Adam Sykora found the net again for the New York Rangers, making that goals in back-to-back games.
Adam Fox chipped in with a goal and an assist himself, while Conor Sheary added a shorthanded marker.
J.T. Miller posted an assist as well. If you started Miller in your lineups this week, he would have given you five points (1G, 4A) in this week’s matchup, not bad.
The Rangers have now strung together two wins after a six-game loosing streak. Florida is very much trending in the same direction going 2–6 over their last eight.
Igor Shesterkin looked dialed in, turning aside 26 of 27 and coming within seconds of a shutout, timely for the fantasy playoffs.
Mackie Samoskevich had the lone goal for Florida and Sergei Bobrovsky got the start in the loss, stopping 18 shots while allowing two.
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Boston dug themselves into a 3–0 hole and still found a way to claw back and take it in the shootout. A massive swing, both in the standings and for fantasy output. The Bruins are now 5-1 in their last six and tightening their grip on a playoff spot.
Pavel Zacha led the way with two goals, one assist, while Viktor Arvidsson quietly piled up three assists in one of those under-the-radar multi-point efforts. Zacha has been on a hot streak with 14 points in his last 10 games.
Charlie McAvoy chipped in two points while logging over 26 minutes and Jeremy Swayman wasn’t lights out, allowing three goals on 21 shots, but still came away with the win.
David Pastrnak was held off the scoresheet, snapping his 12-game point streak.
Mason Marchment (1G, 1A) and Kirill Marchenko (2A) both had multi-point nights, while Boone Jenner scored in his 800th NHL game and Jet Greaves turned aside 35 shots in the loss.
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As usual Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were the driving forces last night in Carolina. Suzuki posted two points (2G, 1A) night and Cole Caufield added two points of his own (1G, 1A) including the game winner and is now up to 46 goals on the season, sitting just two back of the league lead.
Lane Hutson kept piling it on from the backend with a pair of assists, bringing him to 73 points and tracking toward a career-high 82, elite production from the blue line.
Jakub Dobes was fantastic stopping 34 of 35 shots for a .971 save percentage, and is putting together a strong run with a .953 SV% over his last three starts. The trust level is clearly rising, making him a legitimate streaming option right now and potentially more down the stretch for the NHL playoffs.
Fredrik Andersen had a tough night allowing three goals on just 18 shots, which isn’t a great look given the limited volume.
Andrei Svechnikov scored the only goal for the Hurricanes with assist from Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.
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Darren Raddysh picked up an assist against the Predators, pushing him to six points over his last five games and now sitting at 66 points on the season. That’s the kind of sneaky waiver wire add that ends up paying off in a big way if you got in early.
Jake Guentzel led the way offensively with a 1G, 2A night, staying red hot and extending his point streak to eight points (4G, 4A) in four games.
Brandon Hagel found the back of the net for his 35th of the season, giving him back-to-back 35-goal campaigns.
Joakim Kemell notched his first NHL goal, a nice milestone, especially for those tracking him in deeper or dynasty formats.
Filip Forsberg bounced back with a 1G, 1A performance after being held off the scoresheet in his previous two games
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The Flyers have officially signed Porter Martone to a three-year entry-level deal, and it was announced that he will be joining the Flyers for the remainder of the NHL season. Martone is coming off a strong year at Michigan State, scoring 25 goals and 50 points in just 35 games. There’s a real chance he gets a look down the stretch here as the Flyers close out the regular season.
Not exactly a fireworks show offensively, but Philly came away with a big win for their playoff push. Trevor Zegras not only tied his career high with his 23rd goal of the season, he also delivered the overtime winner to seal it.
Travis Konecny also scored a powerplay goal for the Flyers.
Arttu Hyry was the only Dallas Stars forward to score a goal and did so shorthanded, making it his first NHL career goal.
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Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov is out indefinitely with a hand fracture. He managed to play through the injury in the last two games against the Flyers and Rangers, averaging over 22 minutes of ice time. Levshunov’s return timeline is uncertain and he’s likely done for the fantasy playoffs and the regular season.
Jack Hughes stole the show with 2 goals and 2 assists, including the go-ahead marker in a 19-second burst that swung the game. Dougie Hamilton added a goal as part of that comeback.
Captain Nico Hischier played his 600th career game and celebrated with two assists on the evening.
Chicago did have some bright spots offensively. Frank Nazar scored twice for his first multi-goal game and Anton Frondell added two assists for his first multi-point nigh. Frondell has yet to register his first NHL career goal but has posted a hot streak with four points (4A) in his first four NHL games.
Connor Bedard reached a career-high 68 points last night, pacing for 91 over 82 games.
Spencer Knight made 35 saves, handling a heavy workload despite allowing five goals.
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If you made it through last week’s schedule, this week should be a breeze. For some leagues, this is it, championship week, so every add, every game played, and every lineup decision matters a little more.
The layout is familiar. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are crowded, while Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday give you some flexibility to actually move pieces around. From a targeting standpoint I am only going to focus on a few players from a few teams on the lighter days. St. Louis is the clear standout with a full run of off-night games. Colorado and Anaheim are right behind with three games in good spots as are the Penguins who play the most games with five with only two on the lighter days. Vancouver and San Jose are more front-loaded, giving you early-week value before things shift into heavier nights later on. The New York Islander also have to games on off-nights (Monday, Friday)
The Blues are rolling at 7-1-2 and this week they get San Jose, LA, Anaheim, and Colorado. It’s a mixed bag here but you can still work with it.
Joel Hofer has been one of the better goalie options as of late. Over his last 10 starts, he has seven wins, nine quality stars and two shutouts. On the season, the starts are basically been a split with Jordan Binnington, but Hofer is sitting at 19 wins compared to Binnington’s 12. Hofer is 44% rostered so you may want to pick him up before that number climbs higher.
Up front, there are still some usable pieces sitting on the wire. Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Snuggerud are both available in close to 75% of leagues, while Philip Broberg is barely rostered at just 9%.
Snuggerud has been the breakout name with 17 goals and 22 assists in his rookie year. Buchnevich hasn’t hit previous production levels, but the role is still there, and the multi-position eligibility (C/LW/RW) gives you flexibility. Broberg is trending up as well, with points in four straight. Following the departure of Justin Faulk, Broberg’s role has increased and he is worth a look and maybe a hold in keeper leagues.
Although Chris Kreider (26% rostered) production has been inconsistent, but he’s pacing for a bounce-back year after dealing with injuries last year with the Rangers. Kreider been skating alongside Leo Carlsson and seeing power play usage, which keeps him relevant. Mikael Granlund is rostered in 27% of Yahoo! leagues and brings a bit more balance. He’s currently on a heater with seven goals in his last five games (all of which being goals). That type of production will naturally cool off so temper expectations.
Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen both returned in Week 22 from injury, and somehow, both are still available in over half of Yahoo leagues with Lehkonen creeping up to that 50% mark. Landeskog stepped right back into a premium role alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. There’s not much to overthink there. If he’s available, he should be on a roster. Lehkonen should land in the top six once things settle, but it’s worth checking line combinations before locking him in. There’s some competition for spots, and deployment could shift in any way.
I touched on Marco Rossi was last week and is still widely available, so the case for him doesn’t really change here. Vancouver is one of those teams you can use early and move off if needed. Brock Boeser (19% rostered) has looked promising since the trade deadline with 11 points in his last 11 games. He’s still in a top-six role with power play exposure, and that alone keeps him firmly in play this week.
A deep cut in Igor Chernyshov returned last week from injury and has been playing on the top line with Macklin Celebrini and second powerplay unit in San Jose. He has two goals and one assist in three games since his return.
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!