Who will be the better per-game goal scorer once Alex Ovechkin's NHL career is finished?

Pretty amazing stat here

Gretzky 1487 games 894 goals
Ovechkin 1485 games 892 goals

— David Amber (@DavidAmber) April 3, 2025

As far as the Ovechkin watch goes, the Capitals are back in action tonight (Friday) against the Blackhawks, then Sunday against the Islanders. The Capitals play seven more games this season, which means that he could easily break the record this season, given his current scoring pace.

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Anthony Duclair has stepped away from the Islanders for personal reasons. Duclair was publicly criticized by coach Patrick Roy following Tuesday's game. Duclair is without a point in his last six games and has just one point in his last 12 games. He is on the first year on a four-year contract with the Islanders, although I wonder if he could be moved in the offseason if he and Roy are not on the same page.

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With a goal and an assist on Thursday, Nick Suzuki has reached the 80-point mark for the first time in his career. He is also the first Montreal player to reach 80 points since Alexei Kovalev in 2007-08 (a long time for a franchise as storied as the Canadiens). Suzuki also has at least one goal and multiple points in three consecutive games. Suzuki had an ADP of 114 in Yahoo leagues this season, so expect that number to be higher for 2025-26 drafts. Since the 4 Nations Break, the line of Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky is tied with two other lines for the most goals of a line at 5-on-5.

My big waiver-wire pickup for my third-place matchup was Sam Montembeault, who now has three consecutive wins and four consecutive quality starts. He has had his ups and downs this season, but he is on the hot side with a total of seven goals allowed over his last four games. I remember contemplating whether Montembeault would become rostered in the majority of leagues after posting a 48-save shutout in the Habs' season opener. Well, Montembeault was drafted in 28 percent of Yahoo leagues but is now rostered in 69 percent of those same leagues.

The Habs took a 4-1 win against the Bruins, who are doing their best tank job in losing 10 games in a row. Hopefully you are not relying on Jeremy Swayman in your fantasy playoffs. The Boston starter has his own seven-game losing streak on the go, posting an abysmal 4.66 GAA and .850 SV% over that span (since March 13). Unless the Bruins can perform a quick retool in the offseason, Swayman's draft-day value should fall compared to last season. For now, leave him on your bench. Dropping him outright in single-season leagues is also an option.  

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Who knew that Swayman's former goaltending partner Linus Ullmark would be having a better season than Swayman? In stopping 31 of 32 Tampa Bay shots on Thursday, Ullmark now has four wins and four quality starts over his last five games. Ullmark is tied for the league lead with Montembeault and Lukas Dostal in steals (9), a new Frozen Tools stat where goals saved above expected exceeds the margin of victory.

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No Martin Necas, no problem for the Avalanche, who piled on seven goals against Columbus. Four Colorado players scored a goal while adding two assists. Most noteworthy on that list is Cale Makar, who becomes the first defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since Mike Green (remember him?) in 2008-09. Makar has also reached 90 points for the second consecutive season. Makar has only five games left to make a run for 100 points, although the 96-point season that he is currently on pace for isn't bad.

Necas was scratched for Thursday's game with an undisclosed injury. Jonathan Drouin also missed the game with a lower-body injury.

Nathan MacKinnon, Charlie Coyle, and Devon Toews were the other three Avalanche players to score a goal with two assists. Because Nikita Kucherov did not pick up a point on Thursday, MacKinnon now leads the NHL scoring race with 114 points, three ahead of Kucherov. 

Toews has eight points over his last seven games, reaching the 40-point mark for the fourth consecutive season. Pretty good for a defenseman who has reached double-digit power-play points just once in his career.

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The St. Louis Blues simply can't be stopped and appear to be a lock for the playoffs at this point. Jake Neighbours scored a pair of goals in the Blues' 5-4 win over Pittsburgh, which is their franchise-tying 11^th win in a row. Neighbours now has back-to-back seasons with at least 20 goals.

In his second NHL game, Jimmy Snuggerud registered his first NHL point – an assist. Snuggerud recently signed with the Blues after his college season ended with 51 points in 40 games with the University of Minnesota. For more, see his Dobber Prospects profile.

The news wasn't all good for the Blues, though. Dylan Holloway left Thursday's game with a lower-body injury after taking a hit into the boards. In his first season with the Blues, Holloway has exploded for 63 points while seeing his icetime increase over five minutes per game compared to last season in Edmonton. The offer sheets for Holloway and Philip Broberg have had a significant positive impact on the Blues and definitely factor into why they are where they are.

For the Penguins, Rutger McGroarty scored his first NHL goal in his fifth game. For more on McGroarty, see his Dobber Prospects profile.

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With a goal on Thursday against Nashville, Wyatt Johnston now has goals in six consecutive games. After a slow start, Johnston has reached 30 goals and 65 points for the second consecutive season. With Dallas looking strong, Johnston seems like a player to target in playoff pools. However, the Stars might have a tough matchup in the first round against Colorado.

This is a good time to mention Dobber's 2025 Interactive Playoff Draft List, which is now available.

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Eric Comrie stopped all 26 shots he faced in the Jets' 4-0 win over Vegas. Although he plays infrequently behind Connor Hellebuyck, Comrie has been up to the task when called upon with six wins and six quality starts in his last eight games. The Jets are locked into a playoff spot and currently sit first in the Central Division, which makes Comrie a streamable goalie for anyone still playing meaningful games in fantasy hockey.

Nikolaj Ehlers left this game in the third period with a leg injury after blocking a shot. After the game, coach Scott Arniel stated that he thought Ehlers will be all right, so it seems as though he has avoided major injury. Winnipeg next plays on Saturday against Utah, so be sure to check his status prior to that game.

Alex Pietrangelo returned to the Golden Knights' lineup on Thursday after missing the past four games with a lower-body injury.

With Vegas trailing 3-0 after two periods, Adin Hill was pulled in favor of Akira Schmid to start the third period. Coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game that Hill is not injured and that he just wanted Schmid to get some playing time because the Golden Knights play back-to-back games on the weekend and Schmid will need to start one of the games.

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Leon Draisaitl left Thursday's game in the second period, with no update provided by Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch after the game. Draisaitl had just returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. Unless the injury is very minor, the Oilers might have to rest Draisaitl before the playoffs start. The Oilers have also been without Connor McDavid for their last six games, and McDavid isn't expected to return until at least next week. Uneasy times in Edmonton in spite of a 3-2 win over San Jose on Thursday.

Draisaitl took a couple tumbles tonight and has not returned from the locker room. pic.twitter.com/LL3Z6BikFc

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 4, 2025

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Is Darcy Kuemper's season being discussed enough? With 28 saves in a 4-2 win over Utah, Kuemper has eight wins and 11 quality starts over his last 12 games. Over that span, which has lasted about a month, Kuemper also has a 1.16 GAA and .949 SV%. Among goalies with at least 20 games played, only Connor Hellebuyck has a better goals-against average than Kuemper (2.03 GAA). Every season, a few goalies drafted outside of the top 100 shine, and Kuemper (ADP 110 in Yahoo) definitely falls into that category.

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Blake Coleman scored two goals in the Flames' 4-1 win over Anaheim. Coleman entered this game without a point in his previous six games and without a goal in his previous nine games.

John Gibson left the game against Calgary after two periods with a lower-body injury. If this is anything more than a minor injury, expect Gibson to be shut down for the season. The Ducks have officially been eliminated from the playoffs with Thursday's loss. In case you hadn't noticed by now, this was kind of a busy night for injuries, so hopefully your fantasy team isn't being ravaged by these injuries.

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