Torey Krug had an outstanding Sunday, racking up five assists as St. Louis beat Montreal 7-2. It was a massive slump buster for Krug, as he entered the game with just one point in his previous 10 outings. This one game represents 20% of Krug's season-long point total.

Robert Thomas had the second-best fantasy performance of the day, posting a goal and three assists against the Habs. He now has 57 points in 51 games, which places him in the top-15 for league scoring this season.

Jordan Binnington was solid against the Canadiens, stopping 25 of the 27 shots he faced. He's been more reliable lately, with nine of his last 11 games being quality starts. He boasts a 7-3-1 record during that span, with a .929 SV% and 2.08 GAA.

Since Drew Bannister took over on December 13^th, the Blues sit ninth in the league with a 15-7-1 record. During this stretch, they rank 16^th in goals for per game (3.06) and have allowed the 10^th fewest per game (2.70). The advanced stats, specifically expected goals, don't paint as rosy a picture of this team, but at least they're playing with more confidence than before.

When Sean Monahan got traded to Winnipeg, I was concerned that Montreal's power play wouldn't be as strong without him in the lineup. Although the Habs are 1 for 9 on the power play since Monahan got traded, they scored just after one expired on Sunday. The top unit has looked much better than I expected and Alex Newhook has done well to replace Monahan in that bumper spot. The rise of Juraj Slafkovsky makes that top group even more dangerous.

Juraj Slafkovky with the feed and Nick Suzuki with the goal!

Habs trailing 2-1! pic.twitter.com/JHmDfgTnSX

— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) February 11, 2024

Canadiens' Captain Nick Suzuki extended his point streak to seven games with that goal on Sunday. He has 11 points during this run.

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With a goal on Sunday, Alex Ovechkin has now scored in each of his last five games. After posting 21 points in 34 games (0.62 points/game) between October and November, Ovi has 15 points in 14 games (1.07p/g) since the beginning of January.

When you're hot, you're hot. 🚨

Alex Ovechkin extends his goal streak to five games!

📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/HFVNThxBxW

— NHL (@NHL) February 11, 2024

Rasmus Sandin tallied an assist on Sunday, giving him nine points in his last 12 games. That's solid production for a defenseman who isn't seeing top power-play time. He'd need more opportunity with the man advantage to sustain this kind of production long term, but it's hard to see that happening as long as John Carlson is in the picture.

Nils Hoglander now has two goals in two games since being promoted to a line with Elias Pettersson. Hoglander has 16 goals in 51 games this season despite averaging just 11 minutes a night. His goals per 60 minutes is similar to top scorers like Auston Matthews and Kyle Connor (via NaturalStatTrick). Although it's unfair to compare him to those guys, it's fair to say there's more potential to unlock. This recent top-six promotion could be the start of Hoglander's ascension.

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With the Superbowl on Sunday, there wasn't much hockey for us to unpack. To fill the void, I thought I'd share some storylines from the new calendar year.

Ignoring Igor?

Jonathan Quick's numbers have been significantly better than Igor Shesterkin's this year. Since January 1^st, Shesterkin sports a 3.21 GAA and .868 SV% through 11 games. In contrast, Quick holds a 1.98 GAA and .925 SV%. It's not like Shesterkin has had to face tougher opponents either. Coming out of the All-Star Break, Quick was tasked with facing high-powered offenses in Colorado and Tampa Bay, while Shesterkin faced the lowly Blackhawks. This could be a viable strategy to help Shesterkin build confidence before the playoffs – allowing him to face weaker opponents until he rediscovers his game, so that he's back to his usual self in time for the playoffs.  

Riding Rittich                    

Speaking of unexpected goalie controversies, it's remarkable to see David Rittich on the rise after starting this season in the AHL. Rittich boasts a 2.10 GAA and .928 SV% through 10 games in 2024. In contrast, Cam Talbot, who had an excellent start to the campaign, owns a 4.27 GAA and .877 SV% in the calendar year. LA is a strong defensive team. Since they have one of the easiest schedules from here on out, Rittich could be worth rostering down the stretch.

BIG SPLITS DAVE pic.twitter.com/hPPdEFRz0k

— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 11, 2024

Deviled Goose Eggs

Surprisingly, the team with the worst power play so far in 2024 is New Jersey. Through 15 games, they sport a success rate of 7.5%. To play Devils' advocate, star forward Jack Hughes only featured in four of those 15 games. New Jersey's power play ranked second in the league between October and December, converting on 30.3% of their chances. This is a talented group that's thrived in the past, I think they'll be able to steer out of this rough patch now that Hughes is healthy.    

Trading Tyler for Timo

Okay, I know these observations are supposed to be from 2024, but when looking into the Devils' power play, I noticed a season-long trend that was worth mentioning.  Despite seeing 68% of New Jersey's total power-play time this season, Tyler Toffoli has just nine points with the man advantage through 49 games. In contrast, Timo Meier has seven points with the man advantage in 37 games, despite seeing a smaller 43% share of New Jersey's PP time. Given the team's power-play struggles, replacing Toffoli with Timo on the top unit seems like a fair course of action.

New York's New Lines

The Rangers provide another example of a once lethal power play that is now lethargic. After boasting a league-best 30.9% success rate from October to December, they've converted on just 14.9% of their chances since January began. To address these recent struggles, New York spread their stars across two units during Sunday's practice. Although I'm not sure how long these new combinations will last, I think these changes could boost Alexis Lafrenière's and Erik Gustafsson's fantasy value in the short term.

So, full units:

PP1- Fox, Wheeler, Brodzinski, Zibanejad and Kreider

PP2- Gustafsson, Panarin, Trocheck, Laf and Kakko

A more balanced approach, you might say… #NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) February 11, 2024

Not so Wily Coyotes

Team perception can be incredibly important in fantasy leagues. You might bench players facing good teams in order to start similar-caliber players against bad teams. It's easier for players to post strong numbers against weaker opponents. During the first half of the season, Arizona worked hard to change our perception of them, starting their rebrand into a good team. Unfortunately, that's started to unravel in 2024. After winning 19 of 35 games (54%) between October and December, the Coyotes have won four of 15 (27%) since the beginning of January. After posting a 2.49 GAA and .919 SV% during that period where wins were plentiful, Connor Ingram has a 3.24 GAA and .898 SV% during the team's current slump.  

Winn-ipeg, not Score-ipeg

Although the high-flying Jets have continued their winning ways in 2024, Winnipeg's offense has surprisingly evaporated. After averaging 3.34 goals per game between October and December, the Jets sit 29^th in the league with just 2.27 goals per game since the beginning of January. Fortunately, the team still ranks high in expected goals during this stretch. That suggests they've been doing the right things but may be suffering from a bit of bad luck. I don't anticipate this dry spell will last too much longer, but don't be surprised to see some line shuffling until it subsides.

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Streaming Options (Monday February 12^th – Sunday February 18^th)

Joonas Korpisalo – G – Ottawa Senators (54% Rostered in Yahoo Leagues)

Why would I willingly pick up one of this year's worst goaltenders? Simple. I'm a masochist. Seriously though, I don't blame you for hesitating to trust a goalie that sports a 3.37 GAA and .890 SV% through 34 games. However, I think he's worth considering this week because the Senators have a particularly weak schedule, up against the Blue Jackets, Ducks, and Blackhawks. That's three teams that rank near the bottom of the league in both expected goals and actual goals scored. Korpisalo has quietly won each of his last three starts. Hopefully he can ride that momentum through this week.

Alex Nedeljkovic – G – Pittsburgh Penguins (15% Rostered in Yahoo Leagues)

If you need a spot start this week, Nedeljkovic could be a good option. The Penguins play a back-to-back against the Panthers and Blackhawks. Although there's no guarantee, I imagine Tristan Jarry gets the tougher game against Florida, leaving Nedeljkovic to start against a Chicago team that's averaging a league-worst 1.31 goals per game in 2024.

Nick Schmaltz – C/RW – Arizona Coyotes (19% Rostered in Yahoo Leagues)

It should be easy to incorporate Coyotes into your roster this week as Arizona has a league-leading four games on light nights – when most teams aren't playing. Schmaltz is a prime target, seeing top-line minutes beside Clayton Keller and enjoying a prominent role on the power play.

Dylan Guenther – LW – Arizona Coyotes (2% Rostered in Yahoo Leagues)

If you're in a deeper league and want a piece of Arizona's favourable schedule this week, consider 20-year-old Dylan Guenther. Although he doesn't see as much even-strength action as Schmaltz, he's on Arizona's top power play and has six points in his last seven games.

Alexis Lafrenière – LW/RW – New York Rangers (32% Rostered in Yahoo Leagues)

Not only does the 22-year-old forward have four points in his last four games, but as I mentioned above, he's set for an increased power-play role with the Rangers expected to split time between two units. More power-play production would really help Lafrenière's overall output. He's especially valuable in leagues that track shots, racking up 54 through 17 games in 2024. That places him 20^th in shots on goal for the calendar year. New York is one of just four teams that play multiple games on light nights this week, so you should be able to start Lafrenière on Monday and Sunday without benching anyone else. If you need a defenseman instead, take a flyer on Erik Gustafsson, who's also set to see more power-play time.

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Thanks for reading! If you ever have any fantasy hockey questions, follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza and shoot me a message!