clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Fantasy Hockey: Saturday’s Top 5 Stars

Saturday’s top 5 star performers features a re-incarnated Russian, a pair of Henriks and a trio of goaltenders, all of which led the way this past Saturday with some superstar caliber fantasy performances. Here they are:

By sportsbyjack
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Spor

1. Alex Ovechkin - Washington Capitals (RW,LW)

Ovie notched his 12th career hat-trick with three power play markers to lead the surging Caps past the Florida Panthers. Washington's leader now has 15 goals in his last 14 games including Sunday's matchup and now has 24 goals on the season. He's on fire at exactly the right time for fantasy owners as the playoffs are set to begin on Monday.

2. Henrik Lundqvist - New York Rangers (G)

King Henrik stopped 48 of 49 shots in a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes for his 17th win of the season. Coach John Tortorella says Saturday's performance was the best he's ever seen from the Rangers' backstop. As a team the blue shirts seem reinvigorated by the acquisition of Ryan Clowe and the departure of Marian Gaborik via a trade with Columbus. Backup Martin Biron probably won't see another start for the rest of the regular season unless the Rangers clinch their playoff spot early, which is not likely. Fantasy owners should be excited about that considering Lundqvist's excellence on Saturday.

3. Mike Smith - Phoenix Coyotes (G)

Smith stopped all 24 shots he faced in a 4-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, notching his league leading fifth shutout of the season in just 27 starts. Considering he managed a career-high eight shutouts in 67 starts last year. The Coyotes currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference and the fact it looks like they are going to be fighting for their playoff lives right until the last day of the season bodes well for his fantasy owners.

4. Ray Emery - Chicago Blackhawks (G)

Emery stopped each of the 20 shots he faced in Saturday's win over the Nashville Predators. Emery was a big part of the ‘Hawks amazing mid-season run and his 13-1 record in 14 starts this season is a direct reflection of that. Corey Crawford has a slight edge in the crease in terms of the goaltender most likely to get more action, but Emery has allowed just a single goal in his last three starts combined, making him a solid fantasy option in the post-season when he does get the nod.

5. Henrik Sedin - Vancouver Canucks (C)

Sedin managed a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames. His brother Daniel managed to put up three assists himself, so no matter which twin you have in your lineup, you got a nice stat line. Henrik is about on par far how he'd normally be expected to produce and as usual , he's been more of a playmaker this year rather than a goal scorer. Fantasy owners have got to keep him in the lineup, especially for his assist totals.

If you'd like fantasy advice or would like to follow more of the content I post for SB Nation, feel free to follow me on Twitter @jackchoros.