There were plenty of games to watch on Saturday, most of them at the same time. Let's start with some surprising news that was announced before the big block of 7 pm ET games.

Travis Konecny was made a healthy scratch on Saturday, which is no doubt something that his fantasy owners wouldn't have expected. The Flyers forward has five goals and eight points in eight games, so scoring clearly isn't the problem. When asked, Alain Vigneault said that Konecny's 5-on-5 play needs to be better. I highly doubt that Konecny will be out long term, although AV clearly isn't happy with Konecny's defensive play. This serves as a reminder that defensive play doesn't matter to us fantasy owners and it may not stand out in the boxscores, but it really, really, really matters to coaches.

The good news is that after the game, Vigneault confirmed that Konecny would return to the lineup today (Sunday) against the Islanders.

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Alex Ovechkin returned to the Capitals' lineup after missing four games due to COVID protocol. He picked up right where he left off, scoring the overtime winner while adding an assist, three shots, and five hits. In spite of what would be a major roster hit to most teams (Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Samsonov still sidelined), the Capitals have yet to lose in regulation over nine games.

While Ovie has been away (and before that), Nicklas Backstrom has been on a tear. With a goal and two assists on Saturday, Backstrom is riding a five-game point streak in which he has nine points (3 G, 6 A). He seems to be enjoying a resurgence, as he is currently in the top 5 in scoring with 13 points (5 G, 8 A) in just nine games.

Vitek Vanecek has filled in nicely for Samsonov. A relative unknown until Henrik Lundqvist announced that he needed to sit out the season due to a heart condition, Vanecek has recorded wins in four of his last five games and quality starts in three of his last four games.

Add Justin Schultz's name to the list of absences for the Capitals. In case you were about to say that Justin Schultz doesn't matter anymore, he had posted six points (3 PPP), a plus-5, and ten shots over his last three games. But a lot of why fantasy owners don't value Justin Schultz anymore has to do with his injury history. Which is where we are again.

Zdeno Chara played his first game against Boston since leaving in offseason. He didn't record a point, but he blocked six shots in just under 21 minutes.

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After missing the Bruins' first seven games due to offseason surgery, David Pastrnak made his season debut on Saturday. He recorded an assist while firing five shots in 20:29 of icetime, while resuming his spot on the top line and first-unit power play. There were no restrictions on his play, so he appears to be back in business. Pasta tied for the goal-scoring lead with Ovechkin last season (48 goals), so get him back into your lineup ASAP. I know I will!

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The Blackhawks cancelled practice on Saturday "out of an abundance of caution". The Blackhawks play Columbus on Sunday, so this is something to keep an eye on if you have players from either team.

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A bit of a scare for Jack Eichel, who left Saturday's game briefly after taking a puck to his mouth. He did return in time to score the shootout winner, so all should be good for Eichel owners.

Taylor Hall recorded two assists against the Devils, his old club. He has not scored a goal since opening night (eight games), but he's still chipping in with three helpers in his last two games.

Good news for those patient owners of Jeff Skinner: He received some time on the Sabres' top line with Jack Eichel. Skinner has been trying to make it work with Riley Sheahan and Curtis Lazar for much of the season, which would explain why he has no goals and just one assist. Sam Reinhart is injured and Tage Thompson has been struggling, so the opportunity was finally there for Skinner. He still couldn't record a point, but this is at least a positive development. Hopefully Ralph Krueger finally gives him the long look that he needs.  

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Your goal-scoring leader is now Brock Boeser, who currently leads NHL with eight goals. Boeser is on fire right now with two goals in back-to-back games. In a game where the Canucks finally seemed to carry the play, Boeser fired seven shots. Boeser reportedly trained hard in the offseason, and he appears to be over the wrist and back injuries that have sidelined him in recent seasons. Maybe I'll have to take back my Boeser was drafted too high take before the season started.

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One player you might be waiting on is Mika Zibanejad, who has now been held to five games without a point. That's a particularly long stretch for a player who was among the points-per-game leaders last season. Perhaps it was a reach to assume that he would score at a 1.32 PTS/GP pace again, but keep in mind that he tested positive for COVID just prior to training camp. Different people will have different reactions to the virus, so perhaps there are recovery issues. I will acknowledge that other players both in this sport and in others didn't seem to skip a beat after testing positive, though.

The Rangers as a team have struggled to score, as they are in the bottom third of goals for per game played. Yes, this a shorter season, but I still don't recommend doing anything rash such as trading low or dropping Zibanejad. His advanced stats all suggest a buy-low opportunity, which is something you might want to contact an impatient owner about.

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The Flames' recent players-only meeting might have helped Jacob Markstrom more than anyone. Markstrom stopped all 37 shots he faced from a red-hot Montreal team to post his second shutout of the season. Markstrom is no stranger to posting shutouts in games where he has to face a ton of pucks, as he posted both a 43-save shutout and a 49-save shutout for the Canucks last season. He isn't necessarily a goalie that is mentioned among the game's elite, but his numbers so far (2.18 GAA, .929 SV%) have been impressive.

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With two goals and an assist on Saturday, breakout candidate Jordan Kyrou is scoring at over a point per game so far (10 PTS in 8 GP). For more on Kyrou and some other early forward prospect pickups, check out The Journey this week.

Overtime winners

When the league's top players all come through in the span of 12 minutes.

Crosby
Ovechkin
McDavid

Game winning OT goals tonight.

— Patti🏒 Helmet Partner Bud Light🍺🍺🍺 (@marinemom34) January 31, 2021

Aleksi Heponiemi also scored an overtime winner, and it was his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. Heponiemi played just 9:30 while on a line with Noel Acciari and Juho Lammikko, so he should be considered more of a keeper league add at this point. Heponiemi scored just three goals and 14 points in 49 games in the AHL, so his callup over someone like Grigori Denisenko might seem like a bit of a surprise (although Heponiemi appears to have been playing more than Denisenko prior to the NHL season startup). Heponiemi was having a good season for MODO in Sweden (14 points in 16 games) before he reported to the Panthers. For more on Heponiemi, see his Dobber Prospects profile.    

Injuries

No fun, but we have to talk about them. These injuries affect multiple fantasy teams of mine, so you're not the only one.

Petr Mrazek left Saturday's game early in the first period with what appeared to be a wrist injury (described by the team as an upper-body injury). James Reimer came on in relief and only needed to face 11 Dallas shots to earn the win (Mrazek hadn't faced any shots). Alex Nedeljkovic was immediately summoned to backup Reimer, so he should probably also factor into the goaltending situation should Reimer miss any time. The Canes are back at it with Dallas again today (Sunday), so Nedeljkovic could possibly be an option for an end-of-week spot start. Check Goalie Post for further updates.

Mrazek's teammate Max McCormick also had to leave the game with what looked like a nasty shoulder/collarbone injury after being driven into the boards by Blake Comeau.

Usually it's not a question of if, but when. Kris Letang left Saturday's game with a lower-body injury. John Marino and Pierre-Olivier Joseph are both defensemen to consider should Letang miss any time. Both picked up about 26 minutes each, along with the top power-play time once Letang left. Joseph picked up three assists, which included an assist on Sidney Crosby's overtime winner.  

Matt Dumba also left in the third period after getting tangled up with Jordan Greenway. He had to be helped off the ice and has already been ruled out for Sunday's game as per Elliotte Friedman on the HNIC broadcast. Dumba scored his third goal of the season before leaving the game.

Tyler Bertuzzi also left his game after the second period with an upper-body injury. The Red Wings didn't have an update on Bertuzzi, who also scored a goal before leaving this game.

Josh Anderson also left Saturday's game with what were described as flu-like symptoms. He was given a COVID test and it turned up negative.

Also for the Habs, Jesperi Kotkaniemi took a vicious hit to the head from Dillon Dube, which might warrant a  suspension for Dube.

HOW TF IS THIS NOT A PENALTY? #GoHabsGo
🎥 Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/JRpb62jBFd

— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) January 31, 2021

Ethan Bear was hit by a puck on the bench and did not return. Sheesh. It's been a short season so far, but this has to be the worst day when it comes to injuries.

Trade requests

We learned about not one, but two trade requests in one day.

First, Sam Bennett has reportedly asked for a trade. Bennett's career hasn't advanced as expected when he was made the fourth overall pick in 2014. He has recorded just one assist in seven games this season, with his best season coming in his rookie year of 2015-16 (36 points in 77 games). Perhaps a change of scenery will help Bennett, who has mainly been used in the bottom-6 for much of his career with the Flames.  

That made me look up one of my all-time favorite tweets (the series I’m referring to is the 2015 first-round series between the Flames and Canucks).

He's forever 18-year-old Sam Bennett.

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 5, 2020

Victor Mete has also reportedly requested a trade. The Habs' defense might be the strongest in the Canadian (North) Division, which has left Mete on the outside looking in all season. Given the injuries and depth issues that many teams have on their blueline, I would imagine that there would be a healthy trade market for Mete.

Coincidentally, both Bennett and Mete are represented by Darren Ferris.

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For more fantasy hockey discussion, or to reach out to me, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding