Of all the games I caught at least a part of on Saturday, the Pittsburgh/Tampa Bay game was easily the most enjoyable. Playoff implications, goal swings, and standout performances from some established stars. The Penguins finished with a 5-4 win, grabbing a playoff spot in the process. Considering where they were when they traded Jake Guentzel and even very recently, this is quite the feat. Or is it, considering how other teams around them seem to be stumbling right now?

Sidney Crosby has scored 40 goals for just the third time in his career – the others being 2009-10 (51) and 2016-17 (44). Crosby kind of gets forgotten about as an NHL superstar, but he's still very much a valuable player in fantasy leagues. He's no longer in that top tier that now includes Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov, but maybe he belongs in the next one or the one after that. At this rate, we might see Crosby play until he's 40. I'd have no problem with that. Underestimate him at your own peril.

Evgeni Malkin also had a day, scoring a pair of goals while adding an assist and taking five shots. He's stepping up at the right time for the Pens with three-point performances in two of his last three games. Malkin also has six goals over his last six games. In spite of staying healthy all season, he has fallen below the point-per-game mark this season. He's not someone I would bench right now.

Michael Bunting scored the game-winner for Pittsburgh, also adding two assists with three hits. Bunting is also hot with six points over his last three games and goals in back-to-back games. Up until then, he had provided middling results with his new team, but he's now up to 13 points in 16 games with the Penguins.

Bunting gives the Penguins the lead AGAIN! 🐧 pic.twitter.com/hpNLWzGqoH

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2024

Erik Karlsson also chipped in three assists, giving him five points over his last three games. He obviously won't reach 100 points again, and you shouldn't have expected that, but would you settle for 50 points? Probably not what you were hoping for, but he has at least remained healthy – a common theme among Pens veterans.

Steven Stamkos scored a pair of goals for the Lightning. He is lighting the lamp at the right time for fantasy teams, scoring two goals in back-to-back games, along with a five-game goal streak. Once the season finishes, the question turns to whether Stamkos will be back in Tampa Bay next season.

Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each chipped in three assists. Kucherov extended his lead in the scoring race to 136 points. Meanwhile, Hedman is having a bounce-back campaign scoring at a point-per-game pace (75 PTS in 74 GP).

Unfortunately, the game also saw a scary incident, where referee Steve Kozari collided with Haydn Fleury at center ice during the third period. After lying motionless for a few moments, Kozari was taken off the ice on a stretcher. After the game, the league reported that Kozari is expected to make a full recovery, which is good news.

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Meanwhile, things are not so rosy in Philly. After a 6-2 loss to Columbus, the Flyers have now lost seven games in a row and are now below the playoff bar. Maybe the Flyers are who we thought they were all along, in which case John Tortorella deserves credit for keeping them in the race this long. Yet this has to feel like another missed opportunity for the Flyers, who are squandering games against non-playoff or borderline playoff teams.

All six of the Blue Jackets' goals were scored by defensemen, which tied an NHL record. Adding what seemed like a million defensemen during the offseason finally paid off! All kidding aside, Zach Werenski and Damon Severson each scored a pair of goals, while Nick Blankenburg and Erik Gudbranson scored the other goals.

Werenski is on a late-season run with six points over his last four games. No Jackets player has a better point-per-game average than him (0.80 PTS/GP), which easily makes him the most valuable Columbus player in fantasy leagues.

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The Islanders maintained their spot as the third-place team in the Metropolitan Division with a 2-0 win over Nashville. Semyon Varlamov made 41 saves in earning a shutout. He's been reliable lately with three wins and five quality starts over his last five games. Combine that with Ilya Sorokin's quality starts over his last two games and the Isles are getting the job done in net for new head coach Patrick Roy. It's difficult to predict who will start on a game-by-game basis down the stretch, but you should be okay to start either Varlamov or Sorokin over these last few games of the regular season.

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Yes, we're already thinking about the real playoffs. So it's a good time to mention that Dobber's 2024 Interactive Playoff Draft List can now be purchased. You can make your own picks for series winners, or go with Dobber's picks if you're not sure. Purchase yours here.

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Tyler Seguin was held out on Saturday against Chicago because of a lower-body injury, but he is expected to return on Sunday against Colorado. Seguin was listed as "rest/coach's decision" on March 26, so this very much sounds like load management. Something to consider if you are rostering Seguin or thinking about adding him.

With Seguin out of the lineup, Mavrik Bourque was able to make his NHL debut on Saturday. He played just under 11 minutes on a line with Jamie Benn and Logan Stankoven, which likely means he won't make the kind of splash that Stankoven made when he was recalled in late February. Bourque has 72 points in 66 AHL games this season, so he seems ready for at least a cup of coffee at the NHL level. View his Dobber Prospects profile for more.

Stankoven, by the way, has cooled off after a strong start. Over the past 13 games he has just one goal and five points. I'm not sure I'd hang onto him in single-season leagues, but he's definitely a long-term keeper.

Petr Mrazek, reliable fantasy playoff goalie? Mrazek made 42 saves in Saturday's 3-2 win over Dallas. He now has four consecutive quality starts, with two of those wins. Only two, you say? It's the rebuilding Blackhawks, so don't expect the world. Mrazek has allowed two or fewer goals in each of those four games. He's had some stretches of good play this season, so you could start him down the stretch if you're feeling lucky.  

Connor Bedard broke his seven-game goal drought with a goal on Saturday. Bedard has points in three consecutive games along with at least four shots in each of those games. Despite missing 14 games with a broken jaw, Bedard is 15 points clear of everyone else in the rookie scoring race. A modest projection for him before the season was 60 points, which he's one point shy of in spite of the missed games. Let's not galaxy brain this: Bedard should be the Calder Trophy winner.

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The San Jose Sharks haven't been a goldmine of fantasy talent this season, but there is promise for the future. William Eklund demonstrated that with a hat trick against St. Louis, including the overtime winner. Eklund now has a four-game point streak with six points over that span, as well as 15 goals and 40 points in his first full NHL season. Eklund also has 16 power-play points, which isn't a bad total at all. The league-worst minus-42 doesn't look good for Eklund, but that's the team he plays for. Heck, Bedard is a minus-38 and no one seems concerned.

Recent NCAA free agent signing Collin Graf made his NHL debut for the Sharks. Graf played 13:36 while on a line with Eklund and Luke Kunin while also playing on the second power play. He's not someone I would add right away at this point, but there's definitely promise.

Devin Cooley picked up his first NHL win, stopping 34 of 36 shots he faced.

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Brady Tkachuk totalled 16 hits against the Devils, which is a single-game record since the league started tracking hits. Tkachuk is third in hits this season and has been a source of 200+ hits in each of his past five seasons, which is why he is so valuable in bangers leagues. But you already knew that.

The Senators are angry because a team disrespectfully put the puck in the empty net during a game in Ottawa? No way! pic.twitter.com/SiMJDTjXdz

— Michael (@mic_mazz) April 7, 2024

The hits weren’t the only reason that Tkachuk made headlines on Saturday. I understand etiquette matters in the game of hockey, but this seems like the pettiest kind of thing to lose your mind over as a player. Like, what are we doing? It's weird that Ottawa has been involved in both of these empty-net goal kerfuffles this season, with one on each side of the debate. So it's okay if Ridly Greig takes a slapshot into an empty net but not okay if Nico Hischier taps it in with no time left on the clock? Please.

Okay. Rant over.

Tim Stutzle missed Saturday's game with an upper-body injury. His status for today's (Sunday's) game is unknown.

Anton Forsberg was pulled after allowing three goals on nine shots. The Senators have now given their starter the hook in back-to-back games. Lucky that Jacques Martin is only the interim coach for the Senators, right? This is a season that I'm sure Senators fans want to throw into the trash can.

Senators have now allowed an NHL-worst 176 goals against under Jacques Martin.

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 6, 2024

With an assist, Luke Hughes now has a six-game point streak. The youngest Hughes brother is second in rookie scoring (44 PTS) and first in power-play points (23 PPP). Not a bad first season. Getting back to plus/minus, there are a disproportionate number of minus players among rookies, as Hughes is a minus-23.

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Auston Matthews is the eighth player to hit the 100-point mark this season, which he reached with his 64^th goal of the season. This is the second time that Matthews has reached 100 points in a season, as he also did so two seasons ago. Matthews will need to score a goal per game in order to get to 70 goals for the first time in his career.

With a goal on Saturday, Nick Suzuki has eight goals and 13 points in his last 11 games. Linemate Cole Caufield has goals in three consecutive games. Caufield has taken seven shots in back-to-back games, while Suzuki has taken six shots in two of his past three games.

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Trevor Moore had never scored 20 goals in a season prior to this season, but he is now up to 30 goals. His shot total has increased, as have his shots per game and his icetime. Moore leads the Kings in goals, and he is only one shot behind Adrian Kempe for the team lead in shots (235 SOG). He's getting almost all of this done at even strength, as only two of his goals have been with the man advantage. Moore does not normally play on the Kings' top power play.  

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According to Elliotte Friedman, Mikko Rantanen travelled home with the Avalanche after Friday's game against Edmonton. It is believed that his injury is not as bad as it could have been, although nothing was mentioned specifically about his status for today's (Sunday's) late game against Dallas. Look for a possible update during Sunday's morning skate.

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A surprise Sunday stream for you, if you didn't catch the news late Saturday… The Wild have recalled Jesper Wallstedt and are expected to start him on Sunday against Chicago. Don't let the fact that Wallstedt allowed seven goals in his one and only NHL start fool you. He's a highly-touted first-round pick who has posted solid numbers (2.65 GAA, .912 SV%) in the AHL. This shouldn't be surprising, but the Blackhawks have the lowest goals-per-game average (2.22 GF/GP) in the league. If you need a goalie to save your season, you know what to do.

The Wild are all but eliminated from the playoffs and Marc-Andre Fleury may retire after the season, so Wallstedt might be a full-time NHL goalie next season. Keep in mind that he is only 21, so don't be surprised if he's back in the AHL next season. The Wild have to be careful not to rush him.

Also, the Wallstedt news seems like a blow to those hoping Filip Gustavsson would start that juicy matchup against the Blackhawks. Expect the unexpected at this time of year. If that news threw you off and you can't do anything about it because you can only add players for the next day, bug your commissioner to switch to same-day adds. Trust me, they'll make your life easier. You'll have to alter your strategy a bit, but it allows for more possibilities.  

For more goalie starts, get yourself over to GoaliePost.  

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If Sunday is a do-or-die day for you, best of luck in your matchup. I'm currently in two head-to-head semifinal matchups. I have a sizable lead in one of them and am about 99% sure I'll advance to the league final (nothing is ever 100%, which the original founder of GoaliePost used to say). The other one will come down to what happens today because the majority of categories could still swing from one team to the other.

You might be staying up late to watch the Dallas/Colorado game starting at 10 pm ET, and not just because two strong teams are playing. That's just how it is in fantasy leagues.

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