Ramblings: Tkachuk and the Multicategory Stat, Miromanov, The Other Nylander (Mar 17)

Ian Gooding

2024-03-17

Brady Tkachuk filled the stat sheet on Saturday with three goals (two on the power play) and six shots. His hat trick goal was the game-winner for the Senators in overtime, stealing an extra point that was much-needed by an Islanders team trying to cling on to a playoff spot. Tkachuk has 13 shots over his last two games. Only David Pastrnak and Nathan MacKinnon have more shots than Tkachuk this season.

Tkachuk also has more combined shots, hits, and blocks than any other player in the league (521 SOG+HIT+BKS). You can find this stat over at Frozen Tools, under the Multi-Category section. Just click the SOG+HIT+BKS column heading. If you play in a multicategory league, this report is a must for finding players who will be more valuable in your league format. If you have a true bangers league, you can also sort by PIM+HIT+BKS or simply HIT+BKS.

In the Senators' win, Tim Stutzle also chipped in three assists. Stutzle is on a five-game point streak with seven points over that span. Stutzle is also a decent multicat option, as he is third on the Sens with 297 SOG+HIT+BKS.

The Islanders were leapfrogged for the final playoff spot in the East by the Red Wings, who ended their seven-game losing streak by cooling off a hot Sabres team with a 4-1 win. James Reimer made 26 saves in earning his first win since February 25. With Alex Lyon struggling recently (0 quality starts in last 6 games) and Ville Husso still sidelined with a lower-body injury, Reimer has a chance to pick up some more starts. Lyon will probably start today (Sunday) in Pittsburgh, but Reimer should start one or two of the Red Wings' three games next week. The Wings have struggled defensively as a team recently, so some caution is recommended.

Artemi Panarin has never reached 100 points, but this might be the season that he reaches that milestone. Panarin led the Rangers with two goals and three assists in a 7-4 win over Pittsburgh. The Bread Man has 93 points in 67 games and is currently on pace for 114 points.

Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller each scored a goal while adding two assists for the Rangers. Kreider now has eight points in his last six games.  

The Penguins' playoff hopes are becoming fainter by the day. Tristan Jarry was lit up for six goals in just over two periods, which ended his string of three consecutive quality starts. However, this was his third really bad start over his past seven games. The Pens just seem to be in too much of a bad spot for me to trust Jarry, but lack of goals is also hurting the team and making it more difficult for their goalie to earn a win. The Pens have a tough road trip next week with stops in New Jersey, Dallas, and Colorado, which makes Jarry a risky bet.

Erik Karlsson has just two points in his last 10 games and just one goal in his last 27 games. He's not on the Frozen Tools Cold List per se, but he's an example of how the Pens have struggled recently.

Nick Schmaltz might be a player to consider for next week. Schmaltz recorded three assists on Saturday, giving him eight points over his last six games and 16 points over his last 12 games. The Coyotes play three games next week, which in and of itself doesn't provide a scheduling advantage. However, two of those games are on light days (Wed vs Dallas, Fri vs Seattle). Schmaltz is rostered in a relatively low 28% of Yahoo leagues compared to 68% of Fantrax leagues, so he might be able to help your team maximize its games played.

Clayton Keller scored a goal and an assist on Saturday, giving him multiple points in three of his past four games. He also has four goals over his past four games.

Remember yesterday when I said that Mackenzie Weegar is in a scoring slump? Weegar recorded three assists on Saturday, which were his first points in five games. He also chipped in two shots, two hits, and two blocks to add to his already impressive total of the three combined categories.

Daniil Miromanov scored an even-strength goal, which was his second in three games. Miromanov was on the Flames' top power play yet again, with more experienced d-men Weegar and previous incumbent Rasmus Andersson on the second pair. Ryan Huska seems to have faith in the recently acquired blueliner from Vegas, giving him at least 20 minutes of icetime in three of his five games with the Flames and nearly 23 minutes on Saturday.

Even though Miromanov is the top-searched player on Frozen Tools as I write this, he is still rostered in 0% of Yahoo leagues and 9% of Fantrax leagues. Maybe a few of you searching for him need to click that Add button? He's worth at least a speculative add in deeper leagues if d-men with offensive upside are hard to find in your league. Also, Miromanov might seem like a prospect because he hasn't played many NHL games, but he's already 26 years of age. The Flames have signed him for two more seasons after this one, so they're interested in finding out what he can do for them right now.

In the 5-2 win, Mikael Backlund led the Flames with two goals and an assist. Dustin Wolf made 36 saves, giving him quality starts in back-to-back games. As long as Jacob Markstrom is dealing with a lower-body issue, expect the Flames to give Wolf a string of starts. Wolf should be widely available in non-keeper formats (4% Yahoo).  

In the Lightning's 5-3 win over cross-state rival Florida, Steven Stamkos scored two goals and added two assists. This hasn't been Stamkos' best season, but he has had a good run recently with nine points in his last five games.

Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed three goals, but he was definitely deserving of a quality start because he faced 50 shots. The Big Cat hasn't had his best season either, but he at least has quality starts in two of his past three games.

Sam Reinhart scored a pair of goals, which were his 47th and 48th of the season. Barring an imminent injury or sudden major slump, 50 goals is in his future. Reinhart's 27 power-play goals also leads the league by a wide margin, 11 clear of the next-highest total.

Who knew that a trade to Columbus would make Alex Nylander fantasy relevant? Since being drafted in 2016, Nylander has played for four NHL teams. In other words, you probably shrugged with indifference when you heard Nylander was swapped for Emil Bemstrom in late February, if you knew at all. Let's face it: Nylander is best known as William Nylander's younger brother.

Nylander added to his Blue Jackets legend on Saturday, scoring a pair of goals while adding an assist with a plus-3 and four shots. Throw away his first two games with Columbus, which we can call an orientation to the Blue Jacket way, and Nylander has 11 points over his last nine games. He's also shooting the puck, averaging nearly five shots per game over his last four games and nearly four shots per game over his last 10 games. There's also the first-unit power-play time, although only two of Nylander's points have been on the man advantage.

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Nylander has scored eight goals with the Jackets already, so it may seem like he'll hit a wall at some point. He's shooting over 20% in this recent run, but maintaining a high shot total should mean that the goals likely won't flatline. Add in the plum deployment and you have a possible waiver-wire pickup for next week. The Jackets are on the lower end of the schedule with three games played, although one is on a light day (Friday). Nylander is only 4% rostered in Yahoo leagues, so he's not that difficult to find. Heck, you could even add him for an end-of-week push, as the Jackets play today (Sunday) against Winnipeg.

Johnny Gaudreau added three points (1 G, 2 A) of his own on Saturday. True story: I originally had Gaudreau benched on Saturday, but I moved him into my starting lineup before puck drop when I found out that Teuvo Teravainen (upper body) would miss Saturday's game.

In the Bruins' 6-5 win over Philadelphia, Charlie Coyle scored a pair of goals. That gives him 23 goals on the season, which is now a career high for the 12-year veteran. Coyle is also two points shy of his career high of 56 points, set way back in 2016-17 with Minnesota. I like the situation that Coyle is in, centering Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. However, if the Bruins decide to address the gaping hole at center since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired, then Coyle's value probably drops. Moreover, Coyle's 17.7 SH% and 2.6 PTS/60 suggest that at least a mild decline could occur next season.

Owen Tippett registered three assists in the loss. After four games without a point, Tippett has five points over his last three games. Tippett's scoring alone isn't spectacular, but his shots (3.8 SOG/GP) and hits (2 HIT/GP) are what should keep him in your multicategory league lineup.

Wyatt Johnston: goals in four straight and seven goals in his last six games. As a 20-year-old, Johnston is on pace for 63 points. Glad I was patient with him during a slow second quarter (8 PTS in 22 GP). In my Yahoo league, he's the 15th ranked player over the last 30 days.

In what might have been the must-watch game of the day, Artturi Lehkonen scored a buzzer-beater in overtime to give the Avalanche a 3-2 win over the Oilers. Listen to how ecstatic the Avalanche broadcast announcer is. He's even in disbelief at first.

In a game that featured several of the league's top players, recently acquired d-man Sean Walker was the scoring star, scoring a pair of goals for the Avalanche. Walker, who is being used on the third pair with Jack Johnson, managed to take eight shots on Tuesday against Calgary. Walker might be a reliable defenseman for the Avs, but he doesn't seem that interesting aside from maybe non-scoring peripherals.

Nathan MacKinnon's assist on the game-winning goal means that his point streak has been extended to 15 games (just barely, considering how little time was left on the clock). Over those 15 games, the league's leading scorer has piled up 31 points. The 2023-24 season is turning out to be the best ever for Nate Dogg.

Nashville has not lost a game in regulation in a month (since February 15). A major part of that is Roman Josi, who has 18 points over his last 14 games. Josi scored another two goals in the Predators' 4-1 win in Seattle. Josi's recent run means that Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar are now the only two defensemen with more points than Josi (67).

Ivan Miroshnichenko for bangers leagues? The Capitals rookie registered his first NHL assist on Saturday, but what caught my attention is his hit total. Over his past five games, Miroshnichenko (don't ask me to type his last name without copy/paste) has averaged three hits. Something to keep an eye on. Playing on a line with Tom Wilson might be rubbing off on the Russian rookie.

Elias Lindholm continues to be in a deep freeze. He has just one point in his last 11 games with the Canucks. From a team standpoint, Lindholm has had a plus-50% success rate in the faceoff circle for eight consecutive games. The lack of scoring stands out much more, which Rick Tocchet is factoring into by using Lindholm on the third line with Conor Garland and Vasily Podkolzin and on a second power-play unit with the same forwards. Right now, it doesn't seem to be working for Lindholm fantasy-wise, so go ahead and bench or drop him if you must.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day, for those who celebrate! Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Threads.

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