Patrick Kane looks like his old self. (Ryan Tanner)
This week, Eric Staal became the fourth player to have his jersey retired by Carolina; Evgeni Malkin, who has missed the last four games, landed on the IR; and Alex Ovechkin in now just 21 goals behind Wayne Gretzky. Some other Fantasy hockey stories we’re following include…
- Since coming to Detroit, Patrick Kane has definitely had his share of injury issues, playing just 87 of a possible 124 games. But man, he sure seems healthy now. With a goal and a helper on Sunday, Kane now has a seven-game point streak, posting a 5-8-13 line over this stretch. Small wonder he’s been among the top waiver wire pickups over the last few days.
- Auston Matthews has been dealing with an upper body injury all season, but reports suggest he’s going to be good to go for the 4 Nations Face-off that kicks off in just under a month. Before getting shut out on Saturday (along with every Leaf), he was on an eight-game point streak, recording five goals and seven assists. Matthews has suited up in five of Toronto’s six games this month, and overall his ice time is down this season, but still above his career average.
- It might be time to consider picking up Ottawa goalie Leevi Merilainen in deeper formats. The young Finn has looked extremely sharp since being recalled just before Christmas. On Sunday, he stopped 24 of 26 shots after recording a 29-save shutout on Saturday. If you need goaltending help, give Merilainen a look.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American country singer Ray Price was active from 1948 until his death in 2013. In 1964, he released the single “Please Talk to My Heart,” and the B-side was “I Don’t Know Why (I Keep Loving You).”