Alex Ovechkin demonstrated amazing healing power by returning to the Capitals' lineup just 40 days after breaking his leg. Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal while taking three shots and three hits in the Caps' 5-2 win over Toronto. He only needs 26 more goals to pass Wayne Gretzky, which seems inevitable at this point. Ovie has scored 16 goals in just 19 games and six goals in his past three games, so he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. However, a 24.2 SH% along with other advanced stats are significantly higher than normal, although it wouldn't surprise me if Ovechkin defies regression anyway. The safer bet would be to assume that he breaks the goal record early next season.

With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Jakob Chychrun has now reached 10 goals for the fourth time in his career. Since the 2019-20 season, only Cale Makar and Roman Josi have more goals among defensemen than Chychrun (70 G).

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Rookie goalie Jakub Dobes couldn't have asked for a better NHL debut. Called up from the AHL by the Canadiens on Friday, Dobes stopped all 34 shots he faced in a 4-0 shutout win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Dobes has impressed for the AHL Laval Rocket this season, posting a 9-3-1 record with a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV%. Dobes should stay with the Habs at least in the short term as the backup to Sam Montembeault.

In a related move, the Canadiens have placed Cayden Primeau on waivers "for the purpose of a loan to the Laval Rocket." He will need to clear waivers in order for that to happen, which isn't certain. At one time Primeau was a decent goaltending prospect, but seven out of his 11 games this season have been classified as really bad starts. In fact, his minus-15.30 GSAA (goals saved above average) is the worst in the NHL. It seems like the Habs have rushed his development a bit hoping he would be their goalie of the future. At this point, he may benefit from a fresh start with another organization.

In Montreal's win, Kirby Dach scored a pair of goals, with Alex Newhook assisting on both of them. Dach's goals were his first in seven games, and he entered this game with just one point in his last 16 games. His last assist was on November 16. Newhook hasn't been any better, as he entered this game with no points in his previous seven games and just two points in his previous 21 games. The Habs need better scoring beyond Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Some Panthers scorers are starting to dry up. Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, and Evan Rodrigues have each not registered a point in their last four games. Gustav Forsling is without a point in five games.

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After a slow start, Quinton Byfield has been heating up since mid-December. With two goals and an assist (including the game-winner in overtime), Byfield now has five goals and two assists over his last six games. Byfield also contributed to other categories on Saturday, including five shots, two hits, and a plus-3. After being drafted in 90 percent of Yahoo leagues, Byfield is now rostered in just 29 percent of leagues. That number will trend upward again. For more on Byfield and his transition to the NHL, see this week's The Journey.  

Byfield was on a line with Warren Foegele and Tanner Jeannot, who were dominant against the Oilers on Saturday (71.4 SF%/62.5 CF%). Foegele finished with two goals and an assist against his former team, while Jeannot scored a goal and added six hits. Foegele himself has been hot recently with eight points over his last six games.

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Jake DeBrusk's 16 goals since November 2 is only one goal shy of the NHL lead (DeBrusk is also tied with four other players). Prior to that, DeBrusk had not scored a goal for his new team in his first nine games.

With a pair of goals on Saturday, Brock Boeser now has five goals in last three games. He will be counted on to pick up the slack with Elias Pettersson out of the lineup. Boeser will be highly motivated to do so in what is a contract year for him.

As expected, Erik Brannstrom is on the Canucks' top power play with Quinn Hughes out. He didn't register a point on Saturday but took three shots. At this point he should only be considered a deep league speculative add.

Matty Beniers was projected to be the first-line center of the Kraken entering the season, but he just scored his first goal in 20 games on Saturday and just five goals all season. Beniers has just hit the 200-game mark, but it doesn't seem like taking the next step is imminent. The endless supply of middle-six forwards on the Kraken roster seem to be dragging his value down. However, that could change eventually if players like Shane Wright and Berkly Catton emerge.

Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn each scored a pair of goals for Seattle, with Dunn also adding an assist. Both players entered this game with just a single point in their last five games. Schwartz also took a team-high seven shots.

The Canucks had a 4-1 lead with five minutes left in the third period. Then the Kraken scored three times to tie it, then won in overtime. The Canucks are extremely thin on defense without Hughes and Filip Hronek, and it showed late in this game and in overtime. Here's what I mean.

The Tyler Myers experience 😭 pic.twitter.com/1B2PXAqYg6

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 28, 2024

The defensive issues may also prevent Thatcher Demko from reaching his upside. Currently Demko has more really bad starts (3) than quality starts (2), although the Canucks face non-playoff teams in their next four games.

Fortunately for the Canucks, the injuries to Pettersson and Hughes are not believed to be long-term, according to Elliotte Friedman.

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Although the Flyers won 3-1 over Anaheim, Matvei Michkov was scratched in third period and played just nine minutes in this game. Michkov has now been held without a point in his last seven games, and he is also a combined minus-11 over his last six games. The latter number is probably irking John Tortorella more. The Flyers play again today (Sunday) against Los Angeles, and it wouldn't surprise me if Tortorella healthy scratches Michkov for this game. If it provides Michkov with a mental reset, it might be a good thing, although we all know Torts isn't the best coach for maximizing a player's fantasy value.

Noah Cates now has goals in five consecutive games. He's in Tortorella's good books right now, having logged a season-high 19:42 in this game. As well, Cates has barely received a sniff of power-play time this season, but he played 50 percent of the Flyers' available minutes on Saturday. He doesn't have the track record to prove that he can keep this up, but he's a possible Sunday deep league streamer if you believe in riding the hot hand.

In Cutter Gauthier's first game against Philadelphia since being traded from the Flyers last season, he was held without a point.

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While Michkov has been struggling recently, Macklin Celebrini has been thriving. Celebrini scored a goal in Saturday's late game, giving him 12 points over his last nine games. Celebrini is now tied for the scoring lead with Michkov (27 points) in spite of playing seven fewer games. Celebrini is also scoring at exactly a point-per-game pace (27 points in 27 games). He's doing all of this as an 18-year-old. Impressive. It looks like the Sharks have already locked up their franchise player in their rebuild.

With two goals in the Flames' 3-1 win, Jonathan Huberdeau now has four goals in his last three games and seven goals in his past eight games. He is now on pace for over 60 points. That's still not nearly where he used to be, but it's an improvement from his previous two seasons in Calgary.

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Chris Kreider returned to the Rangers lineup after being a healthy scratch in the game before Christmas. His Saturday statline was high on effort but low on results: 0 PTS, -3, 6 SOG. The "low on results" part certainly applied to the Rangers, who lost 6-2 to Tampa Bay.

Igor Shesterkin was pulled in the second period of that game after allowing five goals on 13 shots. With the Rangers falling all the way to last (!) in the Metropolitan Division, Shesterkin has been saddled with a 3-10-0 record since November 21. I'm not sure I would outright bench Shesterkin at this point, but you could probably make him the odd man out if you have three goalies and can only start two. Also, if the matchup doesn't look favorable for the Rangers, although the list of teams that qualify as tough matchups for the Blueshirts is growing as they slide further down the standings.

Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov each finished with a goal and two assists. Both Lightning stars have been on fire recently – Point with 21 points in his last 10 games, and Kucherov with 24 points in his last 12 games.

Jake Guentzel left this game late in the third period, although Jon Cooper stated after the game it was for precautionary reasons. The Bolts play again today (Sunday), so that's something to keep an eye on.

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The Bruins rebounded from a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Friday night with a 4-0 win over those same Blue Jackets. Jeremy Swayman stopped all 18 shots he faced in picking up his second shutout of the season.

Morgan Geekie led the Bruins with a goal and an assist, giving him four points over his last four games. His value has been boosted a bit by playing on a line with David Pastrnak, although the Bruins' scoring this season hasn't delivered as expected.

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It seems like at least once or twice a year, Jack Roslovic is at the top of the list of hot waiver-wire adds. Now might be one of those times. Roslovic scored two power-play goals and an assist on Sunday, giving him six points over his last three games. He is also playing on what seems like the Hurricanes' top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. Roslovic also has 16 goals, which is just six goals shy of his career high. His advanced stats (21.9 SH%, 62.5 Sec Asst %) show regression for both goals and assists, but that could be offset by his current placement on the top line.

Martin Necas was held without a point for the sixth consecutive game on Saturday. He is also without a goal in 10 consecutive games. Being at the top of the scoring race earlier this season seemed a little good to be true for Necas. I tried to sell high in one league, but it didn't work. I won't say I'm left holding the bag, though. Despite the recent downturn, Necas is still on pace for 100 points, well above his career high of 71 points.  

The Hurricanes/Devils game was a spirited one between two Metro Division rivals. Timo Meier was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct for kneeing Necas. Fortunately, Necas was able to return to the game and does not seem injured.

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In the Jets' 4-2 win over Ottawa, Nikolaj Ehlers scored a goal and added two assists with six shots. Ehlers now has seven points in his last six games. In a contract year, Ehlers is now on pace for over a point per game for the first time in his career.

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Anders Lee and Casey Cizikas each scored a pair of goals in the Islanders' 6-3 win over Pittsburgh. With 29 points in 36 games, Lee is on his highest point pace of his entire career. Not what we expected coming into the season for the Islanders' captain. Guess what? His current pace of 66 points doesn't look unsustainable. Lee is averaging nearly three shots per game, something he hasn't done since 2020-21. Lee has to be considered one of fantasy hockey's comeback players after he appeared to be on the downside of his career last season (37 PTS in 81 GP).

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The Predators and Avalanche made a minor trade on Saturday. Nashville sent forward Juuso Parssinen and a 7th round pick in the 2026 draft to Colorado in exchange for forward Ondrej Pavel and a 3rd round pick in the 2027 draft. Parssinen has played just 15 games this season, registering five points. He has been a frequent healthy scratch recently. The Avalanche bottom six of forwards is rather thin, so he might be able to help with secondary scoring.

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