{"id":523167,"date":"2026-03-08T20:12:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T20:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/523167\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T20:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T20:12:12","slug":"jack-hughes-hat-trick-sanderson-injured-new-team-debuts-mar-8-dobberhockey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/523167\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Hughes Hat Trick, Sanderson Injured, New Team Debuts (Mar 8) \u2013 DobberHockey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jack Hughes<\/a>‘s hat trick on Saturday seemed long overdue. American hero Hughes scored four goals in the Olympics, including the famous one that secured a gold medal. However, he entered Saturday’s game with just a single goal in his last 23 games. It is worth noting that Hughes accrued 19 assists over that 23-game stretch that dated back to just before Christmas. However, the lack of goals was concerning considering the freak hand\/finger injury that happened at a team dinner in November \u2013 an injury that he returned from not long before his goal slump<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hughes’s declining shot total is also worth monitoring. It has dropped from 4.4 SOG\/GP two seasons ago to 3.7 SOG\/GP last season to 3.4 SOG\/GP this season. Hughes is already a player that you have to knock double-digit games-played projections from when forecasting his goal and assist totals due to injuries occurring with regularity. That keeps him out of fantasy hockey’s elite, even though he has the talent and upside to be there.<\/p>\n

In the Devils’ 6-3 win over the Rangers, Jesper Bratt<\/a> scored a goal and added two assists. Bratt is not having his best season, having fallen under the point-per-game mark that he was able to reach the previous two seasons. However, he has gotten hot with six points over his last four games. Bratt has also taken at least four shots in each of his last three games.<\/p>\n

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A couple of defensemen in the Capitals\/Bruins game kept their places on the Frozen Tools<\/a> hot list on Saturday.<\/p>\n

With an assist, Jakob Chychrun<\/a> has 14 points over his last 12 games. While reaching 50 points for the first time in his career in this game, Chychrun also filled multicategory statsheets with five shots, two hits, and five blocked shots. He has been on the Capitals’ top power play for much of the season, but John Carlson<\/a>‘s departure should only cement his spot there.<\/p>\n

With a power-play assist, Charlie McAvoy<\/a> has 15 points in his last 12 games. After a 2024-25 season where he slumped to just 23 points and just four power-play points in 50 games while battling injury, McAvoy has rebounded this season with 44 points and 18 power-play points in just 50 games. His 0.88 PTS\/GP pace is currently the best of his career.<\/p>\n

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Alex Bump<\/a> made his NHL debut for the Flyers on Saturday, scoring a goal in 16 minutes of icetime while mainly on a line with<\/a> Christian Dvorak<\/a> and Nikita Grebenkin<\/a>. Bump was recalled after the Flyers traded Bobby Brink<\/a> to Minnesota for defenseman David Jiricek<\/a>. The Flyers aren’t really a goldmine of fantasy value right now, but Bump showed some promise with 47 points in 42 games in the NCAA last season. He recorded 26 points in 36 games in the AHL this season. For more on Bump, see his Dobber Prospects profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Tage Thompson<\/a> extended his point streak to 10 games with a goal in the Sabres’ 3-2 win over Nashville. Over that span, Thompson has 11 points. He has remained hot beyond that with 29 points over his last 23 games. Currently he is over the point-per-game mark (66 PTS in 63 GP).<\/p>\n

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An update on Roope Hintz<\/a>: he is expected to be out for an extended period of time after being injured in Friday’s game. The Stars are hopeful that Hintz can return in time for the playoffs, but they’ve also said he’ll be out for at least a couple of weeks. All of this is to say that Hintz is probably week to week and he might not be available for your fantasy playoffs.<\/p>\n

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Josh Morrissey<\/a> returned to the Jets’ lineup on Saturday, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime and adding an assist in the 3-2 win over Vancouver. Morrissey logged 24:27 and took five shots, so he appears to be back in business. Logan Stanley<\/a>‘s tenure as a top power-play defenseman came to an end with his trade to Buffalo, but it was going to end anyway with Morrissey returning.<\/p>\n

Mark Scheifele<\/a> led the Jets with points on all three goals (1 G, 2 A). Scheifele has piled up eight points and 16 shots over his last three games. As the Jets pull out all the stops to climb back into the playoff race, Scheifele and the top line will be leaned on heavily. He has received at least 20 minutes of icetime in each of his last 13 games.<\/p>\n

Isak Rosen<\/a> made his Jets debut on Saturday, logging 11:22 without a point while on a line with<\/a> veterans Jonathan Toews<\/a> and Gustav Nyquist<\/a>. For more on Rosen, see this week’s The Journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elias Pettersson<\/a> has not scored a goal in 16 games. That’s the longest goal drought of his career. If you’re looking for a positive with Pettersson, he leads all forwards with 92 blocked shots.<\/p>\n

Liam Ohgren<\/a> scored one of the Canucks’ goals while taking four shots on a scoring line with Brock Boeser<\/a> and Marco Rossi<\/a>. Ohgren’s icetime with the Canucks has been 13:21 and will probably increase over the final quarter of the season. His icetime with Minnesota was just 9:32. Ohgren is definitely receiving more usage in Vancouver because of the Canucks’ lack of scoring depth. He should receive every opportunity to succeed with the Canucks because he was one of the pieces that came back in the Quinn Hughes trade.<\/p>\n

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The Leafs suffered through a disastrous first period where they allowed four Lightning goals before losing 5-2. Anthony Stolarz<\/a> remained in net despite the first-period onslaught. Stolarz has only one win since November 8, which is a period spanning 10 games that also includes time missed due to injury.<\/p>\n

Nikita Kucherov<\/a> assisted on four of the Lightning’s goals. He continues to do his thing by averaging over two points per game over his last 27 games (58 points). On Saturday, Kucherov also became the third player to reach 100 points this season, following Connor McDavid<\/a> and Nathan MacKinnon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Corey Perry<\/a> scored a goal while taking four shots in his Lightning return, receiving nearly 15 minutes in icetime while on a line with<\/a> Scott Sabourin<\/a> and Conor Geekie<\/a>. The 40-year-old Perry is close to reaching his best point total in four seasons, so why should he retire?<\/p>\n

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Conor Garland<\/a> made his Columbus debut on Saturday, but he was held without a point in 16:40. Garland was inserted onto the second line with Sean Monahan<\/a> and Kent Johnson<\/a>. Boone Jenner<\/a> had previously been on that line, but he was moved down to a unit with Miles Wood<\/a> and Isac Lundestrom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dmitri Voronkov<\/a>, who had not registered a point in his last seven games, was made a healthy scratch on Saturday. Voronkov has seen his production and icetime decline after a strong first quarter.<\/p>\n

QuarterGPGAPTSSOGPPPPPTOITOI12199184532:3215:542206393542:3915:093202352821:0111:17<\/p>\n

Voronkov may actually be the odd man out in Columbus with Garland in the lineup, although Johnson was healthy scratched last weekend (before Garland arrived).<\/p>\n

Logan Cooley<\/a>‘s second goal of the game was the overtime winner for the Mammoth over Columbus. Cooley has seen his overall icetime and power-play time decrease by quarter. In particular, Cooley has been off Utah’s top power play since returning from injury in late February.<\/p>\n

QuarterGPGAPTSSOGPPPPPTOITOI12197164143:1918:55285271801:3714:5535123610:5415:1641202500:0018:02<\/p>\n

Mikhail Sergachev<\/a> remained out of the lineup for the second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Sean Durzi<\/a> receives a bump in value while Sergachev is out, since he has moved up to the top power play. Even without PP1 work, Durzi has been heating up recently with nine points in his last 13 games. He started the season with 13 points in his first 29 games.<\/p>\n

Mackenzie Weegar<\/a> made his Utah debut, registering an assist in 23 minutes of icetime while being paired with Durzi. Weegar did not receive any power-play time, which could hurt his already-depressed scoring value even more if it remains that way. Weegar continued to prove his worth in multicategory leagues with two hits and three blocked shots.<\/p>\n

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Juraj Slafkovsky<\/a> scored twice and added an assist in the Canadiens’ 4-3 win in Los Angeles. Slafkovsky has continued his momentum from the Olympics, recording six points in his last three games while on the top line with Nick Suzuki<\/a> and Cole Caufield<\/a>. Slafkovsky scored four goals and added four assists in six games for Slovakia at the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Suzuki scored a goal with two assists on Saturday, giving him nine points over his last four games. Suzuki is on pace for 98 points, which would be a career best for him.<\/p>\n

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Jake Sanderson<\/a> left Saturday’s game in Seattle after being hit along the boards by Brandon Montour<\/a>. Sanderson appeared to grab his shoulder as he left the ice.<\/p>\n

Sanderson’s injury overshadowed a 7-4 win for Ottawa. Shane Pinto<\/a> scored a goal and added two assists for the Sens, along with three shots, four penalty minutes, and two hits. Pinto has now scored goals in back-to-back games after not scoring a goal in his previous six games.<\/p>\n

Warren Foegele<\/a> scored one of the goals in his Senators debut, although he was held to just 11:49 in icetime. Foegele was used on a line with<\/a> Lars Eller<\/a> and Fabian Zetterlund<\/a> and did not receive any power-play time. He is down to just eight goals and 10 points in 48 games after a decent 24-goal, 46-point campaign with the Kings last season.<\/p>\n

Dylan Cozens<\/a> now has goals in four consecutive games. Since January 14, Cozens has 11 goals and 18 points in 17 games. Eight of those points have been on the power play. As well, Cozens is averaging over two hits per game. He is a reliable option in multicategory leagues.<\/p>\n

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The Calgary Flames clearly value Ryan Strome<\/a> more than the Ducks did. A healthy scratch whose role had diminished this season with the influx of young, high-potential scorers, Strome made his Flames debut on Saturday following a Friday trade for a seventh-round pick. Strome didn’t disappoint, scoring a goal along with a power-play assist. The 15 minutes of icetime he received in the Flames’ 5-4 win over Carolina surpassed his Anaheim average this season by three minutes per game. Strome was on a line with<\/a> Martin Pospisil<\/a> and Connor Zary<\/a>, and he was even used on the top power play. He might be worth adding to watch lists with his fantasy value potentially revitalized. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Olli Maatta<\/a> had been averaging just 12 minutes per game on the Utah blueline this season. However, Maatta was on the ice for 23:54 in his Flames debut, also adding an assist. The only Flames player with more icetime was Kevin Bahl<\/a>, who logged 25:50. After the departures of Mackenzie Weegar<\/a> and Rasmus Andersson<\/a>, you might need a program to follow along.<\/p>\n

Joel Farabee<\/a> led the Flames with two goals and an assist, while Morgan Frost<\/a> scored a goal and added two assists. Frost has been heating up recently with five points over his last four games.<\/p>\n

Seth Jarvis<\/a> and Sebastian Aho<\/a> each had three points for the Hurricanes in the loss.<\/p>\n

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Macklin Celebrini<\/a> took a big hit from Mathew Barzal<\/a> in the third period where Barzal appeared to make contact with Celebrini’s head. Fortunately, Celebrini returned to the game. This is worth watching not only for how Celebrini is, but also whether Barzal could face a suspension. Here it is below.<\/p>\n

Macklin Celebrini was shaken up after this hit from Mat Barzal late in the 3rd period \ud83e\udd15<\/p>\n

Was this a dirty hit from Barzal? \ud83d\ude2c pic.twitter.com\/VRexXEcBES<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Brayden Schenn<\/a> was held without a point in his Islanders debut, but he skated 17:26 while on a line with<\/a> Ondrej Palat<\/a> and Calum Ritchie<\/a> while also receiving a go on the top power play. Schenn’s lack of scoring (28 PTS in 62 GP) has made him unrosterable in many formats, but his value could always improve with a move to a stronger team.<\/p>\n

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Follow me on X\u00a0@Ian_Gooding<\/a>\u00a0and Bluesky\u00a0@goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n