Calvin Pickard was waived by the Oilers on Sunday after struggling in limited action this season. In 16 appearances, he went 5-6-2 with an .871 save percentage and a 3.68 GAA, clearing the path for Connor Ingram to step into the backup role. For now.

Ingram has quietly earned that spot, posting a 6-3-1 record with a .902 save percentage, and the way this tandem is trending, the hierarchy may not stop there. With Jarry continuing to be inconsistent, there is a realistic scenario where Ingram pushes for more starts and potentially grabs the No. 1 job outright. This is a situation worth monitoring closely, as it could swing quickly. If you're looking ahead, Ingram feels like the goalie with momentum, and the upside play in this crease as the stretch run approaches.

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Carolina pulled out a 3–2 overtime win in Raleigh, continuing what has been a strong stretch of hockey as they head toward the Olympic break.

Sebastian Aho ended in the OT frame, extending the Hurricanes' point streak to eight games (6-0-2).

Shayne Gostisbehere played well, picking up two assists, including the primary helper on Aho's overtime winner.

 In goal, rookie Brandon Bussi earned the win after stopping just 11 shots, improving his record to an impressive 21-3-1. While Carolina controlled much of the play, Bussi did what he needed to do, steadying things when the Kings pushed back late.

Quinton Byfield tied the game late in the third period with a goal of his own and Anton Forsberg was a major reason LA stayed competitive, turning aside 31 of 34 shots. His performance helped the Kings earn at least a point for the eighth time in their last nine games.

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The Stadium Series between the Lightning and Bruins had plenty of moments to remember. Victor Hedman retuned back to Lightning lineup for the first time since being out with an injury since Dec 9^th. John Cooper made his appearance as Scarface for movie-goers, and on the ice, we got the season's second goalie fight, pitting Andrei Vasilevskiy against Jeremy Swayman.

WE HAVE A SWAY VS VAS GOALIE FIGHT!!!! 🥊😱 pic.twitter.com/bwdY73tVyK

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 2, 2026

Amid all the spectacle, there was still a hockey game, and Tampa Bay looked like they might get steamrolled by the Bruins early on but they stormed back, pushed the game into overtime, David Pastrnak had a OT goal overturned and was subsequently issued a penalty and the Lightning eventually won in the shootout on a goal from Jake Guentzel. You cannot as for more!The Lightning's stars showed up in a big way. Nikita Kucherov had a four-point night (1G, 3A). Kucherov sits third in the league points race behind Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.

Brandon Hagel added three points, while Jake Guentzel and Darren Raddysh each chipped in two points each. Raddysh is riding a hot streak with seven points in his last four games and is pacing for an 85-point season.

Tampa Bay outshot Boston 46–34 and converted three of eight on the power play, with goals coming from Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nick Paul, and Raddysh.

For the Bruins, Morgan Geekie led the way with two goals and an assist, supported by Viktor Arvidsson, Matthew Poitras, and Alex Steeves, who each found the net as well. It was a wild, back-and-forth affair that had its fair share of entertainment.

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Mason McTavish and Troy Terry were  back in the Ducks lineup, giving a boost of much-needed firepower to a team that's been looking depleted.

With Terry activated off IR, the Ducks placed Leo Carlsson on injured reserve in a corresponding move to likely stay roster- and cap-compliant.

Terry made an immediate impact, picking up two assists in his first game back.

Chris Kreider found the scoresheet with two goals, while Cutter Gauthier also added one, marking their 19th and 24th goals of the season, respectively.

Mitch Marner and Ivan Barbashev each notched goals for Vegas with two helpers from Mark Stone who is having a fantastic season with Vegas and Pavel Dorofeyev who is also on track to hit a career high in points this season.

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As the Olympic break approaches, a lot of fantasy managers are starting to look ahead and assess where their teams stand and how they project for the playoffs. That naturally shifts the focus toward value hunting, especially when most of the big names are already rostered or too expensive to pry loose in trades. This is the part of the season where identifying overlooked or underrated players can make a real difference. These are players I have been keeping a close eye on as potential targets down the stretch, particularly those whose usage or deployment could swing in their favor.

Will Cuylle – LW/RW – New York Rangers

Will Cuylle is turning into the kind of player who matters more during the fantasy playoff grind than in early-season box scores. The offensive ceiling is still limited, but his role, peripherals, and the Rangers retool direction could boosting his usefulness.

Cuylles' 5v5 minutes have climbed steadily, and he is now a regular part of the second power play unit. He already has eight power-play points after barely factoring much in previous seasons and most of his minutes have come alongside Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafrenière, while he's also held his own with younger linemates like Noah Laba and Brennan Othmann.

What gives Cuylle his appeal is that we can contribute across multi-cat formats. This year he has 105 shots (nearly two SOG/G), 198 hits, steady PIMs, and a faceoff rate north of 50%. That plays well in banger and multi-cat formats. When Panarin is moved and potentially Trocheck shortly after, his efficiency could dip, but Cuylle would potentially see more ice time and volume. He is not a league-winner, but he's a strong glue piece for playoff matchups, especially with New York's favorable off-night schedule.

Alexander Wennberg – C – San Jose Sharks

Alexander Wennberg is still very much the same player he has been throughout his career: a pass-first, structure-dependent center whose fantasy value lives and dies with deployment. There is no untapped upside here. If you're adding Wennberg, you are buying into role security, power-play exposure, and a steady drip of assists, not category coverage or ceiling outcomes.

San Jose has leaned on him heavily this season. He is averaging over 20 minutes TOI/game and seeing more than 3:30 of PP time, both career highs. As long as that usage sticks, he is at least worth a look off the waiver wire. That said, the role itself is far from bulletproof, which is why he is rostered in only about 10 percent of Yahoo! leagues and should not be someone you should feel married to.

He does have prime deployment and is playing with one of the top five-point producers in the league on the man-advantage and in deeper formats or points leagues, he can function as a short-term depth piece. As long as the minutes and power-play opportunities remain intact.

Luke Evangelista – RW – Nashville Predators

Luke Evangelista has established himself as one of Nashville's top-six forwards and his ice time has climbed to nearly 17 minutes per night. At 5v5, Evangelista's production looks repeatable and his linemates  Ryan O'Reilly and Filip Forsberg,  have driven play decisively, controlling over 60 percent of shot attempts while consistently outscoring opponents. Evangelista operates primarily as the facilitator, but he still maintains a solid individual shot rate north of two shots per game.

On the man advantage, Evangelista has cemented himself on the top unit alongside Forsberg, O'Reilly, and Steven Stamkos, already piling up 12 power-play points. He sits at 38 points through 52 games and has now cleared the 200-game breakout threshold at 225 career games played. With stable minutes and consistent power-play usage, he's tracking toward his first 60-point season. One variable worth monitoring is the trade market as both O'Reilly and Stamkos have seen their names surface in rumors. If either move, Evangelista could see an uptick in overall ice time, though his production would likely shift depending on who he ends up skating with.

Devon Toews – D – Colorado Avalanche

Toews has been dealing with injuries and is working his way back in time for the Winter Olympics. Assuming no further setbacks, he will reunite with longtime Colorado running mate Cale Makar, which is about as ideal a ramp-up as you can ask for before rejoining the Avalanche down the stretch. Colorado also carries a favorable fantasy playoff schedule, ranking among the top teams for off-night games based on the NHL schedule. That's something worth targeting if your defensive group is thin or simply needs more consistent ice time.

Ridly Greig – C/LW/RW – Ottawa Senators

Ridly Greig's real-life impact continues to outpace his fantasy profile, but his value is quietly moving in the right direction. Through 48 games he has 25 points with a pace of roughly 43 points over a full season. His ice time has settled into the mid-16-minute range, and he has been trusted to move throughout the lineup alongside Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Cozens, Claude Giroux, and Tim Stützle.

He provides close to two shots per game, steady hits, PIMs, and some faceoff production, giving him a usable floor, not to mention he also has tri-eligibility in Yahoo! leagues.  The downside is limited PP exposure, with just three PPP and a small share of Ottawa's man-advantage TOI. With an elevated S% and modest volume, some regression is likely, however he is a useful depth option in banger and multi-cat leagues and a situational streamer when deployed with Ottawa's top talent. The arrow is up, but deployment still drives his fantasy relevance.

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!