The Islanders made a major shakeup, letting Patrick Roy go and bringing in Pete DeBoer as their new head coach. This move could completely reshape the team’s direction. For a deeper dive and fantasy perspective, check out Ian Goodings’ take here.
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Kirill Kaprizov led the way with his sixth career hat trick, sealing it with the power-play game winner, while Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy each chipped in with two points, continuing to pile up production alongside Minnesota’s top line.
Detroit made a push late with goals from J.T. Compher, Patrick Kane, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka to tie things up, and Sandin-Pellikka added an assist as well for a strong multi-point night from the backend.
With the loss, Detroit keeps sliding, dropping six of their last eight games in a rough stretch that’s putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy. On the other hand, Montreal locked up a postseason berth with this result from Detroit.
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After dominating the Panthers on Saturday, the Penguins followed it up with another strong showing in a 5‑2 win. Rickard Rakell led the way with two goals, including a power‑play tally, extending his red-hot stretch to 13 points (10G, 3A) in seven games and a 69-point pace over 82 games.
Sidney Crosby posted a goal and two assists and keeping his point-per-game pace alive for the 21st straight season and linemate Bryan Rust contributed a goal and an assist, hitting the 500th point milestone in his career.
Evgeni Malkin added two assists to round out Pittsburgh’s offensive push and netminder Arturs Silovs was steady in net with 29 saves, allowing two goals and keeping the Penguins on track for a strong playoff position.
Florida managed to get on the board with goals from Carter Verhaeghe and Cole Schwindt.
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Porter Martone was the difference-maker against the Bruins, picking up his first NHL goal, and doing it in style as the overtime winner for the Philadelphia Flyers. He added a power-play assist in the win, finishing with 17:12 of ice time, including 2:45 on the man advantage, while putting up five shots on goal.
Dan Vladar was not that busy, turning aside 18 of 19 shots for a .947 save percentage and giving the Flyers a steady presence behind the push.
Christian Dvorak continued his strong season with a goal and an assist, while leading all forwards with 20:04 in ice time. He’s now up to 50 points (17 goals, 32 assists), a career year and one of the more surprising storylines for a Flyers team still holding onto a wild card spot. A lot of their offense has come from unexpected places, and Dvorak is right at the center of it. Although his linemate Owen Tippet was held pointless in last night games he has also taken another step forward with 28 goals and 22 assists in 77 games, building off last season’s 43-point campaign.
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Brady Tkachuk had a pair of goals in a much-needed win as Ottawa continues to push toward a playoff spot.
It was a balanced effort across the top six, with Tim Stützle, Dylan Cozens, and Shane Pinto each putting up a goal and an assist, while Jake Sanderson chipped in with an assist in his 300th NHL game and his first point since returning back to the Senators lineup.
Linus Ullmark turned aside 25 shots to secure the win, stepping up at a time when every result matters.
Andrei Svechnikov, Logan Stankoven, and Taylor Hall provided the offense, each finding the back of the net. Svechnikov sits at 67 points this season, just two shy of matching his career high of 69 set back in 2021-22. Injuries have been a factor in the years since, keeping him closer to a 50-point average despite his clear offensive upside.
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Another lopsided one in New York, but not many would’ve expected it to come at the hands of the Rangers against a Washington team that badly needed the points to stay in the playoff mix.
The Rangers controlled things outshooting the Capitals 32–21 and converting at an elevated clip, finishing on roughly 27% of their chances. Adam Fox continued to anchor everything from the backend with a one goal and two assist night, logging heavy minutes in all situations and driving play every time he was on the ice. In his last 10 games Fox has 12 points (2G, 10A) with seven of those points on the power-play.
Will Cuylle was the headline though, breaking out with his first NHL hat trick on six shots, a clear spike performance but for fantasy managers its pure gold!
Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller each added a goal and an assist, while Mika Zibanejad kept his strong run going with three helpers, bringing him to a team-leading 72 points on the season.
It was a quiet night overall for the Captials, with Connor McMichael scoring the lone goal, assisted by Tom Wilson and Martin Fehervary.
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Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki came into back-to-back games against the Devils with personal milestones in their sights. Caufield was hunting his first 50-goal season, while Suzuki was aiming to push toward 100 points for the first time in his career. Both will have to wait, though, as Jacob Markstrom stole the show, recording his 25th career shutout against Montreal. He stopped all 18 shots he faced, ending the Canadiens’ eight-game winning streak and denying both Caufield and Suzuki in the process.
Jack Hughes picked up two more assists and is now up to 34points over his last 20 games, which is elite production at the most important time of the fantasy season. He’s been on another level lately, with 11 points in his last four games.
Timo Meier, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown each found the back of the net for New Jersey, while Jesper Bratt added an assist to extend his hot streak after posting four points in the previous game.
The Devils’ late-season push might be too little, too late to make a real playoff impact. Mathematically they’re still alive, but the odds are stacked heavily against them.
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Robert Thomas was the driving force, finishing with 3 goals on the evening, adding a huge dose of scoring when St. Louis needed it most. It was a rinse and repeat type of night with Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud being the only Blues players to register helpers on each of the Thomas goals.
Joel Hofer registered the win in a 26 save performance posting at 0.969 SV% and his 20th win of the season.
Colorado’s big guns all went scoreless against the Blues last night. Brent Burns notched a goal as did Parker Kelley who scored his 20th of the season and has been quietly running a hot streak with five goals and three assists in his last seven games played.
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For some, the fantasy season has already come and gone. Championships have been decided, some in your favour, some not. However, the NHL schedule does not slow down, and with roughly 10 days left, there are still plenty of leagues in play. If you’re still going, this is your finals week, and this is where things can flip in a hurry. Most of the games are packed into the heavy nights (much like last week) while Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday give you those lighter slates that are much easier to navigate.
San Jose stands out as one of the more valuable streaming teams this week. They play four games and, more importantly, have two light-day matchups, which gives you a real chance to maximize starts as the beginning of the week. Players like Collin Graf, Alexander Wennberg, and potentially Tyler Toffoli if he’s still out there are all worth a look. Based on recent line combinations, both Toffoli and Wennberg have been deployed in top-six roles and on the top power-play unit. Wennberg in particular has been trending up with eight points in his last six games and is centering the second line behind Macklin Celebrini, flanked by Toffoli and William Eklund. Graf is a bit more volatile. He has three assists in his last three games, but that comes right after a seven-game pointless stretch. A lot of San Jose’s value is tied directly to top-six usage, especially alongside Celebrini, so keeping an eye on line rushes is important here.
Buffalo offers a similar advantage. They only play three games, but two fall on light nights, which makes them just as valuable as many four-game teams as this point in the season. Josh Doan has put together a strong full-season profile with 23 goals and 47 points, along with solid power-play production and shot volume. His role has been consistent, and he contributes across multiple categories without relying too heavily on one area. On the back end, Bowen Byram stands out as the clear target. He’s logging over 22 minutes a night, sees some power-play time, and brings decent shot volume for a defenseman. With Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin already rostered in most leagues, Byram is likely your best available option from Buffalo on the back-end.
Washington falls into that same category with three games and two light days, plus a weekend back-to-back against Pittsburgh that can help you squeeze out extra volume. One thing to keep in mind is that their games do not get going until mid-week, so you may need to bridge that gap early on. Pierre-Luc Dubois is where things get interesting for Washington. The full-season numbers don’t stand out right away because of the injury, but since returning he’s produced at a strong clip with 17 points in 25 games and comes in red hot with eight points over his last three. He’s locked into a top-six role and continues to see meaningful power-play usage, which adds to the appeal. He has been a strong fantasy contributor this season and profiles as one of the better upside streaming options available right now. If you’re chasing offense, he’s right near the top of the list. Ryan Leonard is another name to consider if you’re looking for upside. He has 14 power-play points on the season with solid shot volume but his role at times can change, he is more of a swing play if you’re looking to add a bit of pop and are willing to take on some risk.
Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!