This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
There are players who post strong plus-minus ratings and there are players who pile up loads of power-play points. The NHLer who excels in both categories represents fantasy gold.
In 2013-14, eighteen players totaled 25 power-play points and just nine of those guys compiled positive plus-minus numbers. Eight players reached the 30 power-play point plateau and half of those guys (Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, Joe Pavelski, Evgeni Malkin) finished with plus-minus ratings better than even.
Now this isn't to say that Alexander Ovechkin is a bad fantasy pick because of his minus-35 rating – he helps in so many categories that it isn't even funny. But for every poor plus-minus number, poolies are forced to offset that with a lesser player who suits up for the Chicago Blackhawks or Boston Bruins. Fantasy leagues which no longer use plus/minus are ahead of the game, but it seems like a majority still use it.
Let's take a look at a couple early-season oddities.
Philadelphia Flyers power forward, Wayne Simmonds, has zero penalty minutes through eight contests. Since debuting for the Los Angeles Kings in 2008-09, Simmonds has had but three longer stretches without committing at least one penalty.
At 27 years of age, it's likely that his role change and maturation have something to do with the changes in his game. Simmonds leads Philly with five goals -- including three on the power play -- and he's averaging better than three shots per game (26 shots in eight games) for the first time in his career.
How about John Tavares getting shut out despite his Islanders scoring seven goals Saturday and Anze Kopitar failing to point on five Los Angeles Kings goals Sunday? Kopitar only has three points in nine games. The centerman left Sunday's game with an upper body injury after skating 15 shifts and 10:39 TOI. Kopitar is one of 18 players who finished with 70 points or more last season and an extended absence would devastate fantasy teams.
Finally, Anaheim's Sami Vatanen has scored three goals and seven points in eight games from the blue line and all seven of his points have come courtesy of the power play.
Three-to-five more weeks until Victor Hedman (broken hand) returns.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Minnesota Wild (Darcy Kuemper) at New York Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:00 PM
Montreal Canadiens (Carey Price) at Edmonton Oilers (Ben Scrivens), 9:30 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Monday
Minnesota Wild
Gustav Olofsson, D - Olofsson will miss up to four months after shoulder surgery, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. (10/26/2014)
Christian Folin, D - Folin (illness) will not travel with the Wild on their upcoming two-game road trip, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Michael Russo reports. (10/25/2014)
Keith Ballard, D - Ballard (illness) will not be with the Wild on their upcoming road trip, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's MIchael Russo reports. (10/25/2014)
Josh Harding, G - Harding (broken foot) has been suspended by the Wild after suffering a broken right foot while kicking a wall following an off-ice altercation with a teammate, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. (9/18/2014)
New York Rangers
Derek Stepan, C - Stepan (leg) has begun skating on his own, Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record reports. (10/25/2014)
Dan Boyle, D - Boyle broke his hand blocking a shot Thursday and will miss four-to-six weeks as a result, Steve Zipay of Newsday reports. The Rangers have placed him on injured reserve. (10/9/2014)
Edmonton Oilers
Luke Gazdic, LW - Gazdic (shoulder) believes he is still a couple of weeks away from playing, according to the Oilers' official site. (10/19/2014)
Viktor Fasth, G - Fasth's groin injury is not as bad as originally thought. (10/20/2014)
Hot
Lubomir Visnovsky, D, Islanders – Visnovsky led all NYI blueliners with 2:39 TOI on the power play Saturday, more than Nick Leddy (0:58) and Johnny Boychuk (1:15). He scored one goal and assisted on another. Visnovsky makes for a great complementary scorer while he's healthy. The Islanders are hot and so is he.
Scott Darling, G, Chicago – The fact that Chicago recalled Darling over veteran Michael Leighton is telling. Darling rewarded the Hawks with 32-save performance Sunday, leading his team to a 2-1 win for his first career NHL victory. The 6-foot-6, 25-year-old netminder will likely head back to the AHL when Corey Crawford returns in the next week or two, but for now he'll serve as Antti Raanta's backup. It's possible Darling even sneaks a start away from Raanta, considering how well he played Sunday.
Ryan Murray, D, Columbus – Murray (knee) made his season debut Sunday against the Los Angeles Kings. It might take the second overall pick in the 2012 draft a little while to get comfortable, but he did point in nine of 11 games during one stretch for the Blue Jackets in 2013-14.
Cold
Tyler Myers, D, Buffalo – Myers is pointless in nine games for the Sabres. There have been rumors that he could be moved to Detroit or another location by the trade deadline. If this happens, then his fantasy value spikes. He does have 25 penalty minutes and 18 shots to his credit, but fantasy owners would be wise to steer clear of the monster defenseman – just be ready to pounce the moment his name is announced in a trade.
Jacob Trouba, D, Winnipeg – Trouba was a fashionable, preseason fantasy pick but he has yet to point in eight contests for the Jets. He's still a very good stash for keeper leagues, but Tobias Enstrom seems to awakening on the blue line, which could actually set Trouba back a bit.
Elias Lindholm, F, Carolina – Lindholm is another second-year player who came on strong in the second half of his rookie campaign but has struggled in 2014-15. The Hurricanes are in a tough spot. The return of Eric Staal could boost the offense, but until then things figure to be rough in Raleigh. Lindholm collected an assist – a power-play helper on Staal's goal -- Opening Night but has gone scoreless with a minus-6 rating since then. Like Trouba, Lindholm makes for strong ownership in keeper leagues but the Swede is slumping right now. Perhaps some home-cooking could help him; the team has played five of its first seven games on the road.
Recommended Pickup
Jared Spurgeon, D, Minnesota – With five points (2G, 3A) and a plus-8 rating in six games, Spurgeon is fulfilling the promise fantasy owners saw in him prior to the 2013-14 campaign. He's got a deeper cast in front of him and the Wild are off to a strong start.
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