The Avalanche could not promptly put the unexpected departure of Mikko Rantanen behind them in an early game on Saturday, losing 3-1 in Boston. Martin Necas's Avalanche debut did not go as hoped results-wise, as he was held off the scoresheet while being tagged with a minus-3.

The good news for those with Necas on their team is that he was placed on Nathan MacKinnon's line along with Jonathan Drouin, and that line dominated while they were on the ice with 77.8 SF% (shots for) and 79.1 CF% (shot attempts for) – a sign of big things to come. As well, the entire line logged big minutes: Necas 25:08, Drouin 24:22, and MacKinnon 23:48. That's a big jump for Necas in icetime, as he was averaging 18 minutes per game with the Hurricanes.

MacKinnon, by the way, finished with eight shots in spite of being held off the scoresheet.

Fellow acquisition Jack Drury centered the third line with Ross Colton and Logan O'Connor. Drury did not pick up a point either.

Fantasy Take: Rantanen and Necas Traded in 3 Way Deal

With two of the Bruins' three goals in this game, Morgan Geekie now has goals in three consecutive games. Geekie has been on David Pastrnak's line for much of the season and has recently been taking advantage of the opportunity. Over his last 27 games, Geekie has 13 goals and 21 points. The Bruins as a team are a shadow of what they once were offensively, but Geekie is at least a streamer if you are looking for a Boston player to fit the schedule (8% Yahoo/25% Fantrax). He's on pace for a career-high 46 points.  

Pastrnak scored an empty-net goal and assisted on both of Geekie's goals on Saturday. That gives him 11 goals in January and a spot at the top of the Frozen Tools Hot List with 17 points over his last seven games. Any decline in offense for the Bruins hasn't affected him recently.

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Meanwhile for Carolina, Rantanen and Taylor Hall also made their Hurricanes debut on Saturday. Rantanen finished without a point in 18:54 in the Canes' 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders, but he led his new team with five shots while playing on a line with Finnish friend Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake and playing on the top power play (as expected). Hall didn't pick up a point or a shot while playing 11:36. Hall's linemates were Jack Roslovic and Juha Jaaska.  

It wasn't all good for the Islanders on Saturday, as Ryan Pulock left the game after the first shift. Pulock appeared to get his leg taken out from underneath by Blake.

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Evgeni Malkin left Saturday's game in Seattle with a lower-body injury. Malkin's knee appeared to bend awkwardly while colliding with Chandler Stephenson. I doubt that the Penguins are really trying to trade Malkin or Sidney Crosby, but any injury absence would cool off any trade talks.

With two assists on Saturday, Stephenson has five points in his last four games. Since the calendar turned to 2025, Stephenson has been a point-per-game scorer with 12 points in 12 games. The Kraken are an ideal team for finding streamers, and there's a good chance that Stephenson (9% Yahoo/35% Fantrax) is available.

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With Connor McDavid suspended, Jeff Skinner has been on the Oilers' top power play, giving him a short-term boost in value. Skinner scored an even-strength goal on Saturday, which was his first point in five games that he has appeared in, plus a few healthy scratches. With McDavid set to return on Monday, Skinner is someone you can continue to ignore. But an injury to one of the Oilers' top players could elevate him into that role again.

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Sean Monahan is expected to miss an additional six to eight weeks with a wrist injury. Monahan's first season in Columbus has been impressive, as he is exactly at the point-per-game mark (41 PTS in 41 GP). Since Monahan's injury, Adam Fantilli has five goals and four assists in nine games while playing on the top line with Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. Fantilli has also moved up to the top power play during that time, although he has not scored a power-play point over those nine games. Fantilli did not register a point on Saturday, although he and Marchenko each logged 25 minutes in the Jackets' 3-2 overtime win over LA.

If Fantilli (23% Yahoo/70% Fantrax) is unavailable in your league, Luca Del Bel Belluz (1% Yahoo/19% Fantrax) might be worth a look in deep leagues. With an assist on Saturday, Del Bel Belluz has seven points in nine games since his callup. He's on a line with Kent Johnson and James van Riemsdyk while taking second-unit power-play minutes.

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Nico Hischier left Saturday's game against Montreal after taking a cross-check from Nick Suzuki during the second period. Coach Sheldon Keefe said that Hischier is currently listed as day-to-day, which should make his availability questionable for next week.

Suzuki was in on all three goals in the Habs' 4-3 overtime loss, as he finished with a goal and two assists.

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In one game, Andrei Kuzmenko equaled his goal total for the entire season. Kuzmenko scored a pair of goals and added an assist in the Flames' 5-4 win over Minnesota. Kuzmenko had just scored his second goal of the season two games ago following a long dry spell that even included some healthy scratches. Kuzmenko will need to score more consistently in order to become fantasy relevant again.

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Bobby McMann is making good on his opportunity on the top line with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. McMann scored a goal while taking seven shots on Saturday, giving him five points over his last five games. McMann appears to be the replacement on that line while Matthew Knies is sidelined, which makes him worth looking into as a waiver-wire pickup (8% Yahoo/25% Fantrax). Knies is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, but he doesn't have a clear timeline to return.

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Cam Talbot made 28 saves in picking up a 2-0 shutout win over the Lightning. Detroit goaltending has been so-so for much of the season, but Talbot has picked up four wins and four quality starts over his past five games. The Red Wings have been playing better since the coaching change from Derek Lalonde to Todd McLellan, so that seems to be having an effect on Talbot.  

Kind of a dirty play from Nikita Kucherov, no?

Nikita Kucherov trips up Michael Rasmussen going for the empty netter and Rasmussen leaves the ice in some discomfort pic.twitter.com/MR4rY8Z2Gv

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 26, 2025

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Casey DeSmith picked up a 33-save shutout against the Blues, his second shutout of the season. Jake Oettinger is one of the heaviest-workload starters in the league, so DeSmith won't start a ton. That being said, DeSmith has been reliable overall (2.42 GAA, .913 SV% in 15 GP), so he's a decent option as a spot starter whenever he gets the nod.

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The Rangers have signed Will Borgen to a five-year extension with a cap hit of $4.1 million. Although Borgen isn't really an option in fantasy leagues, the Rangers seem to like what he has brought since acquiring him for Kaapo Kakko last month.

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Quinn Hughes scored both Canucks' goals in their 2-1 win over Washington. Hughes not only leads the Canucks in scoring with 54 points, but he is also 21 points clear of the next-highest scorer… as a defenseman. Shades of Bobby Orr! Only Travis Konecny and Nikita Kucherov lead their teams in scoring by a wider margin. It's fair to suggest that the Canucks would be nowhere near the playoff bar without Hughes. Hart Trophy winners almost never come from teams that don't make the playoffs, and the Canucks are currently out of a playoff spot, but Hughes at least seems deserving of a second straight Norris Trophy.

The game would have been 3-1 Canucks had it not been for Charlie Lindgren with the diving catch.

CHARLIE LINDGREN WAS LEAVING THE NET FOR THE EXTRA ATTACKER BUT DOVE BACK TO ROB PHIL DIGIUSEPPE 😱😵 pic.twitter.com/ynb9qhgDMb

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 26, 2025

Time for the name game: Elias Pettersson made his Canucks debut on Saturday. No, not that Elias Pettersson… the other one, who is a 20-year-old defenseman drafted in 2022. The forward's name is pronounced E-Lee-as, and the defenseman's name is pronounced E-Lie-as. D-Petey also works fine. I'm also old enough to remember the last time two players with the same name played for the same team.

Tonight isn't the first time the Canucks have had two players with the same name in the lineup.

🎥: Sportsnet | NHL #Canucks #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/BDe0n76o84

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) January 26, 2025

During After Hours, Tom Wilson was asked why he doesn't fight anymore.

That's easy: Wilson is too valuable to his team as a scorer to spend extended time in the penalty box. With 20 goals in just 49 games, Wilson is on pace to smash his career high in goals (currently 24, from 2021-22), and his 12 power-play points this season is already a career high. Wilson's overall penalty minutes are down this season with just under a penalty minute per game (46 PIM). Over the previous two seasons, Wilson has averaged close to two penalty minutes per game. Wilson also has "just" two fights this season. Wilson is still valuable in bangers leagues in particular, as his 140 hits places him in the top 20 in that category.  

Wilson is more valuable as a goal scorer than as a penalty minute maker in fantasy leagues anyway. It's much easier to find top-level PIM producers on the waiver wire than elite goal scorers.

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John Gibson left Saturday's game after the first period with an upper-body injury. Lukas Dostal took over in the Ducks' net, stopping 31 of 32 shots he faced to preserve a 5-2 win. The Ducks next play on Tuesday in Seattle, where Dostal seems to be the likely starter.

Mason McTavish scored a pair of goals on Saturday, giving him five goals in his past three games. He has multiple goals and four shots in back-to-back games, so he is clearly starting to heat up. McTavish was also recently bumped up to the Ducks' top power play, where he might stay for a while if he scores consistently. McTavish is rostered in just 7 percent of Yahoo leagues, so he might be worth taking a flier on while he is holding a hot stick.

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Matthew Tkachuk led the way in the Panthers' 7-2 win over San Jose with a power-play goal and two assists. The goal was Tkachuk's first in his past 10 games, with his last goal happening on January 3. Tkachuk isn't having his best season offensively, as he is just under the point-per-game mark (44 PTS in 45 GP) following three seasons of point-per-game-plus finishes.

Aaron Ekblad returned to the Panthers' lineup following a seven-game absence due to an upper-body injury. Ekblad scored a goal and added an assist.

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