Robert Thomas scored a pair of goals along with a pair of assists in the Blues' 7-4 win over Nashville in the early game of the day. Thomas now has multiple goals in back-to-back games along with a plus-5. In what appears to be a true breakout fourth season, Thomas is flirting with the point-per-game mark (48 PTS in 51 GP).

David Perron scored two goals himself, giving him goals in three consecutive games. He now has seven goals in his last six games and 12 points in his last nine games, putting his earlier-season struggles behind him. During one stretch through January and February, Perron had recorded just two points in 13 games. Hopefully you didn't drop him while he was slumping. Don't forget that he was also a point-per-game player last season.

Jordan Kyrou recorded three assists, giving him multiple points in back-to-back games. That gives him 15 points over his last 10 games.

In the end, these jerseys backfired for the Predators, although Ville Husso did yield four goals despite winning.

Just a reminder that the Nashville @PredsNHL are wearing jerseys that say "SMASH VILLE" against a goalie named Ville today. @StLouisBlues #Preds #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/DQMhgNBc4Y

— Tin Can Dan (@TinCanDan) March 12, 2022

A stat that no one projected before the season: Matt Duchene has 31 goals. Duchene scored a pair of goals while adding an assist and five shots in a losing cause. Duchene has back-to-back two-goal and three-point games, has eight goals over his last five games, and is on a five-game point streak. With 57 points in 54 games, Duchene is delivering what the Predators had hoped when he was signed as a free agent to a seven-year contract with an $8 million cap hit. Having said all that, his advanced stats suggest some sort of regression, particularly in the goal department (19.6 SH%). Maybe a sell high, but I recommended that earlier this season and he still hasn't slowed down.

As weird as this might sound, Ryan Johansen might be a poor man's Duchene. When I searched for available Nashville forwards when they had a favorable upcoming week early in the season, Duchene was already on someone else's team. But I stumbled upon Johansen and he's been on my roster ever since. Johansen also recorded three points on Saturday (1 G, 2 A), giving him eight points over his last six games. Like Duchene, Johansen has also bounced back from a 2020-21 season to forget. Johansen's 0.80 PTS/GP (44 PTS in 55 GP) is his best pace over the past three seasons.  

High-scoring games with multiple power-play goals are the perfect breeding ground for Draisaitl Hat Tricks, and there were two of them in this game. Johansen had one. Torey Krug had the other.

In high-scoring games, fantasy options that do not contribute in any way are also worthy of mention. That player for this particular game is Mikael Granlund, who was not only held without a point but went a minus-4. Disappointing.

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Some injury news for the Avalanche, as both Gabriel Landeskog and Samuel Girard are expected to miss significant time. Landeskog will undergo knee surgery with no specific timetable, although the Avalanche expect him back for the stretch run. Girard is expected to miss the next four weeks with a lower-body injury.

Since Colorado is already eight points clear of second-place Calgary in the Western Conference race, these injuries shouldn't put them in a vulnerable position standings-wise, and they definitely won't miss the playoffs. If Landeskog's recovery sidelines him until (wink, nudge) Game 1 of the playoffs, then the Avalanche could be in a better position to trade for someone like Claude Giroux and not have to deal with the cap implications afterward. Maybe an ideal scenario for the Avalanche in their cup run, but not for fantasy rosters that rely on Landeskog.

While Landeskog is out of the lineup, Valeri Nichushkin could move up to the top line. Bowen Byram has been practicing as he recovers from another concussion, so he could easily slot into Girard's spot on the second-unit power play.

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Although he was held without a point on Saturday, Artturi Lehkonen has six goals and eight points in his last six games. His power-play time has increased from nothing in the first half to a minute and a half in the second half. The power-play deployment had already increased before Martin St. Louis took over as coach, but given the recent results, he seems to be benefitting from the coaching change. He could finally be delivering as a post-hype sleeper.  

Rem Pitlick is another Hab that has been noticeable recently, logging 19 minutes and change while centering Mike Hoffman and Brendan Gallagher. He picked up an assist on Saturday to give him five points over his last four games, including a three-point game in Vancouver on Wednesday. Pitlick was a waiver-wire pickup from the Wild earlier this season, and he seems to be working his way into the mix in Montreal.

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In a scary moment, Connor Murphy was stretchered off the ice during the first period of Saturday's game with Ottawa. Murphy, who currently leads the NHL with 150 blocked shots, took a hit along the boards that resulted in a head injury. The good news is that he is reportedly travelling back to Chicago with the Blackhawks, but his status for next week has to be considered questionable.

Jonathan Toews and Caleb Jones each scored a pair of goals for the Blackhawks in their 6-3 win over Ottawa. Toews was only an assist shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick after a first-period fight with Zach Sanford. Toews currently has a three-game point streak.

Patrick Kane recorded three assists, passing Bobby Hull for second on the Blackhawks all-time franchise scoring lead. Only Stan Mikita is ahead of Kane.

I've had multiple people discuss Anton Forsberg with me this week, so I'll throw him in here as well. Forsberg has been the most reliable of the Senators' three goalies (Forsberg, Matt Murray, Filip Gustavsson), which explains why he started his fourth consecutive game on Saturday and also leads Sens goalies in games played. Despite his ugly game (allowing six goals), Forsberg is still worth starting next week. The Senators play four games next week, and all are against non-playoff teams (Arizona, Columbus, Philadelphia, Montreal). I wouldn't normally put Forsberg into must-start territory each week, but at least he's in a great spot here.

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Jacob Markstrom earned his league-leading ninth shutout of the season, a relatively easy 19-save effort against Detroit. I can remember when Markstrom struggled to earn a shutout earlier in his career, not recording his first career shutout until his third season of regular duty with the Canucks, which happened to be his eighth season in the NHL. Markstrom had eight career shutouts over 11 seasons prior to this season, so he's found an extra gear to his game in his second season in Calgary. Markstrom's 2.08 GAA and .927 SV% are also easily the best of his career. He should be in the discussion as one of the league's top goalies at this point.

Another ex-Canuck is making his mark with the Flames. With a power-play goal on Saturday, Tyler Toffoli now has 13 points – including eight goals – in 13 games as a Flame. Although his icetime isn't high and he's not on the top line, he is receiving first-unit power-play time. And when he gets on a hot run like he is now, he needs to be in your lineup.

In spite of the loss, Thomas Greiss received a much-deserved quality start. Greiss made 40 saves in the 3-0 loss, including 19 shots in the first period (while Markstrom faced just one shot!) Greiss had not earned a quality start in his previous four starts, including three really bad starts. The Wings as a team are not a recommended goalie start currently, having allowed an average of nearly six goals per game over their previous seven games. Included in that range are the ten goals allowed to Toronto two weeks ago and the nine goals allowed to Arizona last Tuesday.

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Jakob Chychrun left Saturday's game in the second period with a lower-body injury. Chychrun had been in on Arizona's recent run with two goals in each of his two previous games earlier this week. Overall, Chychrun had been red hot with 10 points in his last six games prior to Saturday (I had dropped Chychrun earlier this season and could really use him now). Any sort of lengthy injury could cut into his trade value heading into the deadline, although the Coyotes are believed to have been asking for a significant return. The Coyotes are reportedly optimistic that Chychrun's injury is not serious.

The Coyotes' win streak finally ended at four games, just as we had predicted. Craig Smith led the way for the Bruins, scoring a pair of goals. Smith has been scoring with regularity recently with seven goals over his last five games. Over that span he has averaged over three shots per game.

Smith's linemate Charlie Coyle scored a goal and added an assist, giving him goals in back-to-back games and a three-game point streak. The Smith-Coyle-Trent Frederic might be the third line for the Bruins, but this line has been productive recently.

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Making his seventh consecutive start for the Devils, Nico Daws stopped 33 of 34 shots he faced in a 2-1 shootout win over Anaheim. Daws has posted back-to-back quality starts and has allowed more than three goals only once over those seven starts. Although only 21 and probably better off in the minor leagues for development purposes, Daws has posted a solid 2.43 GAA and .920 SV% over his last seven games. That has given New Jersey better goaltending than expected while Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier are both injured.

Given the way Daws has played, there are probably worse options out there if you are in need of a goalie. However, Daws and the Devils head out on a western Canada road trip next week, which won't make for an easy short-term schedule.  

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Artemi Panarin was the top scorer of the day on Saturday, scoring a goal and adding four assists. Status quo for Panarin, who has a four-game point streak with nine points over that span. Only Jonathan Huberdeau has more assists than Panarin (52).

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Adin Hill's return from injury was a successful one, as he pitched a 29-save shutout over the Kings. With Hill out of the lineup since January and James Reimer injured as well, goaltending has been a real sore spot for the Sharks throughout February and much of March. Hill is rostered in only 17 percent of Yahoo leagues and 44 percent of Fantrax leagues, so he's another goaltender to consider if you're looking for one. Just beware of home matchups against Florida and Colorado (and suddenly red-hot Arizona) next week.

Timo Meier scored a goal and added two assists with four shots and two power-play points. He entered this game in a minor slump, having recorded just one assist in his previous five games.

Tomas Hertl scored a pair of goals, giving him multiple points in back-to-back games.

To add injury to defeat for the Kings, Dustin Brown and Matt Roy both left this game.

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Finally, just another patented Connor McDavid goal. Look at him blow right past Victor Hedman for one of his two goals on Saturday night.

Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97) coming through, everyone. 💨

📺: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/JGjWNfQrfE

— NHL (@NHL) March 13, 2022

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