Three games, three wins for Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets. Hellebuyck has conceded just two goals over these three games, stopping 81 of 83 shots, and handsomely rewarding fantasy managers that used an early pick to acquire him. 

With a goal and assist against Minnesota, Mark Scheifele has now posted two points in each of his first three outings – currently sitting second in league scoring with six points. Scheifele obviously won't keep up this pace all season, but he's a player who doesn't get enough recognition given his consistent point-per-game play over the last eight years. 

It's obviously early, but early indications suggest Filip Gustavsson is rebounding from an awful showing last year. He's allowed two goals in each of his appearances this season, facing over 30 shots on both occasions. Gustavsson's job may be slightly more difficult in the short term as captain Jared Spurgeon missed Sunday's game with an injury and is currently out day-to-day. 

With an assist on Sunday, Marco Rossi now has three points in three games. He also skated on Minnesota's top power-play unit since Joel Eriksson Ek missed Sunday's game with a broken nose. Unfortunately that won't be a long-term role as JEEK should return to the lineup for the team's next game. Drafted 19th overall in 2020, Rossi's development was slightly delayed due to heart muscle inflammation that stemmed from a case of COVID. It seems he's starting to take that next step after posting 40 points in his first proper campaign last year. 

INJURY UPDATE: Joel Eriksson Ek did not travel with the team to Winnipeg and is out for tonight's game with a broken nose. He is expected to be available for Tuesday's game in St. Louis.

Jared Spurgeon will not play tonight and is day-today with a lower-body injury.

— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) October 13, 2024

~

Two games this weekend and zero goals conceded. After Jake Oettinger registered a shutout on Saturday, Casey DeSmith continued the trend on Sunday, bringing Dallas' record to 3-0. 

Wyatt Johnston's ascension to superstar status continues. He scored the insurance marker against Seattle on Sunday and has now registered a point in each of his first three games, continuing a point-per-game trend that began in the second half of last season. Jamie Benn and Logan Stankoven – who frequently skated beside Johnston last year – drew assists on the goal. It seems the trio was reunited on Sunday, as Evgeni Dadonov had started this season in Stankoven's place. 

Johnny follows it right up with his first of the season!#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/yrYdxp8lZH

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 14, 2024

For the third-straight game, Chandler Stephenson led the Kraken in ice time. He's been averaging roughly 20 minutes a night thus far. Seattle seems intent on maximizing value from the massive seven-year deal they handed Stephenson this summer, but it hasn't borne much fruit yet. 

~

It seems the post-cup final hangover is plaguing Edmonton as the Oilers are now 0-3 following Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Flames – who themselves improve to a surprising 3-0. Although Edmonton has been outscored 15-3 thus far, they've been pretty unlucky and have fallen victim to subpar goaltending from Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. This is a good team. Fortunes will improve as the season progresses.

Jeff Skinner scored his first goal as an Oiler on Sunday. The goal itself wasn't all that impressive as Skinner simply put away a rebound into the yawning cage, but he had other highlights, including a nice assist on a goal called back due from an offside challenge, and a snipe denied by iron late in the game. He, Connor McDavid and Mattias Ekholm currently lead the Oilers in scoring. Each player has two points after three games…

Rasmus Andersson may have swung a few matchups with his big three-point night against Edmonton, bolstered by two shots, three blocks, and a plus-4 rating. This is his second multipoint game of the young season, which is all the more impressive when you consider he's not even quarterbacking the top power-play unit – that's currently MacKenzie Weegar's job. 

Anthony Mantha scored the game-winning goal on Sunday, continuing a dream start on his new team with four points through three games. Calgary is undefeated, buoyed by a bunch of players we thought were washed. Perhaps this team is better than I expected…

~

Jack Eichel registered an assist on the game-winning goal as Vegas beat Anaheim 3-1. He has seven points in three appearances, sitting atop the NHL's scoring race all by himself right now.

It was against an Anaheim team on the second half of a back to back, but Ilya Samsonov performed well in his first start for the Golden Knights, stopping 22 of the 23 shots he faced. Adin Hill hasn't exactly been spectacular thus far, so there's still room for Samsonov to snag that 1A role. He'll need to replicate this performance against a tougher opponent first though. 

~

Streaming Options for Week 2

Colorado and Pittsburgh have ideal streaming schedules this week. While most teams play three games this week and some even play two, the Avs and Pens play four. More importantly though, all their games are on light nights – when fewer games are on the schedule. That means players from these two teams should be easy to get into your lineup this week. Here are a few names to consider:

Bryan Rust (RW) – Yahoo: 59% Rostered 

While Rust's current ownership is higher than your typical streamer, it's also lower than it should be for a player of his caliber – one that's broken a 70-point pace in three of the last five years. Rust is a fixture on Pittsburgh's top line and top power-play – meaning constant exposure to Sidney Crosby. Since he started the season on injured reserve and was only activated this past weekend, it's possible he's still sitting on the waiver wire in some leagues. Given Pittsburgh's favourable schedule this week, now's a great time to add him. 

Casey Mittelstadt (C) – Yahoo: 18% Rostered 

We know the 25-year-old forward has offensive talent. He's flirted with the 60-point mark these last two years despite not being in the best situations – especially with Buffalo. However, he's now a fixture of Colorado's top six and top power-play unit. It's only been two games but he's averaging over 20 minutes a night after skating closer to 18 last season. This broad increase in opportunity, with frequent exposure to top talents Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, sets Mittelstadt up to be a valuable fantasy asset for the next little while – but especially this week given Colorado's schedule. 

Ross Colton (C) – Yahoo: 3% Rostered 

An injury to Jonathan Drouin has resulted in an expanded role for Colton – which most notably includes a promotion to PP1. In Colorado's first game of the season – before Drouin got injured – Colton didn't see any power-play time and went pointless through roughly 15 minutes of ice time. In game two – with Drouin injured – Colton saw nearly 19 minutes of action, including almost four with the man advantage. He posted two points, one on the PP and one at even strength. Drouin definitely won't feature in Monday's game against the Islanders and his status beyond that remains up in the air, so Colton makes for a great short term add. 

Jake Walman (D) – Yahoo: 11% Rostered

Not on the Pens or Avs, but worth an add considering his Sharks play four games this week. After skating less than 20 minutes a night through the first 200 games of his career, a move to San Jose has brought Walman more opportunity than ever before. He averaged 24:40 through the Sharks' first two games, enjoying a 77% share of the team's total power-play time. The sample is obviously miniscule, but as you might expect, this extra opportunity has already led to a higher rate of hits and blocks than years past. An injury to Macklin Celebrini takes some punch out of San Jose's offense, but Walman can still contribute to peripheral categories if he's not putting up points. 

Anton Lundell (C/RW) – Yahoo: 9% Rostered 

The 23-year-old center is set to take on a bigger role for the next little while as captain Aleksander Barkov misses the next two-to-three weeks with a lower-body injury. Saturday marked Florida's first game without Barkov this season and we saw Lundell jump up to a line with Sam Reinhart, skating nearly 21 minutes – a big jump from his previous 16-17. This expanded opportunity makes Lundell especially valuable in leagues that track faceoff wins, as he'll be tasked with more draws now that Barkov is out. We saw that effect already as he racked up 10 FOWs with Barkov absent on Saturday, after tallying six and four in games one and two. Lundell's dual position eligibility is an added bonus as you can slot him in on the wing, where he'll be able to supplement the FOWs of your center slots. He should have a strong impact this week as the Panthers play four games. 

Justus Annunen (G) – Yahoo: 17% Rostered 

Alexandar Georgiev's lacklustre play from last year is now leaking into a new campaign. He's been pulled in both of his starts this season, surrendering eight goals through roughly three periods of play. Annunen's numbers in relief haven't been great, but at least he has an excuse having been thrust into action unexpectedly. Given Georgiev's struggles, it seems likely that Annunen gets a start this week. If he performs well, there's a good chance he strings a few starts together. Kaapo Kahkonen, who Colorado recently claimed off waivers, might also have an opportunity to steal a few starts once his immigration issues are sorted.

Bednar said Toews and Wood missed for maintenance.

Said he doesn't expect to hear anything on Kahkonen's immigration until at least Tuesday because of the holiday weekend in Canada.

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) October 13, 2024