Sidney Crosby was on the ice on Thursday, but he missed practice, avoiding shooting the puck while skating on his own. Crosby should be considered questionable for tonight's (Friday's) game against the Rangers after being hit by two Devils on Tuesday. Canadian hockey fans are crossing their fingers that Crosby will be ready for the Four Nations tournament, as he is Canada's captain and an icon from his Olympic play.

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With a goal on Thursday, Alex Ovechkin now has goals in four straight games. He has 26 goals in 38 games this season and 49 goals in his last 74 games dating back to last season. Only Leon Draisaitl has a higher goal-per-game number than Ovechkin (0.68 G/GP) this season. Ovie is now 16 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's record. Now it's not a question of if, but when, whether it be late this season or early next season.

ALEX OVECHKIN WITH CAREER GOAL 8⃣7⃣9⃣

HE'S 16 GOALS AWAY FROM HISTORY pic.twitter.com/evniNzEkSF

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) February 7, 2025

Connor McMichael has reached a career high in goals with 19 in just 54 games. With a goal on Thursday, McMichael also has four points over his last four games and has also reached the 40-point mark for the first time in his career.

The Capitals simply aren't slowing down offensively, as they have 21 goals in their last five games.

Despite the Flyers' loss, Matvei Michkov broke a seven-game point drought with a pair of goals. Michkov is third in rookie scoring with 36 points in 54 games. On a side note, the three leading rookie scorers – Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini, and Michkov – are a combined minus-51 this season. Top rookies often play for struggling teams. That's how it works.

Travis Konecny broke a four-game point drought with an assist on Thursday. However, Konecny has also gone nine games without a goal.  

The Flyers entered this game with just two goals in their last four games, having been shutout in three consecutive games prior to a 3-2 overtime loss to Utah on Tuesday. Newly acquired Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier still haven't suited up for Philly due to visa and weather-related flight issues. They arrived at Thursday's game in street clothes, so they may finally make their Flyers' debuts on Saturday.

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Zach Werenski returned to the Blue Jackets' lineup after a one-game absence. With an assist, he has a home point streak of 20 games. He also has 26 points in 20 games and is right in the mix with Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar for the scoring lead among defensemen. Perhaps those three are your Norris Trophy finalists this season.

Ivan Provorov now has goals in three consecutive games. He had scored just three goals in his previous 52 games. GM Don Waddell has stated that the Blue Jackets will be buyers at the trade deadline, so it looks like Provorov will be staying put for the rest of the season.

Since his return from a lower-body injury two games ago, Dylan Guenther has three goals, one assist, and 13 shots on goal. He has also scored the overtime winner in back-to-back games for the Utah Hockey Club.

DYLAN GUENTHER WINS IT AGAIN IN OT FOR UTAH 🚨

AND WHAT AN ASSIST FROM CONNOR INGRAM 😱 pic.twitter.com/cAoUkxvDdZ

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) February 7, 2025

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In the Lightning's 5-1 win over Ottawa, Brayden Point led the way with a goal, two assists, five shots, and three hits. I recently traded for Point in one of my leagues, targeting him over numerous players on selling teams in one of my keeper leagues. I chose Point not only because he filled a team need at center, but also because his schedule worked well with that of my other centers during my fantasy playoff schedule. Over at the Frozen Tools Schedule Planner, you can compare player schedules for any date range by comparing players that you're considering adding with the players already on your team.

With a goal on Thursday, Brandon Hagel has four goals in four games. He's a deserving member of Team Canada.

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The Wild entered Thursday's game having been shut out in their previous two games. Although they won 2-1 over Carolina, not having Kirill Kaprizov in the lineup seems to be trickling down to their other scorers. Brock Faber and Jake Middleton are each without a point in their last eight games, Matt Boldy is without a point in his last five games, and Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello are each without a point in their last four games. Kaprizov can't return soon enough.

Brent Burns has just one point in his past 10 games, but it's not due to lack of trying. Burns tied his season high with eight shots on Thursday, including seven shots halfway through the game. Burns last scored a goal on January 2, which is 17 games and counting without a goal. Burns does not shoot or score as much as he used to, but his 2.4 SOG/GP is still very reasonable for a defenseman in fantasy leagues.

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Jake Neighbours and Sam Bennett dropped the gloves right from the opening draw. Bennett also finished with an assist, so he was a goal shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick.

Bennett and Neighbours had a WILD tilt off the opening draw 🥊 pic.twitter.com/edVMgAAXfw

📢 advertisement:

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 7, 2025

Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals and added an assist with seven shots in the Panthers' 3-2 win over St. Louis. Tkachuk now has goals in five consecutive games and nine points over that span. He has made his way back over the point-per-game mark with 54 points in 51 games.

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Following the Mikko Rantanen trade, Nathan MacKinnon entered Thursday's game with five points in six games. Not bad, but not up to his usual standard. Yet on Thursday, MacKinnon had his best game since the trade, assisting on three goals in the Avalanche's 4-2 win in Calgary.

Martin Necas also had his best game with Colorado since the trade. Necas finished with two goals, an assist, a plus-3, and eight shots on goal. Since the trade, Necas has eight points in seven games, including three multipoint games. He can't ask for a better linemate than MacKinnon, so we shouldn't be surprised if Necas recaptures some of his early-season success while he was in Carolina. Necas has averaged nearly 23 minutes per game in Colorado, which is a huge jump from the 18 minutes he averaged in Carolina. Necas was a sell-high earlier this season, but the value boost of a real-life trade was a sudden turn that didn't seem to be in the cards.

You can read about how I thought this trade would affect the Hurricanes and Avalanche fantasy-wise here.

Like Necas, Cale Makar also had eight shots on Thursday. Makar also chipped in a goal and an assist.

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Anthony Stolarz made his first start in nearly two months, returning to the Leafs' lineup on Thursday from a knee injury. Stolarz was strong, allowing just one goal in 27 shots in the Leafs' 3-1 win over Seattle. He has 13 quality starts in 18 games, so he should help give Toronto a strong 1-2 tandem with Joseph Woll, who may not start as often as he has been while Stolarz was injured. Get him back into your lineup.

Anthony Stolarz robs his former teammate Brandon Montour and then winks at him 😉 pic.twitter.com/gjVlQjlmlD

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) February 7, 2025

The Leafs/Kraken game also featured a Chris Tanev/Brandon Tanev brothers matchup. Blocking shots is the family business.

No NHL defenceman has more blocks than Chris Tanev (146).

No NHL forward has more blocks than Brandon Tanev (87).

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) February 7, 2025

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Quinn Hughes was not in the lineup on Thursday, which was his third game missed with what is being reported as an oblique issue. If he misses Saturday's showdown with Toronto, his availability for the Four Nations comes into serious question. Hughes wants to play, and the Canucks are saying it is his decision. But playing could affect his availability for the Canucks after the break. Of course, keeping Hughes happy should be of prime importance to the Canucks, who appear set on building around him. Hughes has two more years left on his contract after this season.

Elias Pettersson (the center) is without a goal in eight games, and he has scored goals in just three games since December 1. Not even a single shot on goal on Thursday. On the ice, he has looked like a shell of his former self, and you already know why unless you don't follow NHL hockey. Crazy thought, but is Pettersson droppable in a shallow league? I'd say wait until after the 4 Nations. Perhaps he has a strong tournament. Maybe the time away from the Canucks gives him the reset he needs. That might be the case for any struggling player on your roster. We might see some interesting trends following the tournament.

Thatcher Demko was 1:28 away from his second consecutive shutout, but he held on for a 2-1 overtime win. Judging by what I've seen the past two games, he's back. Demko's overall numbers this season still aren't great, but he doesn't need to be on your bench any longer.

Acquired by the Canucks with Marcus Pettersson a week ago, Drew O'Connor has goals in back-to-back games and nine shots over those two games. This is how he scored on Thursday.

DREW O'CONNOR WINS IT FOR VANCOUVER ON THE OVERTIME PENALTY SHOT!#Canucks pic.twitter.com/CHPdthjzkO

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 7, 2025

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