Filling in for the injured Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo, and Daniil Tarasov, J-F Berube deserved a better fate on Friday. Even though he posted his fourth consecutive quality start, Berube was tagged with the loss because the ice was tilted in the Columbus end, which resulted in him yielding four goals to Carolina. The Jackets were outshot 50-19 in this game, even trailing 38-9 in shots after two periods. Getting pounded with shots has been a way of life for the Blue Jackets recently, with Berube facing 50, 42, 42, and 36 shots in each of his four quality starts. The previous three games all resulted in wins, though.

Merzlikins was recently activated from IR but served as the backup on Friday, while Korpisalo was recently placed on IR with a lower-body injury. While Korpisalo is still sidelined, the 30-year-old journeyman Berube has put himself in a position to challenge Elvis for starts. Berube might need a longer rest after exerting himself on Friday, but don't be surprised if Brad Larsen turns to the hot hand again on Sunday against Pittsburgh. If Berube is starting, he might be worth rolling the dice on. He's rostered in only 9 percent of Yahoo leagues and 8 percent of Fantrax leagues.

Because the Jackets were shut out, Patrik Laine's point streak ended at 11 games. He finishes with 13 goals and 21 points over that 11-game stretch. A look at the Hot Players list on Frozen Tools shows that no player has been hotter in terms of points per game over that many games.

Frederik Andersen had to make only 19 saves in earning his third shutout of the season. He now leads the NHL with 28 wins.

With Tony DeAngelo expected to miss the next month with an upper-body injury, Jaccob Slavin has been promoted to the first-unit power play. Although he didn't record a point on Friday, he entered the game with five points in his last five games. He's already rostered in the majority of leagues, but is currently worth a pickup if he is still available in yours.

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With two goals and an assist on Friday, Jordan Kyrou has bumped himself past the point-per-game mark again (48 points in 47 games).

If Kyrou's linemate Ivan Barbashev was dropped in your league recently because of his recent 10-game point drought, you may want to consider adding him. Barbashev recorded three assists, which gives him five points over his last two games. This recommendation especially applies to bangers leagues, as Barbashev averages just under two hits per game. As well, Barbashev has been receiving regular power-play time since late November.

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The Avalanche possess the kind of firepower that can help them overcome major deficits. The Jets found that out on Friday, losing 6-3 despite holding a 3-0 lead after the first period. Among the six unanswered goals for the Avs was a Gabriel Landeskog hat trick, three assists from Mikko Rantanen, and a pair of goals from Nathan MacKinnon. Landeskog filled the statsheet with a plus-3, seven shots, and two hits, while MacKinnon and Rantanen also finished with a plus-4. The most freakish stat among the three? MacKinnon firing 14 shots, which is the highest-single game total this season, his new career high, and an Avalanche franchise record. Not bad.  

When all is said and done this season, Connor Hellebuyck might fall short of expectations this season. Even though he is now winless in four games, he entered Friday's game with six consecutive quality starts. Those who watch Jets games regularly will tell you that the team's struggles are not on the goalie. Yet in fantasy leagues, team performance is a major determinant of goalie performance. That's just how it goes.

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Yegor Sharangovich is a super-popular Frozen Tools search, so many of you will be interested to know that he scored again on Friday. That gives him goals in three consecutive games and a six-game point streak in which he has nine points. He's benefitting from playing on the Jack Hughes line. Rostered in just 12 percent of Yahoo leagues, Sharangovich is definitely worth an add. It's also a great time to bring out this all-time Sharangovich tweet. Say it with me, everyone!

who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp

who put the rang in the yegor sharangovich

— Keeping Karlsson (@keepingkarlsson) March 3, 2021

Hughes picked up a goal and two assists of his own on Friday, giving him back-to-back three-point games. He also has a six-game point streak and 16 points in his last 12 games.

Jack Hughes ties the game, but key play to watch here is the keep in from Ryan Graves #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/ix1lyy1o4q

— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) February 26, 2022

All these positive vibes from that line can't overshadow the fact that the Devils have dreadful goaltending right now. Because Mackenzie Blackwood has been injured, they've been forced to turn to Jon Gillies, who has allowed six goals in back-to-back games and three of his last six games. Unless a goalie faces something like 100 shots in a game (okay, I'm exaggerating a little), six goals is enough for a really bad start. If you play the matchups or daily fantasy, start your Canucks on Monday and your Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Oh, how New Jersey fans must long for the days of Martin Brodeur.

The Devils allowed eight goals in total on Friday, which allowed for hat tricks from both Patrick Kane and Brandon Hagel. The two Blackhawks are only the second pair of teammates to earn hat tricks in the same game this season – a feat that has only been accomplished three times since 2008.

Patrick Kane and Brandon Hagel accounted for six of the @NHLBlackhawks' eight goals tonight. 🎩🧢#NHLStats: https://t.co/TP7rayoLxS pic.twitter.com/Y7evdthXOi

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 26, 2022

Kane might be on his best run of the season with 17 points in his last 11 games. Meanwhile, Hagel entered this game with just one point in his last five games.

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After some trouble getting his US visa, Nick Ritchie made his Coyotes debut on Friday. Playing on a line with Barrett Hayton and Loui Eriksson isn't the best way to log icetime, as Ritchie was held without a point while playing just 11:14. I'm not rushing to add Ritchie in any format, but maybe he'll be worth adding at some point. You never know.  

Fantasy Take: Leafs Deal Ritchie to Arizona

Do you know which Coyote might be worth adding now? Nick Schmaltz. He scored a pair of goals in a surprising win over Vegas, giving him nine points over his last six games. Only linemate Clayton Keller has a higher point-per-game average among Coyotes than Schmaltz (0.76 PTS/GP), who is rostered in a meager 6 percent of Yahoo leagues and 24 percent of Fantrax leagues. You probably didn't even remember he was still alive because a) he plays in the desert, and b) he has missed 19 games this season with an upper-body injury.

You're probably not brave enough to add Scott Wedgewood, but he's been getting the job done lately. Wedgewood made 43 saves in earning the win, which gives him five consecutive quality starts. Over those five games he's posted a 1.81 GAA and .952 SV%. He's also started the last three games for the Coyotes over Karel Vejmelka, who has looked half decent throughout the season in spite of some less-than-desirable numbers that were totally expected from a Coyotes goalie. Arizona faces a struggling Winnipeg team (four losses in a row) at home on Sunday. Maybe… just maybe… it'll be safe to add Wedgewood if you need an end-of-week goalie start.

Max Pacioretty left this game in the second period with an undisclosed injury. He’s already a Band-Aid Boy, so this already seems concerning. The Golden Knights have a showdown with the Avalanche today (Saturday), so he might have to sit that one out.

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If you ask me who my top waiver-wire add of the season is, I'd tell you it's Jesper Bratt. And with back-to-back two-goal games following a return from injury, Bratt is back above the point-per-game mark (48 PTS in 47 GP). Yet there's another player that I added during the season who is giving Bratt a run for his money right now. That player is Adrian Kempe.

Kempe scored a pair of goals on Friday, giving him three 2-goal games over his last four games. Add in a pair of assists over that span and Kempe has eight points over his last four games. Kempe has now reached 25 goals, which is easily a career best for him. He's been both good and lucky, taking nearly half a shot more per game this season over last (2.9 SOG/GP from 2.3 SOG/GP) while benefitting from a higher-than-normal 17.4 SH%. Kempe has also been playing on Anze Kopitar's line, which is the fastest way for any Kings player to earn points.

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If you haven't already, get in on the latest Roos Let Loose poll in which you can pick which five players have the best chance to salvage their seasons. So far there are some clear favorites, but you'll still have a chance to weigh in until early Tuesday morning. And of course, you can read about each player in the article.

The obvious one is Cole Caufield, who might be the most-added player in single-season leagues over the past week. In case you've missed it, Caufield has six goals and 10 points over his last seven games. Suffice to say he's a brand-new player with Martin St. Louis as the coach.

Fantasy Take: Montreal Replaces Ducharme with St. Louis

One of my other votes went to Elias Pettersson because, well, he's already turning it around. With two goals and an assist on Thursday, Pettersson now has 20 points (10 G, 10 A) in his last 16 games. As well, he's been on fire recently with multiple points in each of his last four games, with 10 total points over that span. He recently admitted that his wrist was still bothering him (taped up) earlier this season, which explains the earlier struggles. Given the more recent results, it's safe to say he's back to being the old Petey. As I've said about many slumping stars: Hopefully you didn't sell low.

Another player I voted for (kind of) was Tyler Seguin, whose splits show a player who is rebounding. Over his first 35 games, Seguin had scored a paltry 13 points (including nine goals), which doesn't even seem worthy of a fantasy roster spot. Yet over his last 16 games, Seguin has 16 points, including eight goals. Remember that this is his first season back from a major leg injury, so an instant return to form was probably asking too much. While I don't expect him to be one of the league's top scorers again, he's not leaking points from your fantasy roster any longer.

Agree? Disagree? Vote in the poll and comment in the thread!

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The unfortunate events happening in Ukraine are having an effect around the hockey world.

Russia native Alex Ovechkin asked for "no more war" amid Russia's attack on Ukraine while speaking with reporters on Friday.

"It's a hard situation. I have family back in Russia and it is scary moments."https://t.co/nra6W9LXIH

— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) February 25, 2022

Jokerit will not participate in this year's playoffs. Team's season has thus come to an end.#Jokerit #KHL

— Jokerit Helsinki (@Jokerit_EN) February 25, 2022

The IIHF is saddened & deeply concerned by the recent events in #Ukraine. The IIHF condemns the use of military force and urges the use of diplomatic means to solve conflicts. Our thoughts are with the people in Ukraine & the Ukrainian ice hockey family🇺🇦https://t.co/dfLXnenUFR pic.twitter.com/8j2qrJwB62

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) February 25, 2022

To any readers who live in that part of the world or have family or friends over there, my thoughts are with you. Let's hope this ends quickly and peacefully.

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