Hi, it's Ian, filling in for Alex today.

On Tuesday, the NHL promoted its first Frozen Frenzy in which all 32 teams play on the same night. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense because it's a day that the NHL can (mostly) have to itself on the North American sports landscape. The World Series doesn't start until Friday, the NFL doesn't usually play on Tuesdays… oh wait, the NBA has its opening night… but it's just two games… but one of them involves a famous father and his son playing together in a regular-season game for the first time. Ah… hockey has been there and done that with the Howes.

For me, Frozen Frenzy is an information overload to try to catch the most fantasy-relevant storylines to include here. For you (and also for me), it's a day where you might have some tough decisions on who to start and who to leave on your bench.  

You may have also noticed some games starting at 15 minutes or 45 minutes past the hour, which is the league staggering its start times so that a game starts every 15 minutes. We are already used to games starting at different times, so I don't know if this has much effect in fantasy leagues. But let me know if it did for you.

The Frozen Frenzy "event" also explains why Monday and Wednesday feature only one game each. We know that teams can play back-to-backs, but travel and arena availability also have to be factored in. It's not ideal for those of us who try to take advantage of the light days, but remember that Bettman and company don't care about your fantasy team.

In the spirit of Frozen Frenzy, I'll provide at least a brief recap of something that happened in all 16 games. No deep dives today.

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How about a fight to begin?

We're not even five minutes in… 😅 pic.twitter.com/HqlPVfJ5Ra

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 22, 2024

Here's an idea for fantasy leagues. If certain leagues allow for team goaltending, why not have a category for team shorthanded goals? If that were the case, you might have won your week if you picked the Capitals, who scored two shorthanded goals in the first period. Much to the chagrin of John Tortorella, Nic Dowd and Andrew Mangiapane each scored a shorthanded goal in the first period.

John Carlson (1 G) and Dylan Strome (1 A) each extended their point streaks to five games. Both have been scoring at over a point per game to start the season.

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Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after two periods after allowing five goals on 16 shots to the Wild. Goalie Bob has now allowed at least three goals in each of his past four games. In a game I watched involving the Panthers last week, I thought Bobrovsky looked sharp. However, I wonder if the fatigue of going to the Stanley Cup Final for two consecutive seasons is starting to catch up to him.

Matthew Tkachuk returned to the Panthers' lineup on Tuesday, recording one assist.

Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello, and Kirill Kaprizov each collected two points. Jake Middleton and his mustache picked up three assists.

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Among the Lightning's eight goals against New Jersey was a natural hat trick for Brandon Hagel. Even though Hagel has finally found himself on the top power play this week, all three goals and the assist were at even strength. Hagel is off to a tremendous start with eight points in six games, with none of those points on the power play. His value could really take off if he sticks on PP1.

Darren Raddysh, who was moved off the top power play for Hagel, was scratched for Tuesday's game. Raddysh had been a minus-3 in Monday's loss to the Leafs. The Lightning had used Raddysh on the power play because he is a right-handed shot. The Bolts were hoping he could replicate Steven Stamkos' one-timer on the power play, but so far Raddysh has no power-play points and one even-strength assist in five games this season.

Anthony Cirelli chiped in four assists, including on all three of Hagel's goals. Victor Hedman scored two goals, while J.J. Moser scored a goal and added two assists.

In a losing cause, Timo Meier scored a pair of goals. Meier now has nine points in nine games, including six points over his last three games. He has been productive even though he has been bumped off the Devils' top power play in favor of Stefan Noesen.

By the way, Noesen scored a power play goal, which also gives him nine points in nine games and a share of the team scoring lead with Meier. Noesen has been a top power-play option in the past for his net-front presence, so his first 40-point season is not out of the question. Since Noesen usually takes fewer than two shots per games, I wouldn't expect him to break out in a huge way. I would consider him more of a pickup in deeper leagues or a possible streamer in leagues that count hits and power-play points.

Jack Hughes scored a goal and added two assists on Tuesday. Those were his first points in three games.

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The Matt Savoie/Ryan McLeod trade was roundly criticized from a Sabres standpoint when it was announced. However, Sabres fans have to be happy with what they've seen from McLeod so far. With a goal on Tuesday, McLeod has goals in four consecutive games and a five-game point streak. Being used in more of a third-line role, McLeod shouldn't suddenly be considered a breakout candidate. But he might be valuable to the Sabres in real life, and they could always use that.

Owen Power picked up three assists, giving him five points over his last three games.

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In the Rangers' 7-2 rout of Montreal, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko each contributed three points. Chytil and Kakko formed an effective third line with Will Cuylle of 25-and-under forwards. Third line on the Rangers isn't as bad as it sounds, as the Blueshirts have been piling up the goals recently (31 goals over the last six games). At over five goals per game, the Rangers have the top offense in the league. Avoid them if you are thinking about starting a fringe goalie against them.

Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko line at 5v5 this season….

Goals are 7-0 NYR
Inner Slot Shots are 15-5 NYR
Expected Goals % over 70%

— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) October 23, 2024

In the Habs' loss, Nick Suzuki scored a pair of goals. Suzuki has seven points over his last five games.

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The Leafs were hoping that Dennis Hildeby could give them one quality start while they wait for Joseph Woll to be ready. Hildeby wasn't up to the task, allowing six goals in a loss to the Blue Jackets. However, the Leafs looked like a team that had played the night before, also allowing 38 shots. Hildeby seems due to return to the AHL once Woll returns. Woll will be in a tough battle for starts with Anthony Stolarz, who is giving the Leafs the kind of goaltending (5 GP, 1.83 GAA, .938 SV%) they haven't received in what seems like decades. Stolarz has quality starts in each of his five games and has not allowed more than two goals in a game.

For the Blue Jackets, Mathieu Olivier scored a pair of goals, while Justin Danforth scored a goal and added two assists.

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Goaltending was a major question mark for the Red Wings entering the season, but they received the goaltending that they needed on Tuesday. Alex Lyon stopped all 29 shots he faced against the Islanders for his first shutout of the season. Lyon now has quality starts in back-to-back games, making a strong case to be the Wings' starting goalie over Cam Talbot.

Patrick Kane's first goal of the season was the only goal of the game.

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Six games, six wins for Winnipeg. The Jets are still the league's only undefeated team, taking the Blues by a score of 3-2. Not surprisingly, Connor Hellebuyck leads the league in wins with five.

Following a four-point outburst on Friday, Cole Perfetti was held off the scoresheet on Sunday. However, he was back on Tuesday with three assists. Perfetti already has seven points in six games, but he has points in only two of his six games. That's either feast or famine, but those are the kinds of swings a young player could have. It may all be fine in the end, but a lot of games with nothing can be frustrating.

Brandon Saad scored both of the Blues' goals, which were his first points of the season.

The Blues have signed Jake Neighbours to a two-year extension with a cap hit of $3.75 million. Neighbours is coming off a 27-goal season at just age 22, so the Blues were wise to get him locked up for two more years beyond this one.

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J.T. Miller was a game-time decision for Tuesday's game after he missed Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury. Not only did he play, but he scored a power-play goal and added two assists. Miller played in only one preseason game after he said he had been battling something, so don't be surprised if he takes a game or two off soon. Even though he is not afraid of the physical game, Miller has missed only four games over the past three seasons.  

As a reward for his recent play, Conor Garland was moved up to the top power play. Garland scored a goal along with a power-play assist, giving him six points over his last six games. Garland now has 24 points over his last 24 regular-season games, dating back to last season. He's lost some fantasy value since he was traded from Arizona to Vancouver, but signs are pointing to his value picking up again.

Danton Heinen scored a pair of goals for the Canucks. He has taken three shots in back-to-back games. With four points in six games, Heinen is providing solid secondary scoring.

Philipp Kurashev was a healthy scratch for this game. Kurashev was often a linemate of Connor Bedard last season, but the Blackhawks have picked up more depth this season to ensure that Bedard doesn't have to do everything himself. The addition of Teuvo Teravainen in particular seems to have hurt Kurashev, who has just a single goal in six games. The Blackhawks may be a better team this season if they're not just trying to get warm bodies into the lineup.

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Is there a goalie controversy in Colorado? Justus Annunen made 25 saves in the Avalanche's 3-2 win over Seattle. Annunen has now picked up wins and quality starts in back-to-back games. Alexandar Georgiev's struggles (5 GP, 4.99 GAA, .811 SV%) have been well documented, so Jared Bednar could turn to Annunen again on Thursday against Utah. Then the Avs have back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday. The time off could help Georgiev.

Joel Kiviranta scored a pair of goals for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon (1 G) and Cale Makar (2 A) each extended their point streaks to seven games.

No points for Ross Colton. Time to drop him. I'm kidding. His three shots and four hits still helped your multicategory team. He's worth rostering as long as he's on the MacKinnon/Rantanen line.

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Oh look, the Predators have finally won a game, and it was even a shutout! Juuse Saros stopped all 33 shots he faced in the 4-0 win over Boston. It goes without saying that this was also Saros' first win of the season, even though it was his third quality start in five games. Despite the Preds' struggles, Saros' season numbers are still very respectable, which is a good sign. No need to panic if he is on your roster.

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Being back in Carolina is agreeing with Shayne Gostisbehere. With a goal on Tuesday, Ghost Bear now has goals in four consecutive games and power-play goals in three consecutive games. He is also on the top power play ahead of the aging Brent Burns.

Martin Necas scored a goal and added two assists in the Canes' 3-2 win in Edmonton. With everyone in action, I had to make some hard start/sit decisions. Yep, Necas was on my bench. It was bound to happen, that's all I'll say.

Connor McDavid scored both of the Oilers' goals in this game.

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Linus Ullmark seemed ready to return to the Senators' lineup on Tuesday from a strain, but then… he still wasn't ready. No problem for Anton Forsberg, who pitched a 31-save shutout against Utah after being called into action again. Forsberg had allowed at least three goals in each of his previous three games, so you can't be blamed if you decided to pass on him as a potential stream.

Brady Tkachuk scored one of the Senators' goals. That gives him goals in three consecutive games. Tkachuk also contributed five hits.

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With Ullmark out of commission for me, I was forced to pivot to a waiver-wire option. My pick? Lukas Dostal. Results-wise, Forsberg would have been ideal, but Dostal came through for me in stopping 27 of 28 shots in a win over the Sharks. Taking over as the starter for the injured John Gibson, Dostal has quality starts in four of his five games. Only Jacob Markstrom has piled up more saves than Dostal, who has a solid .936 SV%. Prior to Tuesday, Dostal had faced a minimum of 30 shots in his previous four games, including 49 shots against Colorado on Friday. Even though the Ducks are still in their rebuild, I'm okay with recommending Dostal.

In his sixth game of the season, Cutter Gauthier picked up his first two points of the season (both assists). He has yet to score a regular-season NHL goal.

Following Nashville's win, the Sharks are the only team left that have yet to win a game (0-5-2).

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I watched a portion of the Pittsburgh/Calgary game, and I'm having a hard time finding one player that stood out statistically. How about one that stood out in the game? Sure, let's go with Nazem Kadri. The Flames center scored the game-tying goal with less than a minute left to play. That goal broke a three-game point drought for him.

NAZEM KADRI TIES THE GAME WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT! 😳

Watch OT on SN1 or stream on Sportsnet+. 📺 pic.twitter.com/XmK0WtUk0v

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 23, 2024

The Flames' hot start (5-0-1) continues, as they eventually won the game in a shootout. Dustin Wolf has wins in all three of his games this season, facing over 30 shots in each of those three games. He's taking turns with Dan Vladar, which is something I'd expect to continue. I don't know how long the Flames will continue to play as well as they have, but Wolf is a reason and has been better than expected (2.30 GAA, .936 SV%).  

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Yawn… waiting for the Kings and Golden Knights to finish, and I live on the West Coast. Tomas Hertl had quite the game, scoring two goals along with two assists. He entered this game with a modest seven points in 12 games as a Golden Knight. This game could go a long way in asserting his value for Vegas, who had to walk away from Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson to fit Hertl in this offseason after they acquired him at the trade deadline.

Mark Stone and Alex Pietrangelo each had three points for the Golden Knights.

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