Mathew Barzal returned to the lineup after missing six weeks with an upper-body injury. There was certainly rust to shake off as some of his passes lacked the quality we've come to expect from him. Through roughly 21 minutes of action, Barzal posted two shots, two hits, four faceoff wins and was a minus-2.  He played beside Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, but I imagine we'll see some shuffling once Anthony Duclair and Bo Horvat – who missed Sunday's game with a lower-body injury – return to the lineup.

#Isles Injury Update: Bo Horvat is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 14, 2024

Duclair, who has missed eight weeks with a leg injury, didn't play on Sunday but is on the cusp of a return. There's a good chance we see him in the lineup on Tuesday against Carolina.

Brock Nelson tallied an assist for a third-straight game, but his overall production remains underwhelming compared to recent seasons. One of the primary reasons for that is New York's horrendous power play, which is currently clicking at a league-worst 12.2%. Nelson has just one power-play point after 32 games. That's 0.03 PPPs/game – well off the 0.23 per game he posted last year. Getting offensive talents like Barzal and Duclair back in the lineup should help Nelson and New York perform better with the man advantage going forward.  

Noah Dobson had a strong fantasy showing on Sunday as he registered a goal, block, three hits and eight shots. After a brutal start to the season, he's looked more like the high-scoring defenseman we saw last year, racking up 10 points in his last 11 games. Dobson should have an easier time putting up points with New York's top forwards returning to the lineup.  

Speaking of players bouncing back from rough starts, sophomore sensation Connor Bedard is looking like himself again. After tallying a goal and assist against the Isles, Bedard is up to 13 points in his last 13 games. He's scoring more power-play points per game compared to last year as Chicago surprisingly ranks 11^th in the league with a 23.8% PP success rate.

THREE POINTS FOR TEUVO KIND OF DAY pic.twitter.com/reQpLokFCF

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 15, 2024

Teuvo Teravainen had an excellent outing on Sunday with a goal and two assists, but that hasn't been a regular occurrence this season. His first year back in Chicago has been disappointing thus far as he's only registered a point in 10 of the 31 games he's played. Teravainen has been racking up power-play points but hasn't really found the right fit at even strength – a problem exacerbated by frequent line juggling this season. Let's see if he can find some chemistry and stability under new head coach Anders Sorensen.

Alex Vlasic had two assists against the Islanders, giving him nine points in his last 12 games. Six of those points have come on the power-play as Vlasic been quarterbacking the top unit while Seth Jones is sidelined with a foot injury. Vlasic, who is currently rostered in just 15% of Yahoo Leagues, is also putting up a solid number of shots and blocks right now. He's a strong short-term add until Jones returns to the lineup – which, based on original timetables, should be in a week or so.

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After dropping a 5-3 decision to the Leafs on Sunday, Buffalo's losing streak is now up to 10 games. During this run, they've allowed a league-high 3.80 goals per game and have scored just 2.30 goals a night. The power play has gone 2 for 26 (7.7%) during this stretch, ranking 31^st in the league. It's no coincidence that captain Rasmus Dahlin has missed six of these 10 losses as he's been dealing with back spasms. Unfortunately, there's no concrete timetable for his return as last we heard he was skating on his own but not ready for team practice.

After sitting out of Buffalo's last five games as a healthy scratch, Jack Quinn returned to the lineup with a vengeance, scoring two goals on five shots against Toronto.

JJ Peterka got the primary assist on both of Quinn's goals. If those two can reignite the chemistry they flaunted last year, better fortunes may be on the horizon for Buffalo. Peterka entered Sunday's game with just two points in his previous 12 appearances – a drastic decline after starting the year with 16 points in 16 games.

The Leafs had their own multi-goal scorer on Sunday as John Tavares notched a hat trick against Buffalo. The 34-year-old forward fell in most fantasy drafts due as many interpreted last year's 67-point pace as a sign of age-related decline setting in, but he's proving us wrong with a 77-point pace so far this season.

Toronto's third line had a particularly strong evening as Max Domi, Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson finished with two points each. Those three haven't put up enough offense to be relevant in most fantasy leagues this year, but if they continue to play the way they did on Sunday, that could change as the season progresses. Robertson, who is just 23 years old, still stands out as a player with untapped potential. He was clearly motivated on Sunday after sitting out of Toronto's previous four games a healthy scratch. Let's see if he can maintain this momentum and bounce back from a poor first quarter.

With Anthony Stolarz injured and Joseph Woll needing rest after playing the night before, Dennis Hildeby got the start against Buffalo. He came away with the win after stopping 24 of the 27 shots he faced. The 23-year-old netminder would benefit from some more development time in the AHL but will probably need to play backup for the Leafs until Stolarz returns. Speaking of which…

Stolarz was placed on Injured Reserve on Sunday, retroactive to December 12^th. Once placed on IR, a player is required to miss seven days of action, so Stolarz will have to sit out of Wednesday's game against Dallas and won't be eligible to play until Friday against Buffalo. Of course, whether he plays against the Sabres will depend on the status of his lower-body injury.

The Maple Leafs have placed G Anthony Stolarz on IR (lower body) retroactive to December 12.

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) December 15, 2024

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Sunday's clash between Columbus and Carolina was a quieter one from a fantasy perspective as the Hurricanes' third line scored two goals in a 4-1 win. Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook and William Carrier aren't rostered in most fantasy leagues so their contributions on Sunday were largely unappreciated.  

After failing to register a point against Columbus, Andrei Svechnikov has now been held off the scoresheet in seven of his last nine appearances. His uncharacteristically low 5on5 shooting percentage tells me he's fallen victim to a bit of bad luck thus far and that things are likely to improve as the season progresses. He looks like a solid buy low option to me.  

Kirill Marchenko tallied an assist on Sunday, adding another page to an excellent story. His breakout campaign continues as he's up to 29 points through 31 games – a 77-point pace.

In his first NHL game since February 2023, Dustin Tokarski came away with the win, stopping 27 of the 28 shots Columbus threw his way. Tokarski signed a two-way deal with Carolina a couple weeks ago and was called up after a strong five-game stint in the AHL. The 35-year-old netminder doesn't have great career numbers, but he's also never played behind a defense of Carolina's calibre. Pyotr Kochetkov is still the Hurricanes' starter, but after a strong debut, Tokarski probably won't need to wait long before he plays again.

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After falling to St. Louis on Sunday, the Rangers have now lost 10 of their last 13 games. When a team with such high expectations is struggling so mightily, you have to imagine change is on the horizon. Will GM Chris Drury be fired? Head coach Peter Laviolette? Perhaps a trade? Only time will tell, but things are looking bleak in Broadway right now.

Will Cuylle has been one of the few bright spots in New York this year. The 22-year-old forward scored his 11^th goal of the campaign on Sunday and is scoring at a 63-point pace this season. He's especially valuable in leagues that track hits, averaging four per game so far. Cuylle is currently scoring on 20% of his shots and will be hard pressed to maintain that rate all year, but extra ice time could offset some of that regression as the campaign continues.

The youngsters came to play against St. Louis as 22-year-old Brett Berard also scored on Sunday, supplementing his stat line with five shots and four hits. His effort level warrants more opportunity, and if he gets that opportunity, he'll be someone to watch in fantasy formats.  

Although the kids showed up on Sunday, New York's veteran forwards were absent.

Chris Kreider failed to find the scoresheet and now has just three points in his last 14 games.

Mika Zibanejad didn't register a point either and was limited to just 13 minutes of ice time. He had been showing signs of life lately, posting six points in six games before going pointless this weekend.

Vincent Trocheck, also held pointless Sunday, has nine points in his last 19 games.

The Rangers were without leading scorer Artemi Panarin on Sunday, which made the team's decision to scratch Kaapo Kakko a puzzling one. Sure, Kakko has struggled offensively with just two points in his last nine games, but with the team undermanned and Kakko not really struggling that much more than anyone else, this seemed like an unnecessarily harsh move.

UPDATE: Artemi Panarin (upper body, day-to-day) will not play tonight.

— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) December 15, 2024

This game featured two teams on very different trajectories. With the win, St. Louis improved to 6-2-2 under Jim Montgomery this season.

Robert Thomas stayed hot with a goal and assist on Sunday. He's been on fire in December, racking up 13 points over seven outings.

Jordan Kyrou also stayed hot, scoring for a fourth straight game.

Ewwww, Jordan Kyrou 🥵 pic.twitter.com/Bj1SxZNdYa

— NHL (@NHL) December 16, 2024

With a goal on Sunday, Pavel Buchnevich extends his point streak to nine games.

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Kirill Kaprizov's magical season continues. The 27-year-old forward scored two goals on Sunday and is now tied with Leon Draisaitl atop the league's goal scoring race. Kaprizov sits second in overall scoring as well, behind only Nathan MacKinnon.  

Mats Zuccarello registered an assist on both of Kaprizov's goals and is up to 17 points through 18 appearances this season. Zuccarello missed a month of action due to injury and has only been back for two games now. There's a chance that he fell to your league's waiver wire while injured, so take a peek as he's still available in nearly 40% of Yahoo formats. I understand concerns about age-related decline now that he's 37, but this is a player who scored at a 75-point pace just last season who sees plenty of exposure to one of the league's top talents in Dollar Bill Kirill.

22-year-old Jesper Wallstedt got his first start of the season as Filip Gustavsson is currently dealing with a minor injury. Wallstedt stopped 24 of the 27 shots he faced but came away with the loss in this close contest with Vegas. Based on what coach John Hynes said after the game, I wouldn't be surprised if Marc-Andre Fleury starts Minnesota's next game (Wednesday against Florida) since Gustavsson's status is up in the air right now.  

Filip Gustavsson was checked out during the game for his lower-body injury. Hynes still thinks it's minor. Asked if he could play Wednesday, "I don't wanna go that far. You gotta see some things over the next day or so, where he's at. And then we'll probably know more on Tuesday"

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 16, 2024

Victor Olofsson was back to his usual shenanigans on Sunday as he scored two goals against Minnesota, giving him four snipes in his last three games. After missing roughly six weeks with injury, it took Olofsson a few games to work his way back to the top power-play unit, but he's back there now and appears to be thriving. Olofsson was likely dropped during that long injury absence as he's currently rostered in just 4% of Yahoo Leagues. If your fantasy team need goals and power-play production, Olofsson might be just what the doctor ordered.

Victor Olofsson makes no mistake on the Golden Knights power play. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/WSGXGYFuVK

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 15, 2024

Shea Theodore registered a goal and assist on Sunday and now boasts multipoint outings in four of his last five games. With 26 points through 30 appearances, Theodore ranks fifth in scoring among defensemen.

With another two points on Sunday, Jack Eichel is scoring at a career-high 111-point pace this year. Let's hope he can stay healthy all season.  

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Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great week ahead :)