Nicklas Backstrom is a sleeper fantasy pick vs Islanders

The Washington Capitals take on the New York Islanders tonight and one player to keep an eye on for fantasy hockey is Nicklas Backstrom.

Here’s what the experts said on Backstrom with one arguing that you should bench him.

Sean Allen of ESPN.com said this on Backstrom, who listed him as a mid tier fantasy forward:

Not the greatest matchup in the world with the New York Islanders, but Backstrom is still getting top power-play minutes even though he hasn’t started producing since his return.

Chris Morgan of Yahoo argued though that you should avoid him:

Backstrom has returned, but he has returned to the second line, meaning he doesn’t play with Alex Ovechkin on his wing at even strength. Ilya Sorokin has a 2.25 GAA and .927 save percentage, so this is not a conducive matchup for a player still trying to get fully up to speed on the season.

Backstrom has one assist in three games since returning to the lineup. Not a lot but he hasn’t been getting the top six minutes as he’s been eased back into the lineup. Him and Tom Wilson were on the third line at morning skate.

Last season saw Backstrom produce career lows with six goals and 25 assists for 31 points. Can he have better numbers this season?

If he has OK numbers or at least makes it through the remainder of the season without getting hurt consider his comeback story an inspiring one. I think 10 goals and 40 assists would be kind of decent.

That would be the base to shoot at but obviously if he finishes with higher numbers that would be even better. It’s good to see Backstrom back on the ice even though it makes plugging in lines a little more difficult.

Today we saw Lars Eller get scratched. Last week it was Anthony Mantha twice and Dylan Strome once.