First off, it's great to be back writing about actual games again. After a long summer of predictions and projections, we can finally find out how everything will play out.

Following a memorable debut with a first-period goal and assist, Macklin Celebrini is considered questionable for tonight's game with a lower-body injury. Celebrini was battling a lower-body issue during training camp, so this injury could end up resulting in some missed regular-season time for the first overall pick.  

I caught some of Celebrini's debut on Thursday night, paying attention to the San Jose power play in particular to see what effect Celebrini would have. One detail I noticed from that game is that offseason acquisition Jake Walman was on the top power play. San Jose isn't particularly deep on the blueline, as Walman and Oilers castoff Cody Ceci led the team in icetime. Walman logged nearly 25 minutes, which is to suggest that he could be worth targeting in multicategory leagues as well as deeper leagues. Walman has never been a huge scorer in either the NHL or AHL, so he may not remain in the PP1 role all season.

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Matvei Michkov made his NHL debut on Friday in Vancouver. The Calder Trophy favorite did not get onto the scoresheet, but he took four shots in 18 minutes, seeming to be more prominent as the game went on. Michkov was on the Flyers' top power play, a unit that finished dead last in the league last season with a dismal 12.2% conversion rate. The Flyers' top power play looked rather disorganized in this game, with their power-play goal coming from their second unit. There are still 81 more games for the Flyers to play, but I wonder how much that power play could drag Michkov's point total down. Honestly, I thought the Sharks' top power play mentioned above looked stronger and more in sync, for what that's worth. On the flipside, Michkov can only improve his team's top unit.

Celebrini or Michkov? Find out who the Dobber writers like for the Calder Trophy in their season predictions.

The Flyers also had another (slightly less-heralded) rookie playing in his first NHL game. Jett Luchanko, who was the 13^th overall pick in this year's draft, was also held without a point while taking one shot in 14 minutes (four minutes less than Michkov). The Flyers were thought to be reaching for him in the draft, but they seem to have a ton of faith in him if he is already playing in the NHL. Luchanko is barely 18 years old and the youngest player to ever suit up for the Flyers, but he's already a player on the nine-game audition watch list. He might deserve more attention in keeper leagues that you might have originally thought as well. For more, see his Dobber Prospects profile.

The Flyers' forward lines for this game:

SEAN COUTURIER – TRAVIS KONECNY – MATVEI MICHKOV

OWEN TIPPETT – MORGAN FROST – TYSON FOERSTER

JOEL FARABEE – BOBBY BRINK – JETT LUCHANKO

SCOTT LAUGHTON – GARNET HATHAWAY – RYAN POEHLING

Tyler Myers left Friday's game early in the first period after appearing to hyperextend his knee while being tangled up near the boards. The Canucks had to play with five defensemen for nearly all of the game. As a result, Quinn Hughes logged a career high of 31:29 in icetime. The Canucks need to get faster on their blueline once you get past Hughes, so maybe an Erik Brannstrom callup is in the cards if Myers misses time.

Kevin Lankinen was solid in his Canucks debut, stopping 29 of 31 shots he faced in the 3-2 shootout loss. Lankinen looked more composed than Arturs Silovs did on Wednesday against Calgary, so I wonder if Lankinen receives the nod again for the Canucks' next game. For what it's worth, Thatcher Demko will reportedly be travelling with the Canucks on their road trip next week.

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Nikita Kucherov paid immediate dividends on Friday night. In Tampa Bay's first game, Kucherov recorded a hat trick and added an assist in the Lightning's 4-1 win over Carolina. Two of the goals were into an empty net late in the game, but hey, they all count.

In his Lightning regular-season debut, Jake Guentzel assisted on both of the empty-net goals. The Bolts decided to load up with a top line of Guentzel, Kucherov, and Brayden Point, who scored Tampa's other goal.

The Bolts' top power play featured the three names above and Victor Hedman, which should be to no one's surprise. However, they used Darren Raddysh in the other spot. Raddysh logged nearly four minutes of total power-play time but only about seven minutes of even-strength time. I'd recommend adding him if not for the extremely low even-strength minutes. The Lightning used seven defensemen in this game, which seemed to affect the pairings. Meanwhile, Brandon Hagel owners wonder what Hagel has to do to get onto that top power play.

Conor Geekie made his NHL debut, playing 10 minutes while on a line with Cam Atkinson and Nick Paul. For more on Geekie, see his Dobber Prospects profile.

Note that the Carolina/Tampa Bay game is cancelled today (Saturday) due to Hurricane Milton. Of course, my thoughts go out to those affected in the state of Florida. No word has been given regarding the status of the Lightning's home games next week on Tuesday against Vancouver and Thursday against Vegas, so keep your eye on the schedule for updates. Better yet, you may want to hold off on adding any Bolts from the waiver wire for next week.  

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Mark Scheifele scored the game-tying goal with just over a minute left in regulation and the Jets' net empty, then he scored the game-winning goal in overtime. In just two games, Scheifele already has three goals, four points, and 10 shots on goal. Like last season, I thought Scheifele was being drafted too low in drafts this season (ADP 130 in Yahoo). Expect him to provide solid value.

Earlier in the day, the Avalanche claimed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Jets.

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The Panthers did not provide an update on Aleksander Barkov on Friday, although David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that Barkov is week-to-week with a bad sprain. Barkov had to be helped off the ice after he slid into the boards late in Thursday's game. If that is in fact the injury, those rostering Barkov should be okay with that, as it could have been something that was a lot worse.  

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Timothy Liljegren has been a healthy scratch for the Leafs' first two games, and he is believed to be on the trade block. I may not follow the Leafs as closely as you do, since I don't live in the GTA. But I'm honestly surprised that Liljegren is in this spot.

Timothy Liljegren may be on the trade block.

Subject of a lot of consternation in TOR. Has always won his minutes handily in the regular season, including in a top four role last year. Always gets his minutes cut in the playoffs in favour of more physical D. pic.twitter.com/TMFE047ln4

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 11, 2024

I drafted Liljegren in one deep league, thinking he could pick up some power-play minutes. After all, he had a stretch of fantasy brilliance during the second half last season with 14 points in 16 games, which included top power-play time while Morgan Rielly was out of the lineup. My gut tells me that Liljegren isn't a Craig Berube type of player, and he could benefit from a move elsewhere – away from the microscope in Toronto, where he hasn't exactly taken the fast track to superstardom since being picked in the first round back in 2017. Since Liljegren is now 25 years old, this season could be telling as to which direction his career takes.

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Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev continued their hot starts for Vegas. Each contributed a goal and an assist in the Golden Knights' 4-3 win over St. Louis. It's very early, but Barbashev and Eichel currently lead the league with six points each, thanks to four-point efforts on Wednesday against Colorado.

Barbashev and Eichel are tied with one other player for the scoring lead, and that is Jordan Kyrou. With two assists on Friday, Kyrou has two points in each of his first three games. Two more Golden Knights – Mark Stone and Shea Theodore – are next in the scoring race with five points.

In a losing cause for the Blues, Pavel Buchnevich scored two goals and added an assist.

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Looking for weekend streamers? Your best bets are all from the Western Conference, as all of Anaheim, Calgary, Dallas, Edmonton, Minnesota, and Seattle each play two games. Maybe Adam Henrique is worth an add with the Oilers playing home games against Chicago and Calgary. Henrique is mentioned in this week's Looking Ahead.

Carolina, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver do not play this weekend, so you could consider dropping fringe players from those teams if you are pushing for a first-week win. You might already be ready to jump off the Silovs bandwagon for more immediate goaltending help. As always, check GoaliePost for the latest starting goalie information.

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