Happy Halloween! Hope your fantasy team has had more treats than tricks so far. As you search the contents of your Halloween bag (or your kid's bag!) to separate the quality candy from the undesirable kind, let's do the same for our fantasy teams.

Martin Necas has been bringing the full-size chocolate bars for his fantasy teams recently. In the Hurricanes' 8-2 onslaught of the Bruins, Necas scored a goal and added three assists for four points, three of which were on the power play. Necas has piled up 12 points over his last five games, with eight of his 15 points this season on the man advantage. It doesn't matter that his most frequent even-strength linemates have been Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jack Roslovic, and Eric Robinson – Necas is finding ways to produce with anyone. With just over two shots per game and a 26.3 SH%, Necas will cool down. But as long as he stays on that top power play, he should be fine.

Roslovic and Andrei Svechnikov each scored a pair of goals for the Canes. Roslovic has now scored four goals over his last four games. He also took a season-high six shots on Thursday while playing on a line with Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. He's a definite possibility in deeper leagues because he's available in just about every Yahoo league out there.

Jeremy Swayman has mainly been a bag of tricks for fantasy teams. After allowing six goals on 22 shots to the Canes, he has as many really bad starts as quality starts (3 of each). Swayman should have been expected to stumble out of the gate after being absent from training camp. He should get back on track at some point, but I already thought he was being drafted too high in Yahoo leagues (ADP 32), and that was even before his contract situation dragged out.

Charlie McAvoy has been ghosting fantasy teams recently, as he has been held off the scoresheet for nine games and counting. With just three points in 11 games, McAvoy was moved onto the second power play on Thursday, with Mason Lohrei being moved up to the top spot. Unless Lohrei can take the job and run with it, McAvoy is probably back on there at some point. Until then, those rostering McAvoy might just have to stay patient that he can work through his issues, which seem to extend beyond scoring at the moment.

With an assist on Thursday, Elias Lindholm broke his own seven-game point drought. Lindholm has a golden opportunity in front of him in Boston, but it could be taking some time for him to adjust to the Bruins' system. That being said, he has been on a 40-50-point pace extending back to last season, so maybe he's still overvalued a bit.

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Are the Washington Capitals a trick or a treat? With a 6-3 win over Montreal, the Capitals share the top winning percentage in the Metropolitan Division with the Hurricanes. Alex Ovechkin scored a goal and two assists, giving him five points over his last two games. With 10 points in nine games, Ovechkin is proving once again that reports of his demise are premature.

Tom Wilson put the scare into his multicategory league opponents with a Gordie Howe hat trick and five shots on goal. He didn't win the fight, but who wins a fight doesn't factor into the penalty minute total.

Connor McMichael has been an unexpected treat for fantasy teams. With a goal on Thursday, McMichael has 10 points in nine games this season. More recently, he has fired 15 shots over his last two games. He was also moved onto the top power play on Thursday, which is worth watching if he can build on that. McMichael does have some advanced stats (12.9 5-on-5 SH%, 4.0 PTS/60) that suggest a regression is on the way, but the recent increase in shots and power-play time could help offset that. The former first-round pick is rostered in just 13 percent of Yahoo leagues, but expect that number to climb.

Cole Caufield has a four-game goal streak, 10 goals on the season, and 18 goals in his last 21 games. The signs of a goal breakout have been there if you have been paying attention.

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In the final year of his $11 million per season contract, John Tavares might not provide that much of a discount next season. Tavares followed up a hat trick on Monday with two assists on Thursday, giving him nine points over a current six-game point streak and 11 points in 10 games. Tavares has also increased his shot rate slightly from 3.5 SOG/GP last season to 3.7 SOG/GP this season, although his 5-on-5 SH% has increased significantly to 16.6%. Expect him to regress a bit, but not in a huge way.

A NO-LOOK PASS FROM HIS KNEES 🤯

John Tavares, that's just ridiculous… pic.twitter.com/mOwqbipFo1

— NHL (@NHL) November 1, 2024

In the Leafs' 4-1 win over Seattle, William Nylander scored a pair of goals on six shots. He now has five points over his last two games after being held without a point in his previous three games.

Max Pacioretty has four assists over his last two games while on the Tavares-Nylander line. There's still a bit of life left in his fantasy value.

Vince Dunn's injury has resulted in more opportunity for Ryker Evans in Seattle. Brandon Montour also missed Thursday's game because of the birth of his child, so Evans was on the top power play while logging 25 minutes of icetime. With seven points in 11 games, Evans is at least a solid short-term pickup with long-term keeper value. However, his usage might take a hit once both Montour and Dunn return.

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The Penguins have been a nightmare recently, having been held without a win in six games prior to Thursday. Yet Sidney Crosby scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, to break that slump with a 2-1 win over Anaheim.

We need to have another word about Lukas Dostal. Even though he did not pick up a win on Thursday, Dostal made 44 saves, giving him his sixth consecutive quality start. Dostal also leads the league with 275 saves. I've said once or twice that goalies that pickup wins while killing your ratios in the process are empty calories for your fantasy roster. Dostal has been the opposite of that – the healthy snack that you need after consuming all of that Halloween candy. I don't expect a ton of wins from Dostal, but his season numbers (1.99 GAA, .945 SV%) are remarkable in an era in which the following is happening:

It's only October, but the league's average save percentage hasn't dipped below .900 since 1995-96 (.898). As of Tuesday, though, it's at .897!

Pretty wild to think about. Will this fantasy season be #ZeroG or straight-up #HeroG? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/7CfXto6AyE

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) October 31, 2024

Of course, a potential John Gibson return at some point would cut into Dostal's workload. Yet given Gibson's numbers in recent seasons, I have a hard time thinking that Dostal will simply hand over the starting job to Gibson when the veteran returns. I’m hoping that’s the case, as he’s arguably my best waiver-wire pickup so far this season.

Trevor Zegras has been an anchor for fantasy teams the same way that a rock is in a Halloween bag. However, Zegras broke a six-game stretch without a point with an assist on Thursday. Let's be honest: at this point, he's more of a potential streamer for all those off-days on the Anaheim schedule than someone who should be rostered on fantasy teams. If Zegras is traded as rumors have suggested, then he won't even have that anymore. Since Zegras is still only 23 years of age, it still feels like he has some untapped potential.

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The Edmonton/Nashville game was filled with players who have been tricking fantasy teams with lower-than-expected production. On Thursday, did any of these players finally provide some treats?

Let's start with Zach Hyman. At long last, he scored his first goal of the season! Hyman had not scored a goal in his first 10 games, and he has only one assist this season. Frightening. Not having Connor McDavid puts even more pressure on Hyman to score. A drop of nearly a shot per game is partially to blame, although his current 3.3 SH% and 7.0 5-on-5 SH% are also contributing to the problem. Hyman makes for a decent buy-low target, although expecting another 50-goal season should not have been in your projections.

Like Hyman, Viktor Arvidsson scored his first goal of the season on Thursday. One of Arvidsson's issues has been lack of shots, but he picked up on that in this game with five shots. He has been playing alongside Leon Draisaitl recently, which should mean that some points will come. However, his other three points (all assists) came in one game, which means he has points in just two of his 11 games this season. That's spooky clown ugly.

By being bumped up to the top power play on Thursday, Mattias Ekholm is the house that lets you pick extra Halloween candy out of their bowl. The McDavid injury means that the Oilers are trying an unexpected 3 F – 2 D top unit. Players like Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner haven't scored enough to grab that spot. In addition, only Draisaitl and McDavid have more points among Oilers than Ekholm (9 PTS in 11 GP). Of course, this power-play arrangement won't stick once McDavid returns.

No points for Steven Stamkos on Thursday, which means that he has just two assists over his last five games. Stamkos' struggles in his first season in Nashville have been well-documented, as he has scored just one goal in 10 games. Big chip bag, but lots of air inside, which takes up space in the bigger Halloween bag. I still expect Stamkos to find his form eventually, but it's clear that an adjustment period is needed.

Draisaitl led the Oilers with two goals and an assist in their 5-1 win in Nashville.

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The NHL hasn't proven to be nearly as easy to Will Smith as previous levels of hockey have. After being held without a point in his first eight games along with a few healthy scratches, Smith scored his first two goals of the season on Thursday. Smith is only 19 years of age, so some patience is needed if he is on your keeper league team.

The San Jose power play is suddenly of interest. The recently acquired Timothy Liljegren was not in the lineup on Thursday, so Jake Walman kept his spot on the top unit for their lone power play opportunity. Walman added another assist on Thursday, giving him seven points in three games this week alone. Only one of his nine points has been on the power play, so despite the recent run of production he is likely not the long-term answer on the power play. Walman seems to only be in this spot because of the lack of other options for the rebuilding Sharks.

Regardless of whether he remains on the top power play, Walman appears to be in line to receive a ton of minutes for the Sharks, so he could offer something in peripherals along with a bit of scoring at the very least. Meanwhile, Liljegren is a wild card who appears to be at a critical juncture in his career. He showed signs of something in Toronto, but for whatever reason didn't seem like a Craig Berube kind of player. If Liljegren can prove to the San Jose coaching staff that he should remain in the lineup on a nightly basis, then he is a strong possibility to quarterback their top power play.

Fantasy Take: Liljegren Sent to San Jose

Break up the Sharks! After being held without a win in their first nine games, they have now won three games in a row thanks to their 3-2 win against Chicago late Thursday night.

Ryan Donato scored another goal on Thursday, which gives him five goals in his last five games. He has a 42.9 SH%, so of course he won't keep up this pace.

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Another possible trick if you're not prepared: The Florida/Dallas game starts today (Friday) at 2 pm ET/11 am PT, as it is the Global Series game from Finland. Make sure your lineup is set by then.

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