The Red Wings pulled off a 3-2 overtime win over the Capitals Sunday afternoon with Moritz Seider scoring the game winning OT goal on a feed from Andrew Copp with Emmitt Finnie who also picked up two assists on the evening. Finnie and Copp were the only Red Wings player to register two points on the evening. Finnie had a hot start to the season with the Red Wings and then cooled off. In his last 10 games he has three goals and two assists and still has prime deployment on the top unit along side Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
Speaking of Raymond, he notched his 11th goal of the season on the power play with helpers from Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Finnie.
Sandin-Pellikka creeping in on Seiders ice time, specifically on the man-advantage has not fully taken form yet. Seider still manages the top powerplay unit for the Red Wings with an average PP TOI of 3.09 minutes. Sandin-Pellikka is clearly next in line, but for now he is sitting closer to half that usage. Seider is having a career year with 27 points in 37 games, putting him right around a 60-point pace, which would comfortably be the best season of his career.
John Leonard added to the list with deflection off a shot from Alex DeBrincat who earned an assist for his 550th career NHL point.
Cam Talbot registered the win for Detroit with 31 saves and extended Detroit’s win total to seven in the last nine games pushing them to the top the Atlantic.
Ethen Frank was the offensive catalyst, scoring both of the Capitals’ goals and I assume that did not help most fantasy managers, but hey, that’s hockey.
However, Dylan Strome registered two assists on the evening which likely did help some of you. John Carlson posted the other points (assist) on the evening. Strome’s season hasn’t matched last year’s spike, but his current 60-plus point pace feels far more representative of who he actually is.
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This one had the feel of a potential playoff preview, Colorado versus Minnesota, two teams you would expect to trade punches and grind things down. Instead, it turned into a reminder of just how overwhelming the Avalanche can be when they decide to push the pace.
Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including the empty-netter that put a bow on it.
Gabriel Landeskog did his part with two assists, while Martin Necas fit right into the flow with his 16th goal of the season.
Cale Makar finished with a goal and two assists, a Brock Nelson matched Makar’s stat line with a goal and two helpers of his own, and Valeri Nichushkin chipped in with two assists.
Colorado’s secondary pieces were involved, with both Sam Girard and Devon Toews picking up assists from the back end.
This was very much a statement-type game. Colorado did not just win, they controlled it, and it reinforced the idea that when they are healthy and rolling, they are the best team in the league.
Mackenzie Blackwood was sharp, stopping 28 of 29 shots for a .966 SV%.
For the Wild, there was not much to take away offensively. They managed a single goal from Ryan Hartman, with Jonas Brodin and Kirill Kaprizov picking up the assists.
Jesper Wallstedt actually held up reasonably well, stopping 37 shots and keeping the score respectable considering the volume and quality he faced. The support just was not there.
Quinn Hughes logged a team-high 26:41 with four shots on goal, underscoring how heavily he is still leaned on, even on Minnesota.
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If you were hanging on by a thread in fantasy or just waiting for some life out of New Jersey, Jack Hughes finally being back in the lineup felt like a jolt of energy. He missed 18 games with that hand injury and the timing couldn’t have been better as the Devils have been spinning their wheels trying to find any sort of rhythm.
Hughes did not waste much time reminding everyone what he brings. He opened the scoring against Buffalo.
However, that optimism did not last long. Josh Norris and Zach Benson were at the center of it, each scoring a goal. Norris, injuries aside, has quietly been excellent since returning to the lineup. Since December 1, he is sitting on 10 points in eight games.
Benson is another one worth circling. The raw season totals look fine, but the timing of the production matters more. He is finally starting to convert, scoring three goals in his last five games after going goal-less earlier in the year. He is now up to three goals and 13 assists in 22 games, which puts him on a 60-point pace, and that feels about right given how often he is involved in creating offense even when he is not finishing.
Buffalo has now rattled off six straight wins, and yet they are still stuck near the bottom of the Atlantic and the Eastern Conference, sitting five points out of a wild card spot. It is aremind er of how damaging those earlier losing streaks can be and how hard it is to climb back, even when everything is going right for a week or two.
Peyton Krebs sealed it late with his first goal of the season into the empty net, with assists from Tage Thompson, who leads the team with 31 points, and Bowen Byram.
Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin also chipped in with helpers, and Dahlin continues to look like a 70-point defenseman, sitting at 28 points in 32 games.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was steady, stopping 26 shots and doing his part to keep the streak alive.
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The Leafs rough patch keeps getting worse, going 0‑3 on this road trip and seemingly unable to get Auston Matthews, William Nylander, or John Tavares back on track. The scoring has just dried up for the big three, and it showed again against Dallas. Scott Laughton managed to get the lone goal for Toronto, with an assist from Morgan Rielly, but it was always going to be a tough ask against a Stars team that’s moving the puck cleanly and dominating in all three zones.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars were firing on all cylinders in a 5‑1 win, pushing their win streak to four games and showing why they are one of the hotter teams in the league right now. Jason Robertson scored 23rd goal of the season and is on pace to hit 50.
Jamie Benn and Mavrik Bourque both added goals later, with helpers from Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and yes, you read that correctly, Jake Oettinger himself picking up an assist in the game.
Oettinger actually contributing points while the Leafs’ top stars can’t find the back of the net is the kind of stat that stings a little.
On the back end, Thomas Harley has been quietly heating up, riding a four-game streak with a goal and three assists, and Oettinger was rock-solid in net, stopping 27 of 28 shots for a .964 SV%.
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The Senators absolutely ran away with this one, a 6–2 win over Boston that felt more like a beatdown than a division matchup.
Ottawa’s attack was relentless, and honestly, the Bruins never really got a sniff at slowing them down. Drake Batherson and Fabian Zetterlund were central to it, with Zetterlund in particular stole the show, scoring twice including a power-play goal set up by Thomas Chabot and David Perron.
Then you had Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens scoring within 30 seconds apart in the second, basically putting the game out of reach.
Stützle’s goal came off feeds from Brady Tkachuk and Zetterlund, while Cozens finished a play set up by Batherson and Perron.
Stützle is on a seven-game point streak, with six goals and eight assists over that stretch. His production this year is looking really strong, maybe slightly ahead of sustainable levels thanks to his S%, so some regression is possible, but the step up from last season is clear, he’s contributing in every zone and carrying some of that offensive weight.
David Pastrnak managed a power-play goal, and Michael Eyssimont added the second with helpers from Charlie McAvoy and Marat Khusnutdinov, but that was about it.
Joonas Korpisalo, got pulled after giving up five goals, Jeremy Swayman finished in relief, but the damage was done long before.
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The Rangers are clearly feeling pinch right now, and J.T. Miller not being in the lineup only makes things harder. Miller took a hit from Nick Seeler of Philadelphia on Saturday, left the game and was seen in sling after their loss to Philly.
With Miller out and Adam Fox already gone for an extended stretch, the Rangers are scrambling to keep anything resembling normal flow. In fantasy terms, “DTD” or “Out” can be one of the most frustrating designations, you hope it’s a couple games and it stretches longer, messing with lineups and expectations.
Meanwhile, the Predators are quietly creeping up the Western Conference standings, and they have been putting some runs together without much attention. This is a team that, on paper, should be pushing a bit harder given their talent, but it’s been slow and underwhelming in past seasons. Now, though, they are just three points out of a wild card spot, and players like Filip Forsberg are making the case night in and night out.
Forsberg scored his 16th of the season in this game, extending a stretch with 11 points over his last eight games (7G, 4A) and it is exactly the kind of consistent production Nashville needs to stay relevant.
Steven Stamkos added an empty-netter late.
In net, Jonathan Quick was fantastic for New York, making 30 saves and keeping the game close despite the team being shorthanded and missing key players.
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Oliver Kapanen got Montreal on the board and continues to make his case for staying exactly where he is in the lineup. His goal came with helpers from Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky, and that trio was noticeable all night. Kapanen has brought a level of steadiness on the second line that probably was not supposed to be permanent. With Philip Danault added to the mix, the assumption was that Kapanen would slide down the lineup and Danault would take over that role. Instead, Kapanen has sparked something with Demidov and Slafkovský that looks functional and, more importantly, repeatable. All three finished with two points. It is still early, but that’s a combination worth tracking until it isn’t.
On the other side, Sidney Crosby found the scoresheet as well, finishing a play set up by Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell. This one carried more weight than a routine goal, though. With that point, Crosby officially passed Mario Lemieux to become the Penguins’ all-time leader in points, a milestone that lands somewhere between historic and surreal given the name he surpassed.
Rakell added a power-play goal of his own later, with Bryan Rust and Crosby picking up the assists, continuing to show how much of Pittsburgh’s offense still runs through its core veterans.
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Utah had the lead for most of the game, cruising along, and then the Jets made things interesting in the and forcing overtime to grab that extra point. It’s the kind of finish that makes you groan if you are holding Karel Vejmeka in your league but you would have come out happy knowing he posted the win.
Kyle Connor, as he tends to do, did what he does best and buried two goals, and on top of that hit a huge personal milestone, 300 career goals, which is no small feat.
Mark Scheifele chipped in with a couple of assists on the night, keeping him ticking along as a consistent setup guy for Winnipeg.
On the Utah side, Dylan Guenther was involved early, posting two assists, while J.J. Peterka got a first-period goal set up by Clayton Keller, who then went on to score the overtime winner.
Guenther had a hot start to the season, cooled off a bit in the middle stretch, but last night reminded you why he’s so reliable. Through 38 games, he is sitting on 30 points, projecting to roughly 65 over a full season, with a shooting percentage of 13.2%, right in line with his career norm, so the goals are sustainable. He is giving Utah a solid, dependable floor of around 0.75–0.80 points per game, with upside to hit 65–70 points if he keeps his power-play chances and finishing consistent.
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If it was any other player we would be amazed but because its Connor McDavid, we have just come to expect it. From making headline news for going goalless in his first six games, to now posting 26 points in 10 games.
Last night, it was that typical core combo lighting it up: Nugent-Hopkins with two goals and an assist, McDavid one goal, two assists, Hyman with a goal and an assist, and Draisaitl picking up a couple helpers. You can see the chemistry firing on all cylinders.
Vegas pushed back with a comeback. Tomas Hertl got on the board with a power-play goal assisted by Mitch Marner and Noah Hanifin, Pavel Dorofeyev added a goal set up by Hertl and Hanifin, and then Marner chipped in his own tally.
Hertl finished with a goal and two assists, Hanifin with three helpers, but it was too little, too late.
The bigger story was Connor Ingram making his first NHL start in ten months and, although it was not a picture-perfect showing, but he got the win.
With Jarry out on IR, Edmonton’s in that 1A/1B goalie situation with Ingram and Pickard, and honestly, it is not a huge bar to clear. Whoever can give the Oilers a shot at a win every night gets the crease. Ingram stepping in and earning a win right off the bat? Huge confidence boost, and it gives Edmonton some breathing room between the pipes while McDavid and company carry the offense.
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!