The Midseason Guide will be available in just over a month's time, on January 16! The plan is no different from previous seasons, where you'll receive second-half projections, insider tips, goaltending, peripheral stats, trade block, fantasy prospects, and plenty of analytics. It's all there for you again.  

📢The 17th annual DobberHockey Midseason Guide will be released Thursday, January 16. If you have a Gold or Platinum membership, or bought the Ultimate Fantasy Pack, this is already included for you.
Otherwise, you can pre-order here:https://t.co/ixbaFpbla8

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) December 13, 2024

The Dobber team will be working hard on this over the next month and even more so in the days leading up to it release. Reserve your copy so you have it ready in time to make that strong second-half push in your fantasy league.                

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The very imbalanced schedule means that we had only one game on Friday prior to Saturday's 15-game slate. That meant only one NHL team scored goals on Friday night. That team was the Ottawa Senators, who blanked the Hurricanes by a score of 3-0.

If Shane Pinto was your Friday streamer, congratulations. Pinto scored two of Ottawa's goals, breaking a 15-game point drought. Because of an injury, Pinto's last point before Friday dated all the way back to October 19, while his last goal happened during the first game of the season. Josh Norris's absence for a significant portion of last season elevated Pinto to a scoring line and to some success (27 PTS in 41 GP) after he served his half-season suspension. Norris has been healthy all season, which has pushed Pinto down the lineup.

Pinto's linemates this season also had some success on Friday, as Michael Amadio and Nick Cousins each chipped in two assists. No one on that line has scored enough to be considered fantasy-relevant in standard-sized leagues. Yet if Pinto can continue to find his scoring touch, that could help the other two.

Nick Jensen scored the Senators' other goal and added an assist with a plus-3. He has a fairly decent (at least for a defenseman) 13 points in 29 games, including five points in his last six games. I added him in one very deep league a short time ago and may be keeping him there for a while.

Linus Ullmark has struggled at times during his first season with the Senators. Yet with the shutout win, Ullmark has now allowed just three combined goals over his last four games, winning all four games. Going back further, Ullmark has six consecutive quality starts. Start him with confidence. If he can give the Senators the kind of goaltending they've been lacking the past few years, then maybe… just maybe… they'll make the playoffs this season.

In a losing cause, Pyotr Kochetkov allowed two goals on 21 shots, giving him back-to-back quality starts.

The Hurricanes, along with the Islanders, are the only two teams that are idle on Saturday.

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Late Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights signed winger Keegan Kolesar to a three-year extension worth $7.5 million (cap hit $2.5 million). Kolesar is currently on a 31-point pace, which would be the highest total of his career. He isn't a huge scorer and may never be, but he provides one-category value with hits. His 90 hits far and away leads the Golden Knights, while he has at least 200 hits in each of his past three seasons.

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If you're looking for players or goalies to stream this weekend, let's set you up for that. Every team is in action on either Saturday or Sunday, while several teams play on both Saturday and Sunday. Those teams that play both Saturday and Sunday are Buffalo, Columbus, Chicago, Minnesota, NY Rangers, St. Louis, Toronto, and Vegas.

Here are some players that are not only potential weekend streamers, but they could also be kept on your roster even longer. This isn’t a complete list by any means, and it may simply help you get started on the path to improving your team.

Dylan Holloway – I can't possibly bypass Holloway here, as he has been on a heater since Jim Montgomery took over as Blues head coach. Holloway's seven-game point streak came to an end on Thursday, but he managed to pile up 11 points over those seven games. Signing both Holloway and Philip Broberg has been a savvy move for the Blues.

Kent Johnson – This might be last call for Johnson, who is now one-third rostered in Yahoo leagues and continues to climb. Johnson has five points in his last three games, skates on the top power play, and is scoring at over a point per game for the season (17 PTS in 15 GP, including 9 G). What more could you want? This Blue Jackets team has been better than expected in the scoring department.

Damon Severson – The Blue Jackets defenseman isn't taking the league by storm, nor is he particularly dominant in any one category. But he could provide something for your team if you have a D slot to fill on both Saturday and Sunday. His 16 points in 29 games isn't too bad, putting him on a 45-point pace for the season.

Jared Spurgeon – Even though Spurgeon is without a point in his last three games, he is still on the Wild's top power play. Moreover, the Wild captain has averaged about 25 minutes per game over the last two games, giving him plenty of opportunity to add peripheral stats.

Victor Olofsson – Somebody recently asked me whether they should be keeping Olofsson. My initial gut reaction was don't bother, but then I noticed that he has four goals and six points in nine games. In addition, he has also been added to the top power play for the Golden Knights recently, and he is playing on a scoring line with Tomas Hertl. If guys like Holloway and Johnson are already spoken for in your league, Olofsson is a deeper reach that will probably be available (3% Yahoo).

Max Pacioretty – Maybe Pacioretty is gearing up for one last hurrah in fantasy leagues. On Thursday, Patches factored in all three of the Leafs' goals, scoring two of them and assisting on the other. In addition, he has been on a scoring line with John Tavares and William Nylander. Pacioretty is far from a long-term option given his injury history and declining results, but he could help give you that final push over the weekend.  

Confirmed goalies, via GoaliePost:

Samuel Ersson (PHI), Marc-Andre Fleury (MIN), Ville Husso (DET)

Ersson and Fleury are set to face each other in an early game. The Wild have been a bit of a surprising success story this season, while the 40-year-old Fleury has been hot recently with three wins and four quality starts in his last four games. If you need to save your goaltending this week, Flower is definitely worth a stream (17% Yahoo). Just note that this is an early game, so you'll need to set your roster by 2 pm ET/11 am PT. Ersson also happens to be rostered in 17% of Yahoo leagues if Fleury is also spoken for or you really think the Flyers will win.

Cam Talbot is unavailable for Saturday, as he re-aggravated a lower-body injury during Friday's practice. Husso is a risky bet even at home, as he has yet to earn a win in seven games and has as many really bad starts as quality starts (3 of each). The Leafs, with all their top-end firepower, are actually in the bottom half of the league averaging just under three goals per game. So if you're feeling lucky, Husso is available in nearly all Yahoo leagues. In a related note, Jack Campbell has been recalled from the AHL to be Husso's backup on Saturday.

Likely goalies, via GoaliePost:

Anton Forsberg (OTT) – second game of back-to-back

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