New Jersey Devils season snapshot fantasy honors

With the NHL pausing the 2019-20 regular season on March 12 due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com is taking stock of each of the League's 31 teams.
Today, a fantasy recap of the New Jersey Devils at the pause:
NOTE: Rank for fantasy most valuable player is based on standard-category production to date.

MORE FANTASY COVERAGE:
Top 250
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100 'F'
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50 'D'
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25 'G'
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Season snapshots
Fantasy MVP: Kyle Palmieri, RW (rank: 121)-- He leads the Devils with 25 goals and 18 power-play points in 65 games, giving him at least 24 goals and 18 PPP in each of the past five seasons since joining them in 2015-16. He ranks 32nd in the NHL in goals (132) and is tied for 36th in PPP (101) in that span. Palmieri, who leads the Devils in scoring (45 points), has remained a must-own fantasy forward after they traded left wing linemate Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 16, with 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists), nine on the power play, and 81 shots on goal in the past 33 games.

Biggest surprise: Mackenzie Blackwood, G -- Even with the Devils having an underachieving season, Blackwood leads rookie goalies in wins (22) and is among the NHL leaders at the position in games (47; 11th) and saves (1,328; eighth). Among the five rookie goalies to play at least 15 games, Blackwood is second in save percentage (.915) behind Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets (.923). Blackwood also is second among rookies in shutouts (three) behind Merzlikins (five) and is among the top 100 overall fantasy players based on performance to date in standard leagues.

Unsung hero: Nikita Gusev, LW -- After beginning his professional career in Russia, Gusev has put forth a strong fantasy performance in his first NHL season despite inconsistent lineup placement and New Jersey's lack of scoring (2.68 goals per game; tied for seventh fewest in NHL). Gusev, who has frequently played in the bottom six, is second on the Devils in scoring (44 points) and PPP (15) behind Palmieri and leads them in assists (31) and shots on goal (158). He is New Jersey's leading scorer since the Hall trade, with 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) in 37 games. It's worth noting Gusev has seen an uptick in ice time since Alain Nasreddine was hired to replace John Hynes as coach (15:26 per game after change; 13:19 before).

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