Fantasy buzz: Impact of McDonagh, Bernier returning from injury

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy hockey staff will have you covered with daily lineup news, production trends and injury notes from around the League. We will identify how these developments affect fantasy owners in year-long (Yahoo) and daily (DraftKings) formats.

McDonagh expected to debut for Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman is expected to make his debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, after being acquired from the New York Rangers on Feb. 26. He has not played a game since Feb.7 because of a hand injury. McDonagh led all Rangers defensemen with 26 points (two goals, 24 assists) in 49 games.
It's possible that McDonagh (70 percent owned; ranked 321st on Yahoo) will skate alongside former teammate Dan Girardi (3 percent) on the Lightning's second pair. He could also see time on their second power-play unit with forwards Yanni Gourde, Ryan Callahan, Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson.
McDonagh ($5,300) is worth streaming in DraftKings because of exposure to elite forwards Nikita Kucherov ($7,900) and Steven Stamkos ($7,400). They have a favorable matchup against the Canadiens (1 p.m. ET; SUN, RDS, TSN2, NHL.TV), who give up the seventh-most points to defenseman in the League. McDonagh has one assist and two shots on goal against in two games against the Canadiens.

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Bernier to start for Avalanche on Saturday

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier (25 percent owned in Yahoo), is expected to start against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ALT, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV). He was activated from injured reserve Tuesday after sustaining a concussion Feb. 16 against the Winnipeg Jets.
Bernier was 1-2-0 with an .847 save percentage in his past three appearances. This may deter potential owners from adding him in season-long formats but in DFS contests, Bernier ($8,200), presents a viable streaming option against the Coyotes who rank second to last in the League in goals-per game (2.41).
It's worth noting when Avalanche starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov, missed time (Jan. 2-Feb. 3) with a groin injury, Bernier was 9-2-1 with a .936 save percentage in 12 appearances. Varlamov has played every other day since Feb. 14 (5-2-4, .924 SV%, one shutout) and may need rest.
Excluding their game Saturday, the Avalanche play four games next week, including a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday against the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators.

Nash rises to the occasion for Bruins

Boston Bruins forward Riley Nash (C/RW; 15 percent owned in Yahoo) scored a goal and had four shots on goal in their 3-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. He has been playing on the top line with elite wings Brad Marchand (LW; ranked 17th in Yahoo) and David Pastrnak (RW; ranked 34th). Nash is expected to remain Boston's number one center until Patrice Bergeron (ranked 27th) is able to return from a fractured foot sustained Feb. 25.
Nash has seven points (three goals, four assists) and 11 SOG in his past five games (4.8 DraftKings points per game). With his exposure to Marchand and Pastrnak, Nash ($5,700) is worth streaming against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, NESN, NBCSCH, NHL.TV). His mid-level price makes him stackable with either Marchand ($7,600) or Pastrnak ($7,000). In season-long formats, Nash is an intriguing option because the Bruins play the second most games over the final two weeks of the regular season (eight).

Vatrano provides value in DFS

Florida Panthers left wing Frank Vatrano ($3,100) is expected to make his debut after being acquired from the Bruins on Feb. 22. He has not played since Feb. 6 when he injured his ankle against the Detroit Red Wings.
Vatrano ($3,100) had two goals and 42 SOG in 25 games with Boston. He is expected to skate on the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau. Vatrano's low price and exposure to Trocheck ($6,900) and Huberdeau ($6,000) make him an attractive value play against the New York Rangers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-F, MSG, NHL.TV). Vatrano has one goal and eight SOG in four career games against the Rangers.
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