Week 16 and 17 All-Stars
C – Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins (6GP, 6G, 3A, +7, 2PPP, 30SOG, 6HITS)
Bergeron has had a good past couple of weeks, putting up 9 points across 6 games. One of these games was his 1000th game in the NHL. This has easily been his best stretch since returning from injury. The line of Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand is starting to heat up again, which bodes well for the Bruins as they sit on the outside of the top three in the Atlantic Division.
C – Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers (7GP, 4G, 5A, +8, 5PPP, 19SOG, 2HITS)
Couturier seems to have found his game from last season, as he has helped the Flyers on an 8-0-1 run over the past 9 games. They have also had lots of help from rookie netminder, Carter Hart. Couturier is known as one of the top two-way forwards in the league, his contribution on the offensive side of the puck is a cherry on top for the Flyers.
RW – Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (4GP, 3G, 5A, +3, 2PPP, 16SOG, 1HIT)
Kane is currently riding a 13-game point streak, putting up 10 goals and 19 assists across those 13 games... more than two points per game. Kane is an important member of the Blackhawks this season and is a huge reason for their current six-game win streak. He is also a member of the NHL 100, helping to lead the Hawks to 3 Stanley Cups across 6 seasons.
Players to Consider
C – Dylan Strome, Chicago Blackhawks (18% Owned)
Strome is starting to get added in quite a few leagues already, however he is still available in 4/5 leagues across Yahoo! Fantasy. Strome seems to have found a place to stay in Chicago, alongside best friend, Alex DeBrincat. Could this be the year of his breakout, after being called a bust by many since going 3rd overall behind McDavid and Eichel?
D – Brett Pesce, Carolina Hurricanes (2% Owned)
Pesce has been solid of late, but the real juicy part of his name lies in the trade talks with the Maple Leafs. If he ends up on a team destined for a long run in the playoffs, it could really boost his fantasy value. He would be predicted to play alongside Jake Gardiner on the second pairing on the Leafs blue line.
Fantasy “teams” to Watch
Toronto Maple Leafs
The leafs are heating up, and their offence is having a resurgence since picking up Jake Muzzin. Another trade could shake things up in a positive manner. Nylander is starting to find his game... Marner and Tavares are doing their thing again... Matthews is starting to find his scoring tough and the back end is heating up once again. If they can trade for a big forward to clear some space on Matthew’s line, they will see more big things happen in terms of their offensive production.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Hawks are buzzing right now, putting up 32 goals across their current 6-game win streak. The additions of Strome, Caggiula and Perlini have lit a fire in the Hawks offence. The turnaround of their power play has been breathtaking... in fact they have lead the league in power play percentage since December 1st (31.9%). The offensive resurgence from Toews has not gone unnoticed as he is on pace to beat his career-high in points, as is Patrick Kane. Erik Gustafsson has been a gift on the back end, while Collin Delia is pulling his weight as a 24-year-old starting goaltender.
Coming Up...
I will be getting back to weekly fantasy articles for hockey... another series I will be doing, will be top 10 fantasy players at each baseball position. These should be coming out around twice a week, to ensure they are out before the fantasy baseball season begins.