With the exception of the irregular schedule of last season, January 1 on the NHL calendar means Winter Classic. This year's battle was in frozen Minnesota, where the temperature was about minus-22 Celsius (minus-8 Fahrenheit).

In front of the Minnesota faithful, Jordan Kyrou stole the show. The Blues forward scored two goals and two assists – all in the second period, where the Blues scored five of their six goals. Kyrou has been blazing hot since the holiday break, accruing seven points over his last two games. He's now over a point per game (32 points in 29 games).

Jordan Kyrou (2-2—4) has four points through two periods for the @StLouisBlues, already the highest point total by any player in an NHL outdoor game. #WinterClassic #NHLStats: https://t.co/WnpZrbvmzf pic.twitter.com/KZd5OU04Gl

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 2, 2022

With a power-play goal and an assist, Ivan Barbashev is on a four-game multipoint streak. In other words, two points in each of his last four games. Kyrou should be universally rostered in Yahoo leagues by now (but at 69%, he's not). Barbashev is already up to 61%, which could be explained by the fact that he offers a whole lot more than Kyrou in bangers categories such as penalty minutes and hits.

It was assumed that Cam Talbot received the mercy pull after two periods and six goals allowed. However, the main reason turned out to be a lower-body injury. Kaapo Kahkonen took over in the third period, stopping all four shots he faced. Kahkonen is worth an immediate speculative pickup and is worth starting should Talbot miss any time.

In spite of the loss, Kirill Kaprizov did his part for the hometown fans, scoring a goal while adding two assists.

The Wild brought out some appropriate winter attire for the occasion. But the Blues might have stolen the show with theirs.

a little snow-mo Saturday for ya 😎❄️ #mnwild | #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/km3dedaX94

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 1, 2022

This weather's a beach. #stlblues #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/FDTJ56iesP

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 1, 2022

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In our daily reminder that COVID is still causing havoc, the Canadiens played two skaters short against the Panthers. It might seem like a surprise that they actually played on Saturday, but 1) other teams have set the precedent by playing two skaters short already, and 2) the Canadiens reportedly wanted to play the game, as they will be shut down next week. A 5-2 loss to Florida hardly seems surprising, as multiple writers on this site were banging the drum to start as many Panthers as you can in this matchup against the undermanned Habs.

Claimed off waivers from the Kings not even a month ago, Kale Clague led all Habs with 27:34 of icetime, including first-unit power-play time. The Montreal blueline was already without Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot, Chris Wideman, and Alexander Romanov, which explains the sudden jump. As a Hab, Clague has just one point (a goal) in eight games. The Habs will probably get some bodies back on the defense when they return to action, so don't expect that deployment to be the norm.

Jonathan Huberdeau was at it again on Saturday, assisting on three goals. That gives him eight points over his last two games. He is the fourth player to reach the 40-point mark this season. Over the 2021 calendar year, only Connor McDavid (157) and Leon Draisaitl (135) had more points than Huberdeau (who tied Auston Matthews with 99 points).

Huberdeau's linemate Sam Bennett had an impressive multicategory game, scoring two goals while firing a season-high 10 shots with two hits and 12 faceoffs won.

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Not that this will help you next week with the Islanders out of action, but Kieffer Bellows was on the Islanders' first-unit power play on Saturday, chipping in a power-play assist. He entered Saturday's game with goals in back-to-back games and now has four points and nine shots in his last three games. Averaging over two hits per game this season, Bellows is particularly an option in bangers leagues when he is in the lineup. Just pay attention to his icetime, which has sometimes been below 10 minutes per game. He logged a season-high 18:12 on Saturday.

The Bellows power-play assist was on an Anders Lee power-play goal. The Islanders captain has six goals in his last eight games, including three power-play goals. Lee is rostered in under half of Yahoo leagues, which might have to do with his slow start and lack of assists. Again, he won't help you next week, but he's worth stashing away if possible.

With the overtime game-winning goal and an assist, Noah Dobson has multiple points in back-to-back games. He's been hot since early December, scoring five goals and adding five assists over his last 10 games. Only Mathew Barzal has a higher power-play time average than Dobson, who now appears to be a fixture on the first unit. Dobson is rostered in just 19 percent of Yahoo leagues – a number that clearly should be higher.

It looks like Mike Smith is injured again. The Oilers recalled Ilya Konovalov from the taxi squad under emergency conditions to back up Mikko Koskinen on Saturday. I would think that Stuart Skinner is recalled, while the Oilers shop for another goalie. Otherwise, goaltending might be Edmonton's undoing if the 39-year-old Smith is out for another extended period.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did not play on Saturday either and is listed as day-to-day.

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One of the most-often searched players on Frozen Tools, Alex Tuch scored his first goal as a Sabre on Saturday. Tuch now has three points in three games with Buffalo, a team that will probably give him considerably more opportunity than he received in Vegas. Tuch has also been a fixture on the power play, where he scored his goal on Saturday. Tuch is just 29 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, so he should be worth a pickup at some point. Just keep in mind that the Sabres are only scheduled to play one game next week, so you won't get much mileage out of Tuch in the near term.

Tuch has also helped the value of new linemate Tage Thompson, who recorded two assists on Saturday and has four points over his last three games.

Fantasy Take: Jack Eichel Traded to Vegas

The Sabres first-unit power play also featured Peyton Krebs, who you may remember was acquired along with Tuch in the Jack Eichel trade. Krebs' assist on Tuch's goal (see below) was his first point as a Sabre (also his third game). For more on Krebs, see his Dobber Prospects profile page.

The newcomers are looking mighty fine with the @BuffaloSabres!

Cc: Peyton Krebs & @alextuch89 pic.twitter.com/FsuDLuCO64

— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2022

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Tanner Jeannot isn't one of the top searches on Frozen Tools currently, but he was recently on the list. Jeannot potted two goals on Saturday afternoon, giving him nine points (including four goals) in his last eight games. Here's what you need to know: He's a great player to have on your roster in bangers leagues, as he leads the Predators in hits with an average of about 3 HITS/GP. However, the line combinations don't stack up very favorably for Jeannot, either at even strength or on the power play. He's currently on what would be considered the Preds' third line (Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin), and he normally sees little to no power-play time. For those reasons, your decision on whether to add Jeannot very much depends on league format.

Mattias Ekholm broke out of his cold streak (1 PT in last 7 GP) with three assists on Saturday – all in the first period.  

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The crazy scores and swings that we've experienced lately played out in the Columbus/Carolina game. The Blue Jackets stormed out to a 3-0 lead at the end of the first period, chasing Antti Raanta from the Hurricanes net. After Columbus made it 4-0, Carolina countered with seven unanswered goals to take the game 7-4.

Brady Skjei and Steven Lorentz each scored a pair of goals for the Canes. Skjei finished the game with a plus-4 and seven shots on goal. He's upped his game recently with four points, a plus-7, and 13 shots over his last three games. His power-play time remains at near-zero, but his icetime has increased a little bit.  

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Playing his and the team's first game since December 14, Jack Campbell and the Leafs didn't seem to be rusty at all. Campbell stopped all 23 shots he faced in the 6-0 shutout win over an Ottawa team that looked overmatched. The Leafs also accomplished the rare feat of scoring two shorthanded goals on the same penalty in the first period.

With two goals on Saturday, William Nylander is riding a six-game point streak where he has scored five goals. Going back 11 games, Nylander has been scorching hot with 17 points (8 G, 9 A). Nylander is also on pace for the first point-per-game season of his career (33 PTS in 31 GP).

William Nylander with the gorgeous skating to set himself up for a breakaway, finishing off a beautiful move on the goalie for a terrific all-around goal!#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/UrMN9qliZh

— HockeyDaily365 (@HockeyDaily365) January 2, 2022

Playing just his second game of the season, Ilya Mikheyev also scored twice for the Leafs.

T.J. Brodie scored a goal and added two assists, giving him points in three consecutive games. He has also been a plus-6 over that span.

Alex Kerfoot snapped a six-game point drought in recording three assists.

In his first game since being recalled from the AHL, Matt Murray was shelled for six goals on 40 shots. Even if he receives the bulk of the starts for the Sens going forward, he's probably best left on your waiver wire. The Sens are winless in three games dating back to mid-December.

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The Phillip Danault – Viktor Arvidsson – Trevor Moore line was absolutely dominant on Saturday, combining for 11 points. Arvidsson scored two goals and added two assists, Moore had a goal and three assists, and Danault had to settle for a goal and two assists. This isn't a line that has been together for long, nor is it one where the players were hot before Saturday. Arvidsson had been held without a point in his previous five games, Moore had recorded just one point in his previous four games, and Danault was without a point in his previous three games. Obviously Todd McLellan will try this unit again next game, but maybe it's worth keeping an eye on these players in case they can follow up with more.  

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With a goal (empty-netter, mind you), an assist, and a first-period fight, Tanner Pearson recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick. Pearson is yet another player benefitting under the new Bruce Boudreau regime, scoring six points in his last six games. Pearson has also taken 11 shots over his last three games.

With an assist on the empty-net goal, J.T. Miller now has a nine-game point streak. As I mentioned earlier this week, he's had points in every game that Boudreau has been the coach. In one of my Yahoo leagues, there are only three players ranked higher than Miller at the moment: Ovechkin, McDavid, and Draisaitl. That's it.

The Canucks' win streak under Boudreau was snapped at seven games earlier this week, but they have earned points in each of their nine games under their new head coach. Thatcher Demko has now reeled off seven consecutive wins, earning a quality start in each of those wins. As much as many Canucks players are showing improved results under Boudreau*, Demko might be the biggest beneficiary just from a wins perspective. Under Travis Green, Demko had picked up just eight wins in 20 games. Over that win streak, Demko has allowed more than two goals only once.

Fantasy Take: Green Out, Boudreau In for Van City

* Using his player game ratings, Wild West writer Grant Campbell lists only a small number of Canucks players that have not improved under Boudreau. The fantasy-relevant players are not on the list, save for maybe the slumping Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

The only players to have not elevated their game are Ekman-Larsson, Schenn, Burroughs, Dickinson, Chiasson, Motte and Poolman.

— Grant Campbell (@gampbler15) January 2, 2022

Finally, we've been inundated with bad news these past two years. So it was nice to start the year with the story of Canucks assistant equipment manager Brian Hamilton reaching out to Kraken fan Nadia Popovici to thank her for pointing out a mole for him to get checked during the Canucks' previous trip to Seattle. Of course, huge credit to Popovici for going out of her way to grab Hamilton's attention, and also to Hamilton for taking her advice and going through the team media to find her and thank her. This serves as a reminder to us all that if something feels strange, it doesn't hurt to have a medical professional check it out.

The internet community helped us find Brian's hero, Nadia, and tonight they met in person where he got to express his sincerest thank you to her for saving his life.

A story of human compassion at its finest. pic.twitter.com/66ogo5hB1a

— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 2, 2022

– For more fantasy hockey discussion, follow me on Twitter@Ian_Gooding