In the first afternoon game on Sunday the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings by of score of 4-1.<\/p>\n
With a goal and two assists, Connor Bedard<\/a> extended his point streak to eight games and now sits in the top three in the league scoring race with Nathan Mackinnon and Leo Carlsson<\/a> (more on these two below).<\/p>\n This feels like the breakout stretch everyone’s been waiting for, the pace, the confidence, the shot, it’s all clicking. \u00a0Whatever concerns existed going into the season can be put to rest, Bedard has officially arrived as one of the NHL’s elite offensive drivers.<\/p>\n Arvid Soderblom<\/a> deserves just as much credit for Chicago’s win, stopping 45 of 46 shots for a .978 save percentage. He was sharp throughout, keeping the game under control when Detroit pressed early.<\/p>\n The Blackhawks rewarded him with a perfect night on the man advantage, going 3-for-3 on the power play, while the Red Wings went 0-for-5 on their own chances.<\/p>\n Tyler Bertuzzi<\/a> stayed hot with a goal and an assist, giving him seven points over his last three games (6G, 1A).<\/p>\n His linemate Teuvo Teravainen<\/a> matched that line with a goal and assist of his own, both feeding off Bedard’s rhythm on the top unit.<\/p>\n Andre Burakovsky<\/a> added an assist while quietly hitting a career milestone of 400 points.<\/p>\n Frank Nazar<\/a>, who opened the year with 11 points in 10 games has gone quite over this last five games and also missed this one after leaving Friday’s matchup with Calgary due to an undisclosed injury. His absence gave Moore a bigger role, and he took advantage recording his first NHL goal.<\/p>\n It was a quieter night on the other end of the aisle with Detroit as Dylan Larkin<\/a> scored Detroit’s only goal with assist from Lucas Raymond<\/a> and Simon Edvinsson<\/a> in the first period and could not manage to get any traction beyond that.<\/p>\n John Gibson<\/a> did not have as heavy of workload as Soderblom, as he faced 19 shots allowing four goals in the loss.<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n Kevin Fiala<\/a> hit a personal milestone and made sure it mattered with a goal and an assist in LA’s win over Pittsburgh which marked his 500th career point mileston as he continues to pace the Kings’ offense.<\/p>\n Fiala’s sitting at a steady 0.75 points per game, and what really stands out is his work on the power play. He’s been involved in more than two-thirds of the team’s power-play goals and remains the key trigger on that top unit.<\/p>\n The Kings have now improved to 6-1-2 on the road, and Darcy Kuemper<\/a> turned in one of his better starts of the year, stopping 31 of 33. LA’s structure has been tight lately, and Kuemper’s calm presence gave them the breathing room they needed until the offense clicked late.<\/p>\n Fiala and Quinton Byfield<\/a> were the only LA forwards to log over 20 minutes.<\/p>\n Corey Perry<\/a> continues to surprise with another goal on the season. At 40, Perry now has seven goals in 10 games with the Kings.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh’s offense had its moments. Evgeni Malkin<\/a> and Anthony Mantha<\/a> both scored, with Mantha’s tally coming on the power play.<\/p>\n Mantha is now up to eight goals and five assists and could be worth a fantasy look, especially since he’s skating with Malkin and Tommy Novak<\/a> on the second line.<\/p>\n Novak also added a goal, while Kris Letang<\/a> picked up the primary assist on Mantha’s marker.<\/p>\n Goaltending remains that weak link for Pittsburgh. With Tristan Jarry<\/a> sidelined for at least three weeks, the Penguins turned to rookie Sergei Murashov, fresh off being named AHL Goalie of the Month. He made his NHL debut against Los Angeles and held his own, stopping 24 of 27 shots.<\/p>\n Expect him to share the crease with Arturs Silovs<\/a> for now, but Murashov is worth tracking, his numbers in both the AHL and ECHL have been strong, and he looked composed under pressure.<\/p>\n Still, even with Pittsburgh’s strong early-season record, I find it hard to buy in fully until there’s more stability in goal. The offense can carry them only so far if the crease keeps rotating.<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n Tyler Seguin<\/a> notched his fifth goal of the season, which ended up being the game-winner, with assists from Roope Hintz<\/a> and Miro Heiskanen<\/a>, who posted two helpers on the night.<\/p>\n Wyatt Johnston<\/a> kept his hot streak<\/a> alive, extending his point streak to six games with a power-play goal, assisted by Jason Robertson<\/a> and, once again, Heiskanen. Johnston now has 10 goals and 10 assists in 16 games, pacing him for 103 points on the season.<\/p>\n This game also marked Heiskanens third straight multipoint game and nine points in four as he continues to drive Dallas’ transition and offensive production.<\/p>\n Lately, Heiskanen has been commanding the power play, logging over 70% of the PP time compared to Thomas Harley<\/a>‘s 29.8%. He is the clear go-to option with the man advantage at the moment, and for fantasy managers who drafted Harley ahead of him, Heiskanen’s performance is likely a source of frustration.<\/p>\n Heiskanen last hit 70+ points back in 2022\u201123, so repeating that output is not out of the question, but a shift in deployment, if Glen Gulutzan decides to give Harley more power-play opportunity, could temper that ceiling. A more sustainable projection sits closer to 55\u201360 points, backed by elite peripherals. As it currently stands: heavy minutes, prime power-play exposure, and top-tier shot suppression makes Heiskanen a dependable multi-cat defenseman in the league, for now.<\/p>\n Jaden Schwartz<\/a> ended his six-game goal drought with an early strike, set up by assists from Adam Larsson<\/a> and Vince Dunn<\/a>.<\/p>\n With Joey Daccord<\/a> sitting out, Matt Murray<\/a> stepped in for Seattle and made 22 saves, but he could not keep the Stars at bay.<\/p>\n Seattle allowed 11 high-danger chances over the course of the game, giving Dallas plenty of opportunities to seize the lead and secure the win.<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n Leevi Merilainen delivered in his third NHL start, stopping 29 of 31 shots for a .935 SV% and giving Ottawa the backbone it needed to take control.<\/p>\n The Mammoth, deep into a taxing road trip, could not capitalize and fell for their third straight loss, now 1\u20115 over their last six games.<\/p>\n Offensively, Ottawa spread the scoring. Jordan Spence<\/a> opened his account for the season with a goal and an assist, while Ridly Greig<\/a> matched that with a 1G\u20111A night of his own.<\/p>\n Michael Amadio<\/a> extended his hot streak<\/a>, scoring in his fourth straight game and bringing his season total to six, and Nick Cousins<\/a> added his third goal of the year to round out the Senators’ balanced attack.<\/p>\n Nick Schmaltz<\/a> scored a beauty late in the second period.<\/p>\n Clayton Keller<\/a> also found the back of the net for his sixth of the year, assisted by V\u00edt\u0115k Vane\u010dek and Mikhael Sergachev, keeping the Mammoth competitive but it was not enough.<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n The matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes was shaping up to be one of the night’s most entertaining contests, until the Leafs lost their grip.<\/p>\n Holding a 4\u20112 lead in the second period, Toronto somehow let three straight goals slip past them, ultimately falling 5\u20114 as Carolina turned the game on its head.<\/p>\n Carolina continues to show why they one of the more dangerous teams in the league early this season while Toronto has been struggling defensively since the season start.<\/p>\n The Canes leaned heavily on their top-end talent in Sebastian Aho<\/a>, Seth Jarvis<\/a> and Logan Stankoven<\/a> who all recorded goals as did Sean Walker<\/a> and Taylor Hall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Andrei Svechnikov<\/a> found the stat sheet again an assist with four points in three games.<\/p>\n Alexander Nikishin<\/a>, William Carrier<\/a> and Jackson Blake<\/a> all posted a helper on the night.<\/p>\n William Nylander<\/a> carried the load offensively, netting two goals in the Leafs loss one of which was on the man advantage, while John Tavares<\/a> and Auston Matthews<\/a> both added a goal and an assist of their own.<\/p>\n Nylander in the conversation of the top five-point leaders in the NHL with 23 points on the season.<\/p>\n Matthew Knies<\/a> also recorded to assists and now has three goals and nine assists in the last eight games.<\/p>\n Toronto’s Dennis Hildeby faced a heavy workload with 46 shots against, surrendering five goals for a .901 save percentage<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n Jesper Wallstedt<\/a> was flawless between the pipes, stopping all 36 shots for his second career NHL shutout as Minnesota edged Calgary in a \u00a02-0 win.<\/p>\n Offensively, Minnesota did not need a ton of volume, they were efficient.<\/p>\n Matt Boldy<\/a> opened the scoring and later assisted on Kirill Kaprizov<\/a>‘s empty-net goal, while Joel Eriksson Ek<\/a> chipped in two assists of his own, helping set up both goals.<\/p>\n Marcus Johansson<\/a> also added an assist, quietly continuing one of the strongest starts of his career.<\/p>\n Johansson now has six goals and 15 points in 16 games and just hit the 1,000-game milestone.<\/p>\n He’s always been a steady, reliable player rather than a flashy highlight reel, but right now he is pacing for 72 points over 82 games, the best of his career. A 22.2% shooting rate is not sustainable, but even a normalizing 12\u201314% conversion keeps him in mid-50s territory, and with rostered percentages under 30%, he is still a gem for waiver pickups in deeper leagues.<\/p>\n Calgary, on the other hand, left plenty on the table. Despite firing 36 shots, they could not find the back of the net.<\/p>\n MacKenzie Weegar<\/a> led the way with six attempts, but no Flames forward could finish.<\/p>\n Devin Cooley<\/a> stopped 17 of 18, but the one goal he surrendered, combined with his team’s inability to score, was the bigger story.<\/p>\n Their power play went 0-for-3, and without secondary scoring stepping up, Calgary’s offensive effort fell flat.<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n Colorado and Vancouver gave us one of the better back-and-forth games of the weekend, capped by a Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> clinic.<\/p>\n Colorado entered this matchup with a 9\u20111\u20115 record, solidified as one of the strongest teams in the league<\/p>\n Vancouver won nearly 60% of the faceoffs, had more zone time, and still could not finish the job.<\/p>\n MacKinnon put up five points (2G, 3A) including the opening goal in the first and the primary assist on the overtime winner.<\/p>\n It was that the kind of night that reminds you why MacKinnon is one of the league’s most un-guardable players when he’s on and as we speak the league leader in points.<\/p>\n Artturi Lehkonen<\/a> notched two goals including one on the powerplay, while Cale Makar<\/a> and Valeri Nichushkin<\/a> both recorded two assist a piece.<\/p>\n Makar played 27.34 minutes of ice time in the Avalanche win, more than any other player on Colorado while on the other end Quinn Hughes<\/a> registered one assist and six SOG on 27.56 minutes of ice time.<\/p>\n On the Vancouver side, Linus Karlsson scored his first of the season assisted by Filp Hronek and Evander Kane<\/a>, and Drew O’Connor<\/a> added a shorthanded goal to tie things up late to force overtime.<\/p>\n Speaking of overtime, rookie Gavin Brindley<\/a> was the overtime hero recording his third NHL goal of the season.<\/p>\n Vancouver, meanwhile, peppered Colorado’s net with 33 shots but could only get the puck past Mackenzie Blackwood<\/a> four times which was not enough compared to Colorados five goals.<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n Cole Perfetti<\/a> made his season debut after missing time with an ankle injury suffered in preseason. He looked solid in limited action, logging just under 18 minutes and getting one shot on goal as he worked his way back into rhythm.<\/p>\n Kyle Connor<\/a> did most of the heavy lifting offensively, firing six shots and scoring the Jets’ lone goal, a milestone tally marking his 600th career point.<\/p>\n Even in the loss, Connor’s pace and volume remind everyone why he remains one of the most reliable shot generators in the league.<\/p>\n Josh Morrissey<\/a> and Mark Scheifele<\/a> picked up the helpers on Kyle Connor<\/a>‘s lone goal, but that was about all Winnipeg could muster.<\/p>\n Mike Comrie had a night to forget, giving up four goals on just 21 shots, while Lukas Dostal<\/a> continued his strong run for Anaheim, earning his eighth win in 12 starts.<\/p>\n Beckett Sennecke<\/a> and Leo Carlsson<\/a> each buried two goals, sealing the game for the Ducks in the late matchup.<\/p>\n Carlsson’s surge continues, he is now up to 10 goals and 15 assists on the season, including 18 points (8G, 10A) in his last 10 games.<\/p>\n The chemistry between him and Cutter Gauthier<\/a> has been electric, and Gauthier added two assists to push his season total to 11 goals and 9 helpers, maintaining his team lead in goals by a single tally over Carlsson.<\/p>\n Chris Kreider<\/a> also chipped in two assists, while Drew Helleson<\/a>, Jackson Lacombe<\/a>, Mason McTavish<\/a>, and Troy Terry<\/a> each added one of their own.<\/p>\n Terry’s been quietly productive behind the spotlight of the rookie duo, sitting at 19 points (5G, 14A) and providing steady top-six production.<\/p>\n Anaheim’s young core is starting to look legit. Their upcoming tilt against the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday evening will be one to watch!<\/p>\n Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey<\/a>. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!<\/p>\n