This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Preds defender, Roman Josi, has scored a goal and two assists in four career games against Monday's opponent, the New York Rangers. Those numbers don't mean much in such a small sample size, but Josi has rattled off nine points in his last 10 and has scored at a higher clip on the road than at home. Josi has 24 points in 31 road tilts and 22 points in 32 home games. He's a decent gamble Monday night in New York.
With 23 points in 27 career games versus Nashville, newly-acquired Keith Yandle has posted some of his best numbers against the Predators. Whether you think the acquisition price was too high for the defenseman was too high or not, there's no debating he'll help New York on the blue line and fantasy owners in the plus-minus category. Yandle has compiled a minus-55 rating over the last two years for Arizona. That number will likely reverse itself for the Blueshirts. He's going to want to make a good first impression Monday night and poolies will want to take full advantage.
In keeping with the defensive theme, Kimmo Timonen is set to make his season debut Monday night for the Chicago Blackhawks. The 'Hawks will likely keep his minutes down, but the defenseman could see some power-play time and sneak in an assist or two against Carolina. The 40-year-old has nice career numbers versus the Hurricanes – 22 points (5G, 17A) in 34 tilts – so it wouldn't be surprising to see him tally a point or two Monday night.
Jeff Skinner is playing his best hockey of 2014-15 right now. The figure-skating forward is skating circles around his opponents with six goals and an assist in his last nine games. He's never averaged fewer than a half point per game, but currently has 26 points in 56 tilts. Look for him to finish strong – provided he can stay healthy.
Devante Smith-Pelly is more of a hunch pick than anything else. He has yet to pick up a point in two games for the Habs, but he's familiar with Monday night's opponent, San Jose, from his time with Anaheim. Smith-Pelly is due to pick up a point and has three assists in nine games against the Sharks. If you're looking for a safer pick, P.K. Subban has scored 12 points in his last nine contests, including six in his last three.
Almost a year ago to the date (March 8), Tommy Wingels potted a pair of goals in his last game against the Canadiens. The forward has heated up recently after a slow start since returning from injury in early February. Wingels has points in three of his last four. Typically, he represents a good source for hits (he totaled 11 hits vs. the Kings three games ago). Monday should be no different.
Hot
Jaromir Jagr: New team, new start for the 43-year-old youngster. Jagr's on his eighth NHL team. He was shut out in his debut for the Florida Panthers on Saturday, but woke up with a goal and an assist Sunday. After a career-long nine-game pointless streak, the game's elder statesman figures to benefit from the change of scenery. He's staying young by skating with a pair of youngsters, Aleksander Barkov (18 years of age) and Jonathan Huberdeau (21) and can still help fantasy owners.
Justin Faulk: Faulk has quietly put together a break-out campaign, increasing his numbers from 32 points in 76 games to 40 points in just 61 contests. The Carolina defender has produced at an even better rate in recent games, with two goals and 11 points in his last 10. Faulk also has six power-play points over that span. It's unusual for a blueliner to lead his team in scoring, but he's doing exactly that right now – Eric Staal is three points behind Faulk with 37 points.
Cold
Tomas Hertl: The flashy forward has 24 points in 63 games after totaling 25 points in 37 contests as a rookie. Some regression was expected for Hertl after a big rookie campaign, but fantasy owners were likely looking for more from the Czech native. He has points in only six of his last 37 games. Hertl is 21 years of age and figures to come at a fantasy discount next season.
James Neal: No one expected Neal to produce in Nashville the way he did for the Penguins, but his falloff has been precipitous. While he has scored a respectable 21 goals, the forward has collected only 34 points in 57 games. Neal totaled 179 points in 180 contests in his final three years with Pittsburgh. His shots are way down and after scoring 38 power-play goals in those three seasons with the Pens, he has only three goals on the man advantage for the Preds. What's really disappointing is that Nashville does have players producing offensively, such as Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro. It's almost gotten to the point that whenever Neal does pick up a point, it's more of a bonus than anything else.
Recommended Pickup:
Jonathan Huberdeau: With three home games on tap and a future HOFer as his new linemate (Jaromir Jagr), Huberdeau looks to do some damage in the next week. He was named the game's No. 2 star Sunday, chipping in with three assists against the Lightning. The Panthers host a struggling Toronto squad on Tuesday and Huberdeau figures to benefit.
