Drake Batherson filled the statsheet for the Senators in their 5-4 win over Tampa Bay: two goals (one on the power play), one assist, seven shots, and two hits. It's been feast or famine for Batherson this season, as this is his second three-point game. He hasn't registered a point in his other three games.

Jake Sanderson registered three assists, with two of them on the power play. He's off to a fantastic start with seven points over his first five games. As of Saturday afternoon, only Cale Makar had more points among defensemen than Sanderson. The fact that Sanderson is on the top power play and is averaging nearly 26 minutes per game also sets him up very well for fantasy success this season. Sanderson also added four hits and three blocks in this game, so right now he is doing it all.

In the Lightning loss, Nikita Kucherov scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game. As of Saturday afternoon, he led the league in goals with seven. Kucherov is averaging nearly six shots per game, and he has taken six shots in three of his four games. The only concerns about Kucherov might be his lack of peripherals and maybe even assists. His assist on Saturday was "only" his second of the season. But if he's on your roster, you shouldn't be complaining. Points are the bread and butter of any fantasy league.

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Yes, Steven Stamkos scored a goal today. The Dobber X account can finally cool it on the Stamkos memes. Stamkos scored his first goal and point as a Predator, which was his trademark one-timer on a two-man advantage. They may not come easier than that, but they all count. Stamkos also finished the game with six shots and three hits, but also a minus-3.

Steven Stamkos scores his first goal as a Pred!#Smashville pic.twitter.com/lUJLN3gy16

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 19, 2024

Stamkos might have had a second goal if not for this impressive save by Alex Lyon earlier in the game.

Steven Stamkos is stopped by Alex Lyon's incredible stick save. Stamkos still has yet to score for the Predators.

It's getting a little absurd at this point. pic.twitter.com/cb4y7Ylhr0

— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) October 19, 2024

No team appeared to improve on paper more than Nashville this offseason. However, games aren't won and lost on paper, and the Predators are still searching for their first point of the season after five games. In fact, they are the only team left without any points. The good news is they now have the talent to turn things around, but it might take some time for everyone to gel.

In the Red Wings' 5-2 win, Andrew Copp scored a pair of goals, which were his second and third of the season.

Lyon made 37 saves to pick up his first win and quality start of the season. He has appeared in three consecutive games for the Wings, appearing in relief in their previous game against the Rangers. With Ville Husso now in the AHL, Lyon appears ready to battle Cam Talbot for a timeshare.

Moritz Seider leads the league in both hits (27) and blocked shots (20). He's averaging over five hits per game and four blocked shots per game. I might put a ceiling of about 50 points on his scoring, considering that Erik Gustafsson is on the top power play (although Gustafsson isn't always in the lineup). However, Seider's value is really boosted by the peripherals in multicategory leagues. Seider finished second to Jeremy Lauzon in the combined hits and blocked shots category last season, with Lauzon's total mostly hits while providing little scoring.

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The Zach Hyman point watch continues. Hyman, who scored 54 goals last season, is now without a point over his first six games. Hyman has at least ramped up his efforts to score recently, taking nine shots over his last two games. He has been on a line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, so linemates aren't the issue. The Oilers as a team haven't had a strong start, so their team success may happen at the same time as Hyman starts to score. It's a great time to pitch a buy-low offer to an impatient Hyman owner who is only looking at the point total.

Matt Duchene scored a pair of goals in the Stars' 4-1 win over Edmonton. Roope Hintz scored a goal and added two assists, giving him points in three consecutive games.

Despite the Stars' win, Miro Heiskanen was held off the scoresheet again. Like Hyman, Heiskanen hasn't recorded a point in his first six games. It's probably one of those early-season blips, although Heiskanen's point pace fell from 0.92 PTS/GP in 2022-23 to 0.76 PTS/GP last season. Even though Heiskanen is on the top power play for a Stanley Cup contender, he shouldn't be overrated in fantasy leagues. He might be a better real-life defenseman than fantasy defenseman, but that's more of a comment about his overall ability as a player.

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The Canucks' interim starting goalie job is leaning toward Kevin Lankinen now. Starting his second consecutive game, Lankinen recorded a 26-save shutout of the Flyers in Philly. Lankinen has earned quality starts in all three of his games while allowing just four goals over that span. The Canucks will probably take their time with Thatcher Demko, so Lankinen is the Canucks' goalie that you should roster at the moment. Meanwhile, playoff hero Arturs Silovs has looked shaky in his two games. Lankinen is rostered only in 15 percent of Yahoo leagues and 27 percent of Fantrax leagues. Because of waiver eligibility, Lankinen is also more likely to remain on the NHL squad once Demko returns.

With an assist on Saturday, Conor Garland has 22 points over his last 23 regular-season games, dating back to last season. He's been moved all over the Canucks lineup during that time and he's still managed to produce. Right now, he's on the second line with Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander. Garland, who has been noticeable in every game for the Canucks for his hard work, is just 10 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues and 27 percent rostered in Fantrax leagues.

Keep an eye on J.T. Miller's injury status. Miller left the game briefly after taking the opening faceoff. Normally one to regularly take faceoffs in a game, Miller only took one other faceoff in the game after that. He did not record a point and took only one shot on goal, but still delivered three hits.

Congratulations to Tyler Myers, who played his 1000^th career game on Saturday.

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Even though they are without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk at the moment, the Panthers peppered Ilya Samsonov with 49 shots. That turned out to be a bit too much for Vegas to handle, with Florida winning 4-3.

Sam Reinhart scored a goal and added two assists. Because of his unexpected 57-goal season, Reinhart was a popular pick for player to regress this season. So far, he has … (looks up stats)… 12 points in seven games. That's not a bust at all! Reinhart is maintaining his shot rate at 2.7 SOG/GP, while his shooting percentage of 26.3% is only slightly higher than last season's. Maybe he just has one of the best shots in the league. At least he makes this goal look easy.

Sam Reinhart with a clapper from the ROCKSTAR™ zone to tie it 😎🔥 pic.twitter.com/yPGhMvkV31

📢 advertisement:

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 19, 2024

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Tom Wilson scored twice, including the game-winning goal, and added an assist in the Capitals' 6-5 win over New Jersey. Wilson has scored goals in each of his four games and has totaled five goals in those games. Wilson also dished out seven hits, which is his highest total over those four games. Wilson is available in about 60 percent of Yahoo leagues and over 40 percent of Fantrax leagues. I'm guessing none of those are bangers leagues? If yours is and he's available, you need to add him ASAP, even if the scoring dries up.

Dylan Strome also has points in all four of his games, including a goal and two assists on Saturday. Strome is off to a strong start with seven points in his first four games.

Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal of the season on Saturday. He has only 41 goals left to pass Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record. I think he gets close this season but breaks the record next season.

In a losing cause, Nico Hischier scored two goals and added an assist. Timo Meier registered three assists.

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Cole Koepke: the point-per-game player that you've never heard of. A sixth-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2018, Koepke scored a goal on Saturday, giving him goals in back-to-back games and points in three consecutive games. Throw in a three-point game in the second game of the season and he has six points in six games. Not bad for a 26-year-old who had played 26 career NHL games with the Lightning before this season.

In case you missed a couple of our other writers discussing Koepke, he's been on a surprisingly productive fourth line with Mark Kastelic and John Beecher. Koepke's icetime has increased from 7-8 minutes per game over the first two games to 12-14 minutes over his last two games. With no power-play time and low icetime, I'm not banking on this being sustainable. However, Koepke has averaged three hits per game, so there might be something there in deeper bangers leagues.

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With a goal and an assist on Saturday, JJ Peterka has goals in three consecutive games. Over those three games, Peterka has four goals and five points. Peterka has played 20 minutes in back-to-back games while on the top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, so they view him as an elite option. Peterka is still available in over 60 percent of Yahoo leagues, so check on his availability if you play in a shallow to mid-sized league.

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Chris Kreider scored two goals in the Rangers' 4-1 win over Toronto. Kreider now has five goals in five games, although he has yet to pick up an assist. Kreider is also averaging over three shots per game, which should help him continue to score even if he can't score at a goal per game.

Igor Shesterkin stopped 34 of 35 shots he faced. He has quality starts in three of his four games, allowing only two combined goals over those three quality starts. His other game was a six-goal really bad start.

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Cole Caufield scored a pair of goals in the Canadiens' shootout loss to the Islanders. Caufield now has six goals in six games but just one assist. He is averaging over three shots per game, so he appears to be in a great spot to reach 30 goals for the first time in his career.

Anthony Duclair left Saturday's game with a possible leg injury. Islanders coach Patrick Roy did not provide an update on Duclair after the game.

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Joey Daccord was happy picking up the win and quality start in the late game over Calgary. Hopefully he didn’t pick up an injury as well.

Goalies, man. pic.twitter.com/s9gyhAbLP5

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 20, 2024

Here’s hoping your team didn’t/doesn’t fall flat this week!

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