After being called up from the AHL recently, Matt Murray made his season debut on Friday, stopping 24 of 27 shots in the Leafs' 6-3 win in Buffalo. Murray last played in an NHL game in April 2023, missing time due to bilateral hip surgery and then starting this season in the AHL. Regardless of the fantasy implications, this is a nice story of perseverance. Anthony Stolarz is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks, so two-time Stanley Cup winner Murray has an opportunity for more work as Joseph Woll's backup. Murray has a 1.85 GAA and .931 SV% in eight AHL games with the Marlies, so don't be surprised if he makes a case to stick around – if he can stay healthy.

In the Leafs' win, William Nylander led the way with a goal and two assists. Nylander has four goals and four assists over his last five games.

Nick Robertson started the season with only two points (both goals) in his first 23 games. Things have completely turned around since then, as Robertson scored a goal and an assist for the third consecutive game. Although he's not skating with any of the Leafs' core four, Robertson has found his footing on a line with Max Domi and Bobby McMann. Domi also has goals in three consecutive games and two assists over that span, while McMann also has five points over his last three games. The Leafs' third line has been getting the job done recently, which makes Robertson a potential deeper league pickup.

Woe is Buffalo, who are now winless in 12 games (0-9-3). Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 13 shots. Luukkonen last won a game nearly a month ago (November 22) and he has just one quality start in his last five games. His numbers have taken a step back this season with a goals-against average above 3.00 and a save percentage below .900. Although UPL has proven to be a talented goalie, you might be best to bench him until the Sabres sort things out. They may never really "sort things out" as far as ending their playoff drought anytime soon, so what I mean is to keep UPL benched until they find a way to win a game or two.

With the Sabres struggling mightily, the trade winds have been blowing around Buffalo. One player that makes sense for teams to call about is Alex Tuch, who brings both size and speed to the table. Tuch might even be a bit of a buy low, as he has been held to just a single point over his last seven games. Surprisingly, Tuch is still tied for the Sabres' team lead in scoring with 25 points in 33 games.

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Another nice story is that of Patrik Laine, who has been giving the Habs hope since returning from a preseason knee injury. With another goal on Friday, Laine now has seven goals in eight games in the bleu, blanc, et rouge of Montreal. Laine is averaging over three shots per game, which is just over his normal rate when he was scoring goals at will with Winnipeg. His 25.9 SH% makes him seem like he's due for regression, but his 5-on-5 SH% of 4.5% and PDO of 942 also suggest he could continue to score at a reasonable pace. To me, staying healthy is the main concern for Laine, who has not played 60 games in a season since before COVID.

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Like the Sabres, the Rangers have imploded recently. But unlike the Sabres, the Rangers won on Friday, taking a 3-1 win in Dallas. Igor Shesterkin won just his third game since November 19, although all three wins have come in December. Shesterkin really earned this win, making 41 saves for the Rangers. Even though the Rangers have hit the skids, Shesterkin is fourth in the league with 16 quality starts, so continue to start him as you normally would.

Artemi Panarin returned to the Rangers' lineup on Friday, assisting on Vincent Trocheck's goal. Trocheck finished with a goal, an assist, a plus-3, five shots, five hits, and two blocks. That filled a lot of boxes in multicategory leagues.

Matt Rempe has now been ejected for the fourth time in 22 career games, as he should have been for this hit. Fortunately, Miro Heiskanen did not need to leave this game. Rempe should be good for penalty minutes and hits whenever he's in the lineup, but his hockey skills need more work before he is considered anything more than an old-school goon.  

In his return to the Rangers lineup, Matt Rempe received a five minute major for elbowing and game misconduct on this hit on Miro Heiskanen pic.twitter.com/4pbVg3fjbi

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 21, 2024

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This was a cool save from Charlie Lindgren.

CHARLIE LINDGREN MAKES A WINDMILL SAVE 😱

📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/R0rM5xv9DZ

— NHL (@NHL) December 21, 2024

This save was one of 24 he made in a 3-1 win over Carolina on Friday. Lindgren has now won five of his last six games while alternating starts with Logan Thompson. The goalie rotation has been the plan for the Capitals all season, and it seems to be working.

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Utah has won six of its past seven games, losing the other game in a shootout. Over those seven games, Dylan Guenther has picked up 11 points, including two goals on Friday. Guenther also has goals in four consecutive games, with six goals and an average of four shots per game over that span. In his first full NHL season, Guenther leads the Hockey Club with 32 points in 32 games. At just 21 years of age, Guenther has an extremely bright future ahead.

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In the Avalanche's 4-2 win over the Ducks, Nathan MacKinnon led the way with a goal and two assists. That gives Nate Dogg 14 points over his last six games. He also sits atop the scoring race with 55 points.

With two assists, Mikko Rantanen now has 15 points over his last eight games, registering at least one point in each of those eight games.

Valeri Nichushkin has scored a goal in three consecutive games. Since his return, Nichushkin has 10 goals in 18 games, so he's been worth the wait.

Scott Wedgewood made 29 saves for the Avalanche in picking up the win. Since being traded to Colorado, Wedgewood has a 1.93 GAA and .932 SV% in six games. He's now one of the better goalie streams out there, as I can attest to in one league.

With an assist, Jacob Trouba registered his first point as a Duck in his sixth game.

Jackson LaCombe's three-game scoring streak was snapped on Friday, although he was back on the top power play again. LaCombe is certainly worth adding while he is on PP1 (10% Yahoo/36% Fantrax), although he is probably on a short leash with the likes of Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov also with experience in that spot.

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Let's take a look at some potential weekend waiver-wire pickups.

Teams that play both Saturday and Sunday: Edmonton, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Seattle

Oliver Bjorkstrand – Take your pick with the Kraken, who are one of the best teams to stream. Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen, Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson, Jaden Schwartz, and even recently acquired Kaapo Kakko are all options here… the list goes on. I'll go with Bjorkstrand here, who has the highest value among available Kraken in one of my leagues. Bjorkstrand is tied for the team lead with 11 goals with Jared McCann, while only McCann has more points than Bjorkstrand.

Alex Turcotte – Recently elevated to the Kings' top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, Turcotte has four points over his last three games. The former fifth overall pick's upside has fallen since draft day, but he appears to be in the NHL to stay. At age 23, Turcotte still has plenty of time to become a productive NHLer.

Jordan Spence – I would have thought Spence would benefit from Drew Doughty's extended injury absence, but Spence went through a stretch of 16 games without a point. Since then, Spence has six points in his last eight games and four points in his last four games. Spence has scored at the AHL level but has yet to show consistency in the NHL.

Calvin Pickard – The Oilers playing the first game of back-to-backs at home against the Sharks. On paper, this should be an easy matchup for Pickard, who has gotten the job done when called upon. The veteran Pickard has four wins and four quality starts over his last five games, making him one of the best goalies to stream right now.

Jesper Wallstedt – With Filip Gustavsson nursing a lower-body injury, top goaltending prospect Wallstedt gets the start on the road in Winnipeg. This is a tougher matchup than what Pickard faces, so I would add Pickard before I would add Wallstedt. Not only that, but the Wild are also playing their second game of back-to-backs.

For more starting goalie information, head over to GoaliePost.

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