American Thanksgiving is widely used by National Hockey League analysts as a checkpoint to gauge the ultimate success of a team. At this point, we\u2019re roughly a quarter way through the season. Are teams and players really what they are? Let\u2019s look at some outstanding performances, good and bad, and determine whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n
Who would have thought that through 22 games, Alex Ovechkin<\/a> would have more points than Connor McDavid<\/a>? Ovi is averaging more time on ice than ever in his 17-year career. If there\u2019s one thing he\u2019s proven over that time, it\u2019s to never doubt him. Better yet, he seems to have taken another step at 36-years-old. You should feel great about Ovi this year.<\/p>\n Oliver Bjorkstrand<\/a>\u2019s points are the real deal. He\u2019s only tickled twine six times this season, but his 13 assists have him currently at a point-per-game pace. He\u2019s a go-to option on a surprisingly good team in Columbus<\/a>. Hold on to him and enjoy it.<\/p>\n Aaron Ekblad<\/a> has officially entered elite status in fantasy hockey. Through 21 games, he has 17 points, six of which are goals. He also has a hit and block per game and his 64 shots rank second among defensemen. Expect Ekblad to continue producing at a similar pace for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n Jordan Kyrou<\/a> is only 23 years old and has only 120 games of National Hockey League experience under his belt. He\u2019s shown so far that he can be a bonafide superstar, carving out more-and-more ice-time for himself in a crowded and veteran top-six. He currently sits at 22 points in 21 games. A point-per-game may not be attainable, but 70 plus for a player that went undrafted in most leagues could be the waiver-wire steal of the year.<\/p>\n Jack Campbell<\/a> recently surpassed 100 games played and is approaching 100 games started. Most 29-year-old goaltenders would be well over those marks, but Campbell has dealt with injuries and been a back-up to an amazing Jonathan Quick<\/a> for most of his years. Now is his time. Campbell is behind one of the best teams in the league and can realistically finish in the Vezina running when all is said and done.<\/p>\n Jeff Petry<\/a> has scored over 40 points in each of his last four seasons, his only years above that mark. That run began when he was 29 years old. At 34, on a considerably worse Montreal Canadiens<\/a> team, it appears as though the run of offensive output is over. It\u2019s time to face the fact that this is not going to be his year.<\/p>\n After two poor seasons in Florida, Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> seems to have finally regained his form. He\u2019s thoroughly outplayed Spencer Knight<\/a>, who was widely believed to be this seasons’ eventual starting netminder. Bob had other plans. He\u2019s been a rock behind a great Panthers team. Expect this to continue all season long.<\/p>\n Nazem Kadri<\/a> is in the middle of an incredible stretch of 23 points in 12 games while averaging more ice-time than he\u2019s ever had in his career. That ice-time is both based on performance and need, given the hole Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> left. At 31-years-old, with a player that has only had more than 55 points once (61 with Toronto<\/a> in 2015-2016), you should temper your expectations.<\/p>\n Doubting a 25-year-old seems wrong, but the data suggests that he won\u2019t keep up what he\u2019s done thus far. Through 21 games, Andrew Mangiapane<\/a> has 15 goals and just two assists \u2013 that\u2019s just three goals shy of his career-high. Given his current deployment and 27.3 shooting percentage, it\u2019s unrealistic to expect this goal-scoring pace over 82 games.<\/p>\n Elias Pettersson<\/a> has been the face of the Vancouver Canucks<\/a> struggles thus far. He has only three goals and 10 points in 22 games this season. Something will have to give soon. Either a firing of the Head Coach and\/or General Manager or a pickup in production. The fact is, Pettersson is going to be a Canuck for a long time. He\u2019s going to figure it out. A 5.1 shooting percentage is unsustainable.<\/p>\n Similar to Mangiapane, doubting a young player in fantasy can burn you. At just 24 years old, Troy Terry<\/a> is putting together a remarkable season. He has 23 points in 21 games highlighted by a 16 game point streak. Unfortunately, Terry has a couple of things working against him. First, his shooting percentage of 27.1 is unsustainably high. Second, since the return of Rickard Rakell<\/a> four games ago, Terry was pushed off the top powerplay unit and has just one goal. He won’t drop off entirely, but this pace is going to slow significantly.<\/p>\n Leon Draisaitl<\/a>\u2019s 40 points in 20 games have him on a pace of 164 points. That\u2019s not a pace you should believe in. A corrected shooting percentage would have Draisaitl on pace for about 140, which is entirely possible. Don\u2019t even think about selling him, just know that a little bit of regression is going to happen.<\/p>\n Mark Scheifele<\/a> is way better than the eight points in 15 games he’s been able to accumulate so far. He\u2019s produced at least a point-per-game pace in each of the last five seasons – and he’s going to do it again. Scheifele is bound for an absolute explosion of points. Buy now.<\/p>\n At 35 years old, regression is right around the corner for Blake Wheeler<\/a>. With just seven assists in 16 games this season, could that time be now? His play to this point doesn\u2019t suggest that it is. Wheeler\u2019s production is closely linked with Scheifele. Like him, points are on the horizon.<\/p>\n The bull run has been over for about two weeks now. Sell as high as you can and move on. Kevin Shattenkirk<\/a>\u2019s point-producing days are over.<\/p>\n Ryan Hartman<\/a> was put in the great situation of playing on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov<\/a>. To his credit, he\u2019s produced and rewarded the coach for putting him there. But this won\u2019t continue. Hartman is just seven goals away from his career-high 19 goals he set seven years ago in his 76-game rookie season. He has scored one goal in five of his last six games \u2013 a span in which he\u2019s shooting at 26 percent. Ride the wave, then try to sell.<\/p>\n After two poor seasons in Florida, Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> seems to have finally regained his form. He\u2019s thoroughly outplayed Spencer Knight<\/a>, who was widely believed to be this seasons’ eventual starting netminder. Bob had other plans. He\u2019s been a rock behind a great Panthers team. Expect this to continue all season long.<\/p>\n Main Photo:<\/p>\nBjorkstrand<\/h4>\n
Ekblad<\/h4>\n
Kyrou<\/h4>\n
Campbell<\/h4>\n
Petry<\/h4>\n
Bobrovsky<\/h4>\n
Don’t Believe It<\/h3>\n
Kadri<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Mangiapane<\/h4>\n
Pettersson<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Terry<\/h4>\n
Draisaitl<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Scheifele<\/h4>\n
Wheeler<\/h4>\n
Shattenkirk<\/h4>\n
Hartman<\/h4>\n
Bobrovsky<\/h4>\n