Carey Price made his long-awaited season debut, which happened to be his first game since last season's Stanley Cup Final. Given his recovery from knee surgery and his personal struggles, the main takeaway should be that he has made it back to the Canadiens' lineup. The game score shows Price stopping 17 of 19 shots he faced but taking a 3-0 loss to the Islanders. Price did shut out the Isles over two periods, which is a positive if you're looking for a reason to use Price in what's left of the season.

The goalie at the other end in this game was simply outstanding. Ilya Sorokin stopped all 44 shots he faced to pick up his seventh shutout of the season. Only Jacob Markstrom has more shutouts than Sorokin, which is one of the reasons that he's one of the highest-ranked goalies in fantasy hockey. I have Sorokin as the 7^th ranked goalie in the Top 100 Roto Rankings, which were updated on Friday.

Brock Nelson scored a goal and added an assist for the Islanders, which gives him multiple points in back-to-back games. He also has seven points over his last six games, so he remains a worthwhile fantasy option down the stretch.  

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Jonathan Huberdeau's push for the Art Ross continued on Friday. The Panthers left winger scored two first-period goals in a 6-1 win over Winnipeg. That positions Huberdeau just two points behind Connor McDavid in the scoring race. Huberdeau (108 points) currently has one game in hand on McDavid (110 points). Huberdeau is also riding a 13-game point streak in which he has 24 points. The only danger here might be the Panthers resting him for load management purposes, but then again, they might not if he's chasing a trophy.

Gustav Forsling scored a pair of goals for the Panthers while taking six shots. Forsling has been holding a hot stick recently with six goals and nine points over his last eight games. All of that with virtually no power-play time. So what defenseman is blocking the way with Aaron Ekblad sidelined? The answer is no one, because the Panthers are stacking their first-unit power play with five forwards. This is the power-play unit that has generated the most minutes over the last three games:

CLAUDE GIROUX – JONATHAN HUBERDEAU – ALEKSANDER BARKOV – SAM REINHART – ANTHONY DUCLAIR

Speaking of Giroux, he chipped in with three assists in the win. His time with the Panthers has been successful so far with 15 points (2 G, 13 A) in just 12 games. He's also chipped in four multipoint games over his last six games. He's found a home with Huberdeau and Sam Bennett, who filled roto categories in this game with an assist, a plus-4, seven shots, and two hits.

For the Jets, Connor Hellebuyck was pulled after two periods, having allowed four goals on 26 shots. As much as his numbers have declined from last season, this was his first really bad start in over a month (since March 8). He has posted nine quality starts since then. Maybe he hasn't been that bad – just not elite.

Adam Lowry was credited with eight hits. He leads Winnipeg with 220 hits on the season.

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Yesterday I documented the recent struggles of Andrei Vasilevskiy. Sure enough, the Lightning will be bringing back Brian Elliott for one more season as Vasilevskiy's backup, signing him to a one-year extension at his current cap hit of $900,000. With the Bolts gearing up for the playoffs and two more pairs of back-to-backs, don't be surprised to see a little more of Elliott down the stretch, which would make him a sneaky waiver-wire pickup. Elliott has picked up wins in each of his last two games – a shutout on Sunday against Buffalo, and a win in relief of Vasilevskiy on Thursday.

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Nearing the end of a head-to-head playoff week, the name of the game is to maximize those games played. With several teams playing on both Saturday and Sunday, I'll focus on waiver-wire options from just those teams below.

I've noticed that when searching for players to add from a particular team, some teams are better than others, and it's not always who you think. For example, Tampa Bay has plenty of star fantasy options, but they almost all seem to be spoken for by the time a draft is finished. Speaking from experience, they're not usually a team that can provide much. Conversely, a team not known for offense can provide you with numerous options.

Buffalo – I barely missed the boat on Jeff Skinner last week, as I watched my H2H opponent add him right before I did. Skinner didn't score one of his 31 goals in that game, but the fact that he is only 31% rostered in Yahoo seems a bit low. The reason might be very low peripherals aside from his high shot totals… Alex Tuch would be on a 67-point pace for a full season. With back-to-back matchups against Philly, he seems in a great position to add to that and is rostered in fewer Yahoo leagues than Skinner… After that, the Sabres have their share of cold options, such as Kyle Okposo (1 PT in last 6 GP), Casey Mittelstadt (0 PTS in last 4 GP), Dylan Cozens (0 PTS in last 5 GP), and Dobber favorite Vinnie Hinostroza (0 PTS in last 9 GP). As mentioned, at least the matchup with the Flyers is a decent one… I wrote about Owen Power yesterday. There's always something exciting about a top prospect making his debut, but I don't think he's going to light it up immediately.

Columbus – Lots to choose from here. Jakub Voracek and Oliver Bjorkstrand are rostered in just under half of Yahoo leagues. Voracek is your guy if you need assists but provides very few goals. Bjorkstrand is normally a top option on this team but has been in a slump recently (0 PTS in last 7 GP). That's why it might be better to opt for either Gustav Nyquist or Jack Roslovic. Both have been playing on the Jackets' first line with Patrik Laine, while Roslovic in particular has been red hot recently (5 G, +6, 11 SOG over last 2 GP). Nyqvist and Roslovic should both be readily available, rostered in under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues… If you're feeling really lucky or you want to be first with the shiny new toy, Kent Johnson just made his NHL debut. Although if you're looking for youth, don't forget about Cole Sillinger, who has four points over his last four games… On defense, Vladislav Gavrikov can provide help with bangers categories with a bit of offense thrown in.

Detroit – Jakub Vrana, in only 22 percent of Yahoo leagues? Over the past calendar year as a Red Wing, Vrana has 18 goals in 29 games. If that's what you need, you know what to do… After that, it's a handful of options that could provide offense but could also drag your plus-minus down. All of Filip Hronek, Pius Suter, Filip Zadina, and Michael Rasmussen are double-digit minus players. None of these players are particularly hot or cold, so at this point I would probably move on to the next team, although Rasmussen could help in the hits department (122 Hits) (more on him in the most recent Geek of the Week)… If you're thinking about starting Alex Nedeljkovic on the heels of his shutout, the Wings play back-to-backs against the Rangers and Panthers, so I'd probably pass.

Minnesota – This is a "three solid lines" team with plenty of highly rostered players, even if they are not superstar-heavy beyond Kirill Kaprizov. Marcus Foligno is definitely at the top of the list in multicategory leagues for goals and especially hits, but he's rostered in nearly half of Yahoo leagues. So if you want to get in on a true under-the-radar forward, Frederick Gaudreau is your best bet here. He's regularly lined up with Kevin Fiala and Matt Boldy, and he showed off his skill on his overtime winner on Thursday – his third point of the night. He's also available in a ton of Yahoo and Fantrax leagues.

Frederick Gaudreau scores the @BevyLongDrink OT winner with some help from 🌸! pic.twitter.com/HxzscrXqk4

📢 advertisement:

— NHL (@NHL) April 15, 2022

After that, there isn't a whole lot. I considered trading for Alex Goligoski in one league because of the high volume of games the Wild play down the stretch, but I can't rely on a player that has been healthy scratched recently. At least he's sixth in the league in plus/minus (+40).

Nashville – Because of his bounceback season, Ryan Johansen is getting scooped up in more and more leagues. He's not a high-volume shooter, but the numbers are there as the Preds continue to hold down a playoff spot… If Johansen isn't available, Mikael Granlund may be. Assist-heavy, so a very similar option to the aforementioned Voracek… A Saturday matchup against Chicago is prime for the Predators, even if they haven't scored much lately, so you could even roll the dice on the struggling Eeli Tolvanen (0 G in last 11 GP)… Mattias Ekholm doesn't stand out in any one category, but at least he provides high volume in minutes.

Philadelphia – Travis Konecny hasn't blossomed into the superstar you thought he might be. Yet with back-to-back games against Buffalo, he's among the highest-upside players that you might find on your waiver wire. He's also taking nearly three shots per game, which could help you with multiple categories… Joel Farabee and James van Riemsdyk are also options for your offense and likely available. But I'm a little more bullish on Kevin Hayes, who is being leaned on more heavily late in the season with Sean Couturier injured and Claude Giroux traded. Over his past seven games, Hayes has averaged nearly four shots per game… On defense, Travis Sanheim is receiving the bulk of the power-play minutes with Cam York out. Sanheim could also be a good source of blocked shots (126 Blk).

San Jose – Here's another team that has more cold options than hot, but I'll try to pull a few names anyway. Alexander Barabanov (0 PTS in last 6 GP) and Jonathan Dahlen (0 PTS in last 8 GP) have provided flashes of offense this season and can even chip in on the power play. But they'll be in tough with back-to-back road games in Minnesota and Dallas… If you have a Hits + Blocks category that you need to make up ground in, Mario Ferraro is the perfect defenseman for you. Ferraro has over 100 of each despite missing 19 games. Not a ton of offense, but sometimes it boils down to winning a certain category or two.

St. Louis – The Blues have a deep spread-out offense that fantasy leaguers have already caught onto for the most part, but there's still a few options. If Ivan Barbashev is still available, he's worth a grab for his ability in all sorts of categories, particularly hits (team-leading 143 Hits)… Colton Parayko is known for his shot, but I like his ability to block shots better than his offense (team-leading 158 Bks)… I recommended Brandon Saad last week for a number of reasons, including recent hot play, schedule, and linemates. Although he didn't pile up the points for me, he is still riding a three-game point streak and is on a line with David Perron and Ryan O'Reilly… I also recommended Nick Leddy last week, but his value is fading because of Torey Krug's recent return from injury. In the two games since Krug returned, Leddy has been held without a point with no power-play time. At this point, I'd probably keep looking.  

Toronto – The Leafs have a top-heavy lineup when it comes to scorers, as witnessed on their CapFriendly page. That means you're probably left with Alexander Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev as your best waiver-wire options here. Both have been skating on a line with John Tavares, which should make them okay options against the Senators and Islanders. Mikheyev in particular has four points over his last four games… Jake Muzzin has recently returned to health and is another possibility to provide balanced offense, hits, and blocked shots if you need a defenseman.

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An absolute legend. pic.twitter.com/rWRXa3kQBR

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 15, 2022

It's been a tough year for the Islanders. First the passing of Clark Gillies, then Jean Potvin, and now Mike Bossy.

As I said on my Twitter, Bossy is one of my all-time favorite players. I had the poster on the wall and everything. Full disclosure here: I was even an Islanders fan for a few years as a kid, and it had a lot to do with Bossy. Okay, it also had something to do with me getting sick and tired of hearing other kids talk about how awesome Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers were, so I took the Islanders side in the 1980s clash of dynasties. A side that I learned quickly I was very much in the minority on, especially with many bandwagon Oilers fans and a vocal "cup belongs in Canada" crowd. But I digress.

Bossy was true 50 goals in 50 games. Not just that, but 53 goals as a rookie. Also, nine consecutive seasons with 50 goals or more. An average of 57 goals per season in his career. Yeah, I know, everyone was scoring goals back then, but no player has ever recorded that many consecutive 50-goal seasons. Bring that along with the four Stanley Cups and you have a zero-doubt Hockey Hall of Famer. He reminded me of that Hall of Fame status in the hockey card he signed for me.

I think what I admired about him the most was how he stood true to his convictions. In an era when teams would regularly "goon it up," Bossy refused to sell out to that element of hockey culture, being single-minded in his focus on scoring goals instead. Many of us will admit today that fighting is damaging to the sport, but Bossy was ahead of his time in condemning unnecessary violence when it was considered an essential part of the game. The whacks to the back he continually received seemed to contribute to his forced retirement at the young age of 30.  

A terrific goal scorer and tremendous role model is gone too soon at age 65. May he rest in peace.

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.