This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Outside of Martin St. Louis, the Rangers are playing so well right now -- even without the services of the King – that picking out a hot player isn't hard to do. Forward Chris Kreider has some of the best numbers going against the Islanders, with two power-play goals and nine points in nine games. Anders Lee has one goal and a plus-2 rating in two games versus the Blueshirts. He also holds a current four-game point streak which includes three goals and seven points with 15 shots on goal.
Tomas Plekanec gets lost in the shuffle more times than not, but he does have five goals, nine points and a plus-5 rating in 12 games versus Detroit. He's also scored three goals and five points in his last five contests. The Red Wings' Riley Sheahan is more of a longshot. He has 25 points in 54 games thus far, but against the Canadiens he's scored three goals and an assist in six career contests.
Jordan Staal has a point-scoring clip of 73 percent against Ottawa – that's significantly better than his overall career rate (57 percent). With 12 points in 18 games since returning from a broken leg, Staal has performed better than expected. Ottawa's Mike Hoffman has zero points in three career games against the Hurricanes, but nine points (4G, 5A) in his last 10 and has scored 11 goals and 18 points in 25 home games in 2014-15.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and his Edmonton teammates will play their sixth straight road game Monday. RNH has five points in four games versus Winnipeg plus he's actually scored at a better rate on the road than at home. Nugent-Hopkins has 10 goals and 21 points in 28 road games as compared to four goals and 13 points in 27 at home. Jacob Trouba has crushed it against the Oilers, scoring four goals and seven points in four matchups. He's got a plus-6 rating and 12 shots on goal.
Loui Eriksson has scored 16 points in 24 tilts against Calgary, most coming with Dallas. In his last meeting way back on March 5, 2013, he potted a pair of goals. Just a hunch on Eriksson. The Bruins are one of three teams Jiri Hudler has averaged a point per game against with eight points in eight games.
Antoine Vermette netted on goal and assisted on another the last time the Coyotes played Colorado, giving him 12 points in 20 career contests. Vermette is in the last year of his deal with Phoenix. If he's traded to a better offensive squad, then he could see a nice uptick on offense. Jarome Iginla has five points (2G, 3A) in his last three tilts and has tortured Phoenix with 37 goals in 64 career games. He's never scored more goals in less games against another opponent.
Mikko Koivu has totaled 33 points in 48 games against Vancouver. While that's not particularly impressive, Koivu collected three assists a week ago versus the Canucks. Shawn Matthias netted a goal against Minnesota last week and famously tallied a shocking hat trick Friday.
Steven Stamkos has but one goal (and four assists) in six contests while playing the Kings. That said, he has goals in both of his last two games and could go off at any time. With 51 points in 57 games, Stamkos is currently averaging less than a point per game for the first time since his 2008-09 rookie campaign. It remains to be seen whether he'll reach his customary level but you know he's going to make a run at it. Tyler Toffoli has netted a goal on seven shots in two career contests against Tampa Bay. He's got five goals and seven points in his last four tilts. 'Nuff said.
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I pulled off a keeper staff league deadline deal last Monday, trading away Nikita Kucherov, Rickard Rakell, Tom Wilson and Kasperi Kapanen for Alexander Ovechkin, Shea Weber, Martin St. Louis and Jake Muzzin.
Kucherov is on a minor league contract and has two years ahead of him at $5 before he needs a raise. He's a huge bargain on one of the league's highest scoring squads. Rakell has played well lately and has two seasons of eligibility before needing a raise from his current $3 price. Tom Wilson is just $1. It looked like he might breakout earlier in the year when he played with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, but it hasn't happened – yet. Finally, Kapanen nearly made the Pens out of training camp. He's on a minor league contract and won't need a raise until two years after he plays 25 NHL games. He's not far away and could even make the team in 2015-16, but you've got to give something up to get something back.
Ovechkin, St. Louis and Muzzin are in the final years of their contracts. Ovechkin's numbers aren't that much better than Kucherov's – our league gives a whopping 0.50 points for plus ratings and minus 0.50 for negative ratings – but Ovechkin is obviously more of a sure thing down the stretch. St. Louis is due for a turnaround or retirement (I'm hoping it's the former and not the latter). Muzzin is somebody to plug in as league-average and Weber can do slightly more damage than the Zach Redmond he replaces in my active lineup
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Hot
Cam Talbot: The New York netminder reeled off three straight road wins this past week. His ability to make some big saves likely keeps the Rangers from trading for a goalie of equal or greater value. By the same token, the Blueshirts will be careful not to run him into the ground, so look for the team to give him a rest during Week 20's four-game schedule.
Blake Comeau: The winger has three points in three games since returning from a wrist injury. Not only that, but he's also seeing second-unit power-play time. Comeau is having a career year for the Pens, who are paying him just $750K. He's seeing time as Evgeni Malkin's left winger and skating with right winger Patric Hornqvist. What's not to like?
Cold
Anze Kopitar: It pains me to put Kopitar on the cold list, but his shots are way down. He's averaging 1.70 shots per game in 2014-15, off his career mark of just under three shots. The Los Angeles star has potted only six goals in his last 37 games, too. Fantasy owners hoping for a goal uptick have to keep their fingers crossed. Kopitar has never scored fewer than 20 goals in any of his seven full seasons but currently has 11 in 52.
Evgeni Malkin: Malkin has two points (both goals) in six games since returning from a groin injury. Of greater concern is his futility on the man advantage. Malkin has one goal (and four helpers) on the power play in his last 30 games. Given his long leash and ample playing time, that's pretty incredible. Pittsburgh has a big four-game weekly slate starting Tuesday, so there's no reason not to keep him active. It is worth noting that coach Mike Johnston took Malkin off the No. 1 PP unit Sunday and decided to use both Sidney Crosby and Malkin down low along the right boards on separate units in an effort to generate offense. Nothing happened, however, so there's a chance that experiment ends as soon as Tuesday.
Recommended Pickup
Anders Lee: As mentioned above, Lee has seven points and 15 shots in his last four games. Playing with John Tavares has its rewards. What's interesting is that the Islanders have five games in Week 20, including three at home. Make sure whichever Isles you have in head-to-head leagues are set as active.
@JohnToperzer
