Nikita Kucherov became the first player to break the 100-point mark this year, a title held by Connor McDavid for the past three seasons. Kucherov registered a point on all four of Tampa's goals, bringing him to 102 points through 59 games. One of the things fuelling Kucherov's career season is an increased willingness to shoot the puck. After averaging 3.3 shots per game last season, he's now near the top of the league with 4.1 per game.

Kucherov draws EVERY defenseman then slips the puck over to Hedman 👀 pic.twitter.com/a6QrTs6j8V

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 25, 2024

Brandon Hagel tallied a goal and two assists on Sunday, extending his point streak to 13 games. He has 20 points and ranks seventh in league scoring during this stretch.

Tyler Toffoli scored New Jersey's lone goal of the game, which came on the power play. After a dry spell that saw them post two power-play goals over 14 games (38 opportunities), the Devils now have four power-play goals in their last eight contests (30 opportunities). You'll notice that they've seen more power-play chances per game during this recent stretch, so percentagewise, their success rate has only increased from 5.3% to 13.3% between these two periods. That improvement may seem small, but confidence should start to build now that the puck's finally going in more. Prior to that 14-game cold streak, they led the league with a 30.6% success rate over 36 games. The sample of them being good on the power-play overwhelms the sample of them struggling, so I'm inclined to believe they'll return to form down the stretch. It's worth noting that Jack Hughes was out injured for much of the aforementioned drought, so things may be improving now that he's settled in again.

After Nico Daws started seven-straight games, Akira Schmid got the call for New Jersey. Sunday proved to be a microcosm of Schmid's mediocre season as he surrendered three goals and posted a .889 save percentage. The 23-year-old netminder still has time to develop, but his inability to build on a strong 22-23 campaign might force the Devils to outsource a more immediate solution. Although Daws posted four quality starts in the front end of this recent stint as New Jersey's number one, he struggled in his past three outings, magnifying the team's need to explore the market. Vitek Vanecek, who's seen the most action out of New Jersey's netminders, hasn't been particularly good either, holding a 3.18 GAA and .890 save percentage through 32 games. Three goaltenders, all with save percentages below .900. Better goaltending would probably have this team in a playoff spot right now. Instead, they're on the outside looking in. Don't be surprised to see them make a trade for one of the bigger names on the goalie market, like Jacob Markstrom or Elvis Merzlikins.  

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During Sunday's battle of Pennsylvania, animosity was mandatory, but goaltending was optional. The Penguins beat the Flyers by a score of 7 to 6, led by four points from Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh's captain steered his linemates to productive nights as well, with Rickard Rakell tallying two points and Bryan Rust posting three. Unfortunately, Rust left the game with an upper-body injury, so his status for Tuesday's clash with the Canucks is currently up in the air.

Coach Sullivan on Bryan Rust: "Right now, he's being evaluated for an upper-body injury. We'll see after his evaluation if he travels or not."

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) February 25, 2024

Two of Pittsburgh's goals on Sunday came on the power play. After posting an abysmal 9.5% success rate with the man advantage in their first 26 games, the Penguins are at a much more respectable 18.2% in their last 29. They're 4 for 15 on the power-play since Jake Guentzel went down with an injury.

Travis Sanheim scored two goals on Sunday, giving him seven points in his last seven games. That stands in stark contrast to the two points he had in the 17 games before this hot streak.  

Scott Laughton posted three points, extending his point streak to seven games. He's been a multicategory beast, supplementing this offense with a solid number of hits, blocks, shots, and faceoff wins. Although his name has come up in trade rumours, it would hurt to subtract such a versatile player from a team that currently occupies a playoff spot.

Sunday marked the first three-point game of Tyson Foerster's young career. After starting this season with four points in his first 20 games, he now has 21 in his last 34 – which translates to 50 points over 82 games. Not bad for a 22-year-old rookie!

Owen Tippett registered just one shot on goal against the Penguins. This is only the second time in his last 18 games that he's finished a game with fewer than three shots. He ranks 10^th in the league with 3.85 shots per game this season.

Jamie Drysdale left the game with what looked like a shoulder injury. It's especially concerning because he seemed to hurt the same shoulder that was surgically repaired in October of 2022. Drysdale has just four points in 17 games since he was traded to Philadelphia, but the primary concern here is obviously the young man's long-term health.

Just awful for Jamie Drysdale. Same shoulder that was injured in 2022-23 and kept him out for essentially the entire season. Hoping the best for him. https://t.co/AWxXPW5krI

— Derek Lee (@Derek_Lee27) February 25, 2024

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We'll pause my mediocre script to enjoy a great one that came to life on Sunday. Playing his first game in Chicago as a visitor, Patrick Kane tallied two points, including the overtime winner. He's currently riding an eight-game point streak, which began immediately following a seven-game injury absence. Despite a delayed start to the season due to a major hip resurfacing procedure, Kane boasts 28 points through 27 games. He ranks in the top-30 for points per game (1.04) and in the top-40 for shots per game (3.11). Given his age and health concerns, he wasn't on most radars heading into the campaign. However, he's demanding our attention now, just like he has for the past 17 years.

BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DID! 🤩

In his return to Chicago, Patrick Kane (@88PKane) nets the @Energizer overtime winner! pic.twitter.com/0sazlTuJp5

— NHL (@NHL) February 26, 2024

Like his partner in crime, Alex DeBrincat also had a two-point night against the team that drafted him. DeBrincat had a rough start to 2024, posting just five points in his first 13 games of the year. He's rebounded nicely with nine in his last eight.

Nick Foligno's goal against Detroit gives him nine points in his last nine outings. The 36-year-old forward may not be the best short-term add as Chicago only plays two games this week but keep him in mind the following week when the Blackhawks have a more favourable schedule.

Speaking of underrated fantasy assets, make sure to consider Daniel Sprong if you ever need a Red Wing from the waiver wire. His goal on Sunday gives him 16 through 58 appearances this year. He's scoring at a 52-point pace despite averaging just 12:39 of action a night. Considering his limited ice time, it's also remarkable to see him averaging 2.5 shots per game.

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Although he was handed his first loss since joining the Hurricanes, Spencer Martin had a strong showing on Sunday, stopping 30 of the 32 shots he faced. Martin boasts a 1.96 GAA and .925 SV% through four games with the Hurricanes and remains a strong option for spot starts thanks to the team's strong defense.

Another day in 2024, another excellent performance from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He stopped 30 of the 32 shots he faced en route to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Hurricanes. Through 16 games in 2024, UPL boasts a 1.76 GAA and a .936 SV%, leading the league in both metrics. The 24-year-old finally seems to be reaching the potential that got him drafted 54^th overall in 2017. UPL? More like UPS, the way he's been delivering. Although things have been great lately, Buffalo has one of the most difficult schedules from here on out. You may be wise to trade UPL in one-year formats, in order to capitalize on his current value before things get more difficult for him.

Martin Necas factored in on both of Carolina's goals on Sunday. His overall production may not seem all that impressive, but he leads the team with 16 points in 15 games since returning from a two-week injury absence in early January. He's averaging 3.87 shots per game during this stretch, which ranks 12^th in the league.

Martin Necas with the nifty mitts 🧤 pic.twitter.com/D4BLx8YVcv

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 20, 2024

Dylan Cozens tallied an assist on Sunday, giving him a team-leading 13 points in his last 13 games. Five of those points came with the man advantage as Cozens is finally capitalizing on power-play opportunity that's fluctuated throughout the season. Given his struggles earlier in the year, it's possible he's still sitting on your league's waiver wire.

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Elvis Merzlikins had an excellent game against the Rangers, surrendering just two goals despite facing 40 shots. I knew such performances were rare for Merzlikins this season, but I didn't realize how rare. This was just the 10^th time this season that he's allowed two goals or fewer. For reference, there have been 12 games where he's allowed four or more. It's sad to see where he's at right now given how promising things looked early in his career. Frequently mentioned in recent trade rumours, I think a fresh start could help Merzlikins return to form.

Jack Roslovic picked up two points on Sunday, leaving him with seven in his last six. He's been enjoying an expanded role on Columbus' top line lately, lining up beside Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau.  He's averaging over 19 minutes of action and nearly four shots per game during this hot streak. For reference, in the two months prior to this hot streak (November 11^th – February 11^th), Roslovic had just two points in 16 games, averaging 14:36 a night and posting 1.06 shots per game. Given that he's a free agent after this season, teams may be interested in him as a rental for their playoff run. His recent role is likely a product of Columbus showcasing him to potential suitors, and he's probably more motivated to perform well so he can leave for a better team.     

Tape-to-tape pass, wrist shot into the net.

Jack Roslovic rockets a wrist shot into the net on a pass from Johnny Gaudreau to give the @BlueJacketsNHL a 3-2 lead over the Rangers in the second period.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/Ql0ndZN6Db

— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) February 26, 2024

You'd think the Blue Jackets were a basketball team the way they were putting up two-pointers on Sunday. In addition to Roslovic, Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko and Johnny Gaudreau also had two-point nights. While Gaudreau was widely criticized for his early struggles this season, I don't think he's received proportionate praise for the way he's turned his game around. He has 35 points in his last 38 games, which translates to 75 over 82.

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After missing Arizona's last four games due to an injury, Connor Ingram returned to the lineup on Sunday. It wasn't his best performance as he surrendered four goals on 32 shots, but I wouldn't put too much stock into this first game back.

Winnipeg's top skaters came to play on Sunday as Mark Scheifele racked up four points, Josh Morrissey tallied three, while Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor each had two. Connor missed about a month of action due to a knee injury suffered on December 10^th. It took some time for him to settle in as he tallied just two points in his first nine games back. Fortunately, it seems he's back to himself as he has 10 points in his last five appearances. The team had been struggling offensively in 2024, but most of the Jets have started to take off over these past few games.

KYLE CONNOR WINS IT! 🛩️

That's back-to-back @Energizer overtime winners for @KyleConnor and the @NHLJets! pic.twitter.com/xaKkcSMpvy

— NHL (@NHL) February 26, 2024

Sean Monahan missed Sunday's game with an illness. Players don't usually miss too much time when they're sick, so I imagine he'll be available for Tuesday's battle with the Blues. In the unlikely event Monahan misses that game too, expect Vladislav Namestnikov to take his place as second-line center again.

Clayton Keller left Sunday's game with an upper-body injury. There weren't any updates on his status after the game, but his absence would obviously be a big blow to the Coyotes. Keller leads the team with 52 points in 57 games (0.91p/g). Second-place Matias Macelli is far behind with 0.67 points per game.

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With an assist on Sunday, Tommy Novak now has 10 points in his last 10 games. He isn't a household name yet, so I'll remind you that he led Nashville with 32 points in the team's final 30 games last year. Currently rostered in just 3% of Yahoo Leagues, Novak's days of flying under the radar may be numbered if he stays hot down the stretch again.

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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!