Why Shattenkirk playing for the Rangers is good for fantasy

A big reason why Kevin Shattenkirk chose the New York Rangers was the opportunity to play on the same team as Ryan McDonagh.

Shattenkirk was offered more money by other teams but chose his hometown Rangers at a reasonable price of $26.6 million over four years.

"Ryan McDonagh was a big part of my decision," Shattenkirk said. "My goal is to be a phenomenal defenseman in all aspects, and I think that Ryan McDonagh will help me achieve that. It was a major part of my decision to be able to play with one of the best." The Rangers trade with Montreal for McDonagh years ago keeps paying benefits.

The native of New Rochelle, New York gave up money to go back home and play for the Rangers. Shattenkirk is an offensive stud who is nothing special defensively but he should quarterback the Rangers power play. That should get him to the 45-50 point mark but he will need help in his own zone during five-on-five play. Draft him in the fourth or fifth round if points are your only consideration.

Shattenkirk scored 13 goals and 56 points in 80 games in 2016-17. He will continue to be an effective fantasy asset next season.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist playing stellar lately

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist sure has done some good playing in net recently.

Among 27 NHL goalies who have played 10 or more games since Jan. 19, Lundqvist ranks 1st in GAA (1.91) & is T-1st in wins (10) & SV% (.939).

By getting the win in the Rangers 2-1 shootout win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 23, Lundqvist passed Chris Osgood for sole possession of 11th place on the NHL's all-time wins list. In addition, Lundqvist is now one win away from tying Grant Fuhr for 10th place on the NHL's all-time wins list, and he is also one win away from tying Martin Brodeur for the most wins by a goaltender in his first 12 seasons in NHL history.

In his last 14 appearances, Lundqvist has posted a 10-2-1 record, along with a 1.91 GAA, a .939 SV%, and 1 SO, and he has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of those 14 appearances. Lundqvist has made at least 30 saves in six of his last nine appearances and in 15 contests this season. In those 15 contests, Lundqvist has posted a 14-1-0 record, along with a 1.78 GAA, a .950 SV%, and 1 SO.

In the game against Toronto, Lundqvist made 32 saves in regulation/overtime and stopped two of three shooters he faced in the shootout to earn his 28th win of the season.

Could Zibanejad's injury affect Rangers depth?

New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad broke his left fibula when he fell awkwardly into the end boards 41 seconds into overtime in the Rangers' 3-2 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

Zibanejad will miss 6-8 weeks, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.

Zibanejad actually scored in the second period of the game. He has 15 points in 19 games this season.

Vigneault also said that the team will not recall a forward from the AHL, so that means that Oscar Lindberg could see some playing time.

Lindberg had an amazing start to last season but wound up being a healthy scratch in most of the games later in the season. He may need to fill in a fourth line spot with a Rangers' lineup that should be shaken up from Zibanejad's injury.

Rangers prospect Buchnevich feels he is ready for NHL

Selected by the New York Rangers in the third round (No. 75) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Pavel Buchnevich made it clear he's ready for the challenges that await him in his first season in North America.

"If I weren't sure, I wouldn't come here," Buchnevich said on Tuesday through an interpreter, Rangers director of European scouting Nickolai Bobrov.

Buchnevich skated in 40 games before he was traded to SKA St. Petersburg in December. He had career highs in goals (16), assists (21) and points (37), helped St. Petersburg advance to the Western Conference Finals with a goal and two assists in 14 playoff games. He agreed to terms with the Rangers on a reported three-year, entry-level contract worth $925,000 per season on May 13.

"I felt I was getting a lot of ice time and I needed experience and I didn't feel I was ready. Now I feel better and more ready," the 21-year-old said. "I felt, obviously, the age was a bit different. Even at 20 it's still considered to be young. I felt I needed more time to get physically prepared in Cherepovets and then in SKA [St. Petersburg], and get more experience and get older.

"I think I'm not quite a goal-scorer, but I'm a thinking player, a cerebral player, and a playmaker."

Buchnevich had 37 goals and 87 points in 158 regular-season games, and 17 goals and 41 points in 31 playoff games while competing in the Russian junior league.

"I'm focused on the present and on the summer, and getting in shape and getting ready for this type of hockey," Buchnevich said. "As far as the language barrier, all the guys are being very helpful. They either show by hands or help with the words. I'm living with another Russian, [defense prospect] Sergey Zborovskiy, and he's been very helpful as well."

Kreider said early playoff exit may be "blessing in disguise" for Rangers

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

Chris Kreider is confident that the Rangers early
playoff exit in 2016 is a positive for the team.

The New York Rangers in April faced one of their most early playoff exits in recent years. They were eliminated from the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games, the reverse of what happened between the two teams in Round one of 2015, where the Rangers won the series in five games.

The exit was the earliest one for Rangers winger Chris Krieder, who told NHL.com on Thursday that the early playoff exit may be a "blessing in disguise" for his team.

"I haven't been out this early since I was 17," the 25-year-old forward said Thursday. "It's a bit strange, but honestly it might be a little bit of a blessing in disguise for us. It's a good opportunity to get healthy and go work on some things moving forward."

Kreider, a first-round pick of the Rangers (No. 19) in the 2009 NHL Draft, has 61 regular-season goals in four seasons with the Rangers and has had 21 goals in each of the past two seasons. 

He just finished a two-year deal he signed after the 2013-14 season and can become a restricted free agent July 1. Kreider said he is focused on training for the 2016-17 season and not on a new contract with the Rangers.


"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest," Kreider said at a reception for 37.5 Technology, which helps develop sports apparel. "It's a bit of a cliche, but you can only control what you can control, and you just block everything else out. What I can control is getting in the gym, getting on the ice now, working to get healthy and get better."

DraftKings Analysis: Two Staal Brothers may be wise high-value center picks for Tuesday

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

Jordan Staal

With 16 NHL teams in action on Tuesday night for a total of eight games, it's hard to pick a good lineup in daily fantasy sports that can earn you points. Luckily, we found some info from FanSided that can help you with picking some centers.

Here are two high-value centers you can pick in terms of if you're playing DraftKings. Needless to say, they are brothers.

Eric Staal – New York Rangers ($4,900): Staal has 35 points (11 goals and 24 assists) in 67 games this season with 61 hits and 166 shots on goal. Over his last 10 games, he has two goals, three assists, five points, 14 hits, and 31 shots on goal. Staal will face the Sabres, who just played on Monday, tonight averaging 2.6 fantasy hockey points per game. (FanSided)

Eric Staal

Jordan Staal – Carolina Hurricanes ($4,500): Staal has 40 points (17 goals and 23 assists) for the Hurricanes this season. He has 130 hits and 115 shots on goal as well. Staal has five goals, two assists, seven points, 25 hits, five blocked shots, and 19 shots on goal over his last 10 games. He goes tonight against the Senators averaging 2.6 fantasy hockey points per game. (FanSided)

Rangers' Eric Staal should spike fantasy point earnings

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

Eric Staal (Getty Images)

The New York Rangers recent acquired forward Eric Staal from the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, the same day we said that he was a good forward pick for that day.

Staal has 10 goals and 23 assists in 63 games played this season. He had 15:43 of ice time in his first game as a Ranger on Monday.

Analysis: Staal moves from an also-ran to a contender. He’ll now skate on the top line in Gotham with forward Rick Nash and center Derek Stepan, so look for a big spike in fantasy production. (USA TODAY)

Zuccarello a great forward pick for Tuesday

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

Mats Zuccarello

Mats Zuccarello isn't just good at scoring (he has 20 goals in 59 games this season), but he can play somewhat defense as well.

Along with his 20 goals and 26 assists this season, Zuccarello has six hits, seven shots on goal and seven blocked shots in his past five games, which is really impressive for the Rangers winger.

In his past five games, Zuccarello has two goals and five assists, and with his hits and blocked shots, he is a wise choice for Tuesday if you need a good forward who can get you points that is not too expensive in your fantasy salary cap, assuming you're playing daily fantasy.

Zuccarello has had almost 20 minutes of ice time per game in his past five, and although he failed to show up on the scoring sheet in his last game against Detroit on Sunday, he still knows how to find the net and score some goals/points for his team, and for your team.

Brassard a wise pick for Thursday as he faces Maple Leafs

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

Derick Brassard

Derick Brassard could be considered the top scorer on the New York Rangers at this moment in the season. He leads the team in goals scored this season with 20 goals (just one ahead of Mats Zuccarello, who has 19).

Along with his 20 goals, the Rangers center has 23 assists on the season for 43 points. Also, he has a good plus-minus of 16.

In his matchup tonight, Brassard faces the extremely struggling Toronto Maple Leafs, who are last in the league standings with 49 points.

Brassard faces an easy matchup tonight, and with the fact that he leads the Rangers in scoring, and that he is facing the struggling Leafs, it makes him a wise choice for Thursday night's NHL Fantasy events.

Brassard has two goals and two assists in his past five games.

Ovechkin and Miller are two LWs who will help you earn points on Thursday night

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals): Ovechkin returns from his supposed “injury” tonight against the New York Islanders. He has 28 goals and 14 assists for 42 points with 234 shots on goal and a plus-minus rating of +20 in 46 games for the Capitals this season. He has seven goals over his last eight games.

JT Miller (New York Rangers): Miller has 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 50 games this season with the

JT Miller

Rangers. J.T. has seven goals over his last seven games and goes against the Wild tonight. Miller has six goals in his past five games. Miller surely has stepepd up for the struggling Rangers, finding ways to find the net almoste each night. He scores the Rangers' only two goals in their loss to the Devils on Tuesday.

JT Miller becoming a great pick on Ranger game nights

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

JT Miller

JT Miller is a man on a roll for the New York Rangers.

Miller recently has easily been having two-goal games and racking up fantasy points at a crazy rate. He has six goals in his past five games, and is one of the Rangers' key players if they plan on making the playoffs this season.

The Rangers forward scored his teams' only two goals in their 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

Miller has 15 goals and 12 assists in 50 games played this season.

Miller is a very wise choice for your lineup if you want a power forward who can score goals and earn you tons of fantasy points at a low fantasy salary.

Goalie Pick For Sunday: Lundqvist is wise choice as he faces Ottawa

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist is hot right now.

Lundqvist was the winning goaltender in the New York Rangers' last two games. The first was a 3-2 overtime victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, and a 4-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.

Lundqvist was the starting goaltender both of the Rangers' wins against the Senators so far this season, as the Senators are yet to beat the Rangers in 2015-16.

Lundqvist has won four of his last five games. He has 22 wins on the season in 39 games played and 38 games that he started in net. He currently has a .922 save percentage (SV%) on the season so far.

Henrik Lundqvist is a very wise fantasy goaltender pick for Sunday's NHL action.

Fantasy Notebook: Kuznetsov and Stepan good centers for Friday

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Hockey Report

Derek Stepan

Centers:
High Salary: Evgeny Kuznetsov
Kunetsov managed to get four assists in a win over Columbus and then led to a hat trick against the New York Rangers in what was a 5-2 Capitals win. If Kunetsov keeps up his great play, his salarys on DraftKings and FanDuel will surely rise. Be sure to add him into your lineup for tonight.
 High Value: Derek Stepan
Stepan is currently on a w3-game point streak in which in those three games he has 4 points. In his last game on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks, Stepan notched one goal and an assist. Stepan is definitely a center that should do very well against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight.

Wingers:
High Salary: Patrick Kane
Kane may have had a slow night against the Lightning last night, but he did manage to get an assist in his team's loss. With the assist, Kane now has 42 on the season, along with 30 goals with those assists. Kane will sure be a challenge for the Florida Panthers to go against tonight.

High Value: Justin Williams
Williams' salary on DraftKings and FanDuel has risen tremendously because of recent spark in play. On Jan. 17 he notched a hat trick and on Jan. 19 he notched two assists. Williams has been playing very well as of late.

Defensemen:
High Salary: Erik Karlsson
Karlsson has proved in recent seasons that he is clearly an all-star defensemen, one of the best that the league has seen in recent years. If you want an all-star d-man in your lineup tonight you must pick Karlsson

High Value: Ryan McDonagh
McDonagh is the best high-value defenseman available toniight because he is currently on a three-game point streak and has six points in his last six games.
 
Goaltenders:
High Salary: Braden Holtby
Holtby has shown this season and in recent seasons that he is a tremendous all-star goaltender that deserves his high fantasy salary. He and the Capitals are absolutely on fire, so there is no doubt if you want an all-star goaltender in your lineup for tonight you have to pick Holtby.

High Value: Petr Mrazek
Mrazek mave have lost his last two starts but he does have a record of 16-9-4. He will get a nice chance to rebound tonight against the Buffalo Sabres.

Fantasy Forward Analysis: Two Rangers forwards that can help you earn fantasy points

"The Neutral Zone" Fantasy Report

When you look at the New York Rangers, you see a young team (for the most part) with a lot of speed and talent. But there are two Rangers forwards that if you were to add them to your daily fantasy hockey team that would really help you rack up those fantasy points.

Tha Rangers don't play their next game until Saturday against the Washington Capitals. But we should still check out these two forward on their team that can help your team.

1. Rick Nash - FanDuel: $8.6K; DraftKings: $7K

Nash had three assists in the Rangers' 6-2 victory against the Dallas Stars. Nash has 12 goals and 17 assists on the season so far, along with 29 points. He has two goals in his last five games, and his assists were those three achieved in the Dallas game in his last five games. Nash is showing that he truly is an NHL current great.

2. Mats Zuccarello - FanDuel: $6.2K; DraftKings: $5.7K

Zuccarello is currently leading the Rangers in goals this season with 16. He also has 15 assists and 31 points this season to go along with all of those goals. He has two goals and one assist in his last 5 games.