can offer you the category help that you need. For example, I'm behind but still fairly close in the blocked shots category. So for a fourth defenseman, I might consider Calvin de Haan, who offers virtually no scoring and terrible plus/minus but leads the league with 165 BLK. I'm in a similar situation with power-play points, where Kyle Okposo (12 PPP) might be on my radar. Same with shots on goal, where Evan Rodrigues (218 SOG) or Arthur Kaliyev (176 SOG) might help. Those are just a few names from one of my leagues among players active on Sunday, but you get the idea. Pick the players that make the most sense for what you're trying to accomplish. Whatever it takes to get over the hump.

If it's goals and assists you need, look beyond well… goals and assists. Go to Frozen Tools for line combinations. Head over to Goalie Post for goaltending matchups. Then your decision might be a little easier. Or maybe a little bit harder because of too much information. Then you might need to scale it back a bit and go with what might seem like the most obvious choice on the surface. Picks will, of course, depend on the size of your league.

Good luck! Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.

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UPCOMING GAMES

Mar 29 - 19:03 BUF vs N.J

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JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY MTL
AUSTON MATTHEWS TOR
NATHAN MACKINNON COL
JACK QUINN BUF
FILIP FORSBERG NSH

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IVAN FEDOTOV PHI
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21.2 NINO NIEDERREITER ADAM LOWRY MASON APPLETON
20.6 TYLER TOFFOLI SEAN MONAHAN NIKOLAJ EHLERS
11.0 MARK SCHEIFELE VLADISLAV NAMESTNIKOV KYLE CONNOR

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