The postponements are piling up in the NHL, but fortunately, the NHL season trudges onward. Despite two games being rescheduled tonight (STL at MIN, ARI at COL), there are still eight games to look forward to. Let’s have a look.
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Center
Pierre-Luc Dubois (WPG): $4,000 at CGY
This price tag caught me off guard. DraftKings still has Dubois listed with the “IR” designation, but by all accounts, he is set to make his debut with the Jets tonight in Calgary. Hopefully, the “IR” note will keep his rostership down. Dubois unceremoniously left Columbus a few weeks ago after requesting a trade, and the team ultimately dealt him for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. The former third-overall pick is a star player. In his first practice with the Jets on Sunday, the Jets slated him between goal-scorer Kyle Connor and Trevor Lewis, and they featured him on the second power-play unit. Without being on the ice for over two weeks, he may need to shake some rust off, but I can’t resist him at this price tag.
Wing
Anthony Mantha (DET): $4,200 at FLA
Mantha’s season hasn’t gotten off to the start that he’d hoped for. In 11 games, Mantha has recorded four goals, three assists, and a -8 rating. His defensive play has been highly questionable. For that reason, Jeff Blashill sent a message to Mantha on Sunday by listing him as a healthy scratch for their contest against Florida. I expect to see an invigorated player tonight when he returns to the lineup. Mantha has proven himself as a 25-goal scorer in this league, and he has the potential to do even more damage. I expect him to return to his usual share of minutes and spot on the top power-play unit.
Tim Stuetzle (OTT): $4,000 vs. EDM
Senators fans haven’t had much to get excited about this season, but Tim Stuetzle is the exception. After the team took him third overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Stuetzle dazzled for Germany at the World Junior Championships. And after he earned a spot on the team’s opening night roster, Stuetzle has proven that his skill level translates into the NHL game. In eight games, Stuetzle has recorded four goals and two assists. He has earned a spot on the top power-play unit in the trigger position. As with any 19-year-old player, his best is yet to come, but I expect Stuetzle will be in the conversation for the Calder Trophy this year from what we have seen so far. The Senators will host the Oilers tonight, and they’ve surrendered a third-worst 3.77 goals against this season.
Defense
Evan Bouchard (EDM): $3,100 at OTT
Evan Bouchard jumped into his first NHL game in almost two years last week when the Oilers called him up from the taxi squad. The former 10th-overall pick made an immediate impact on the stat sheet. Even better, in his first game against Ottawa, Bouchard recorded a point, +1 rating, and four shots on goal. Tonight, Edmonton will face Ottawa in the second half of a back-to-back. The Senators are dead last in the NHL with 4.33 goals against per game. Since I expect this to be a high-scoring affair, I would like to get a piece of the action with a cheap investment.
Goalie
Chris Driedger (FLA): $8,100 vs. DET
I am going back to the well on Chris Driedger. Driedger picked up his first NHL loss on Sunday to this same Red Wings team. However, it wasn’t without posting solid numbers. He stopped 35 of 38 shots for a .921 save percentage. Driedger has averaged fewer than two goals against per game this year, and he boasts a sparkling .937 save percentage. Joel Quenneville has yet to name his starting goaltender for this evening, but Driedger should be in the process of completely stealing this job from Sergei Bobrovsky, who continues to struggle after signing with the Panthers last season. The Panthers are 6-2-1, and the Red Wings are 3-8-2. I expect Florida to bounce back with a win tonight.
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Chris Genova is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyOneTimer.
