NHL Barometer: Risers and Fallers

This week's article includes Barzal and Cirelli rolling, a hot Philly winger, Montreal's #1 blueliner, two veteran netminders, Sergachev down for a while and Ekblad slumping. 

First Liners (Risers)

Mathew Barzal, C, NYI – Barzal extended his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists) with an assist in the Isles' 5-2 loss to the Flames on Saturday. The change in coaches from Lane Lambert to Patrick Roy has done wonders for Barzal's game, as he's thrived in Roy's aggressive defensive system. Barzal, skating at wing alongside Bo Horvat, likely still has center eligibility in most leagues. With 55 points in 51 games, Barzal has an outside shot at exceeding his career-high of 85 points set in his rookie season of 2017-18 when he won the Calder Trophy.

Anthony Cirelli, C, TB – Cirelli isn't having a great year overall, but he's turned up the offense lately, earning two goals and seven assists over his last eight outings. Centering the second line while also seeing time on the second power-play unit, Cirelli has just 26 points on the year, but he is rolling lately. Tampa doesn't have any better options to man the second-line pivot, so Cirelli should continue to see solid minutes, especially while he remains hot. Jump on board with the hope that Cirelli can maintain his solid scoring pace for the Lightning. 

Ondrej Palat, LW, NJ – Palat has had a disappointing season but has turned the corner recently. He recently posted a three-game, five-point streak that included three goals, upping his season marks to eight tallies and 11 helpers. Palat's 19 points is close to the 23 he posted last year in 49 games but a far cry from the 49 he scored in 77 games the prior season, his last in Tampa Bay. He is skating on the Devils' top line, which provides some hope that his recent hot streak might be sustainable.

Tyson Foerster, RW, PHI – Foerster is having a solid first season in the NHL, scoring 10 goals with 11 assists in his first 51 games. He has picked up his scoring pace lately, posting five tallies in his last 12 games. Philly has been one of the league's pleasant surprises the first 60 percent of the year with Foerster contributing mightily to their strong record. A first-round pick (23rd overall) in 2020, Foerster is skating on the Flyers' third line but is seeing second-line power play time on ice. Look for him to continue his scoring ways down the stretch, though he currently is sidelined until the weekend with a lower-body injury. 

Mike Matheson, D, MTL – Matheson has set a new career-high in points in his second straight season with the Canadiens. He has recorded at least one point in five consecutive games and 11 (one goal, 11 assists) over the last 12 contests. Matheson is now up to 39 points, seven goals and 32 helpers, albeit with a minus-14 rating. Twenty of those 39 points have come on the man-advantage, adding to his fantasy value. A 50-point campaign certainly seems reachable for the Habs' top blueliner. 

Adam Fox, D, NYR – Fox notched a pair of assists in the Rangers' 4-3 overtime win over the Blackhawks on Saturday. For those in daily fantasy leagues, here is an interesting stat that we posted in our recent update on Fox: "The puck-moving defenseman has racked up seven goals and 20 assists in 23 games away from the Big Apple this season compared to one goal and 11 helpers at home." Not that you are likely to sit Fox, but that stat is further reason to start him when he is away from home. 

Jacob Markstrom, C, CGY – Markstrom made 35 saves to pick up his fourth straight win Saturday in the Flames' 5-2 win over the Islanders. Even after allowing just one goal to lose to New York on Monday, he is 9-4 in his last 13 games, giving him 17 victories on the season. Markstrom's hot streak has helped propel Calgary to the fringes of playoff connection despite the team dealing Elias Lindholm. Markstrom has posted a 2.17 goals-against average and .933 save percentage during this hot streak, vastly improving his season numbers. Ride the hot netminder. 

Sergei Bobrovsky, G FLA – Bobrovsky posted his third whitewash of the season Saturday, stopping all 35 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Avalanche. He has won four starts in a row, turning aside 122 of 128 shots on net. Bobrovsky is now 25-10-2 with a 2.47 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. That shutout was the 41st of his career, which is the third all-time among Russian goalies, trailing only Evgeni Nabokov (59) and Nikolai Khabibulin (46). Florida has moved within three points of Boston for first in the Atlantic Division. 

Others include Nick Suzuki, Adam Henrique, Connor Zary, Bo Horvat, Pavel Zacha, Cole Caufield, Chris Kreider, Travis Konecny, Alex Ovechkin, Zach Hyman, Juraj Slafkovsky, Tyler Seguin, Jonathan Huberdeau, Brandon Hagel, Brock Faber, Noah Hanifin, Quinn Hughes, Ilya Samsonov, Thatcher Demko, Charlie Lindgren and Pyotr Kochetkov.

Buy Low

Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, CGY – Sometimes a change of scenery is all that is needed to unlock a player's talent. Kuzmenko, brilliant last year in Vancouver, was rightly in Canucks' coach Rick Tocchet's doghouse due to his lack of defensive intensity. Kuzmenko had either been a healthy scratch or chained to the fourth line. Much of his success last year was due to an unsustainable 27.3 percent shooting percentage, but that didn't mean he had no value. Now in Calgary, where they will try and maximize the return on the Elias Lindholm deal, Kuzmenko scored a goal in each of his first two games in a Flames jersey.

Training Room (Injuries)

Mikhail Sergachev, D, TB – Sergachev underwent surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg Thursday. He was just one game back from a previous lower-body injury that sidelined him for 17 contests before being stretchered off the ice against the Rangers on Wednesday when his left leg got caught behind him when he was reverse checked by Alexis Lafreniere. Sergachev is probably facing 6-8 weeks on the shelf before he can even begin skating and will almost certainly be placed on long-term injured reserve. He might not return before the start of the playoffs, leaving a major hole in the Lightning D corps. 

Others include Nathan MacKinnon (face, left Saturday's game), Jack Hughes (upper body, missed 11 games, returned to action Thursday), Mason McTavish (upper body, missed Friday's game), Alex Newhook (ankle, out since Nov. 30, returned to action Saturday), Andrei Svechnikov (upper body, missed six games, returned to action Saturday), Antti Raanta (lower body, injured Thursday, will be out for at least a couple of weeks), Dan Vladar (lower body, out since Jan. 20, placed on injured reserve Friday) and John Gibson (lower body, left Friday's game). 

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Matias Maccelli, LW, AZ – Maccelli is still productive, but his goal-scoring has dried up. Prior to finally scoring Monday, he last light the lamp January 9, 11 games ago. In that stretch, he still posted five assists, giving him 26 on the season in 51 games. Maccelli notched 38 apples in 64 games as rookie last year, so he is slightly off that pace. After scoring 11 times last season, Maccelli has eight this year. This is not a major downgrade. 

Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA – Ekblad saw his pointless streak hit seven games Saturday. After scoring a career-best 57 points in 61 in games in 2021-22, Ekblad saw his production decline by a third in 71 contests last season. At his current pace, Ekblad could record his second-lowest point total over the seven campaigns, as he's posted just 13 points in 35 games. Injuries have wreaked havoc with Ekblad's production, and he's seen his ice time drop by two minutes a game, with most of that time lost coming on the power play.

Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG – Helly came into Saturday's game in a little bit of a slump, having lost three straight games, giving up three goals in each of those contests. That slight slide ended against the Penguins, as Hellebuyck stopped 35 of 36 shots to notch a 2-1 win. This is a minor downgrade, as Winnipeg may use Laurent Brossoit, who has played well, to rest Helly liberally in order to keep him fresh. That said, Hellebuyck should notch his second straight 30-win campaign for the Jets.

Others include Mika Zibanejad (poor 5x5 scoring), Andrew Mangiapane, Sam Malinski, Evan Bouchard, Jake Allen and Juuse Saros. 

Sell High 

Nicolas Roy, C, LV – Roy has been a godsend for Las Vegas, helping to make up for the absence of Jack Eichel and William Karlsson. His helper Monday was Roy's 14th point over his last 10 outings, and he's gotten on the scoresheet in seven straight contests. Karlsson returned to action two games ago while Eichel could be back by the end of the month. Roy should continue to be productive, but if someone is willing to overpay you for his services, take advantage of that offer cognizant that Eichel will eventually be back for the Knights.