It was a quiet night in the NHL on Sunday with just one game on slate, with the Rangers hosting the Capitals, however it turned out to be a big one for any fantasy manager who took a late-week swing on Charlie Lindgren. In his season debut, he stopped all 35 shots for the shutout, stealing a 1-0 win for Washington. Anthony Beauvillier scored the only goal, with Declan Chisholm and Alex Ovechkin picking up the helpers.

The Rangers turned to Jonathan Quick, who was fine with 20 saves, but fine does not win you games when your team cannot score. This is actually the first time in franchise history the Rangers been shut out in back-to-back home games to start a season, not exactly the kind of trivia you want associated with your name.

What makes it worse is New York was not flat. They outshot and outplayed the Capitals but could not get past Lindgren. Mika Zibanejad led the Rangers with seven SOG, but no luck. It was one of those nights where effort does not always show up on the scoreboard.

While we are on the Ranger talk, Igor Shesterkin has had a solid season start looking like he is already in mid-season form. Through three starts, he has allowed just two goals, posted a .976 save percentage, a 0.67 GAA, and already has a shutout in his pocket. In watching the Rangers games, there is no scrambling and looks very comfortable in each play. Teams are getting one look and that's it. No rebounds and no chaos. In a smalls sample size, the Rangers are looking structured in front of him. If New York keeps giving him even decent support, he is on an early path toward a very strong campaign.

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Former Rangers, Chris Kreider may be getting back to his old form but this time with the Ducks. Kreider posted two goals in Saturday evenings shootout with the San Jose Sharks. This was an old school run and gun style game with no defense. There are going to be a lot of up and downs with this Anaheim team but Chris Kreider's transition to Anaheim looks exactly like what the Ducks were hoping for, a veteran finisher who can immediately elevate their pace and give their young forwards a north-south anchor.

Even this early, Kreider's impact is showing. He is still playing that hard-nosed, a net-front style Anaheim has not really had in years. His presence will help create space for his linemates and makes the power play more dangerous. Both of his goals so far came from close in, on rebounds, right in his wheelhouse and his hands around the crease are still sharp. He is rostered in under 20% of Yahoo! leagues, which feels low. If Anaheim's power play continues to click, Kreider has the potential to chip in solid value for fantasy rosters this season.

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Injury trouble already for New Jersey, as Evgenii Dadonov heads to IR with a fractured hand suffered on opening night, according to Amanda Stein. The Devils had a tough go last season with injuries to the lineup, and it is starting to feel like deja vu. The missing players this year may not be key pieces like last year, but they are still creating noticeable gaps and impacting the team's depth. Dadonov had just been inserted on the top line with Hughes and Bratt to start the regular season and that experiment barely got going. Ondrej Palat slides up to replace him.

The team is already missing Stefan Noesen, a key contributor on their first power-play unit and a source of grit in the lineup. Adding Dadonov's absence on top of that is a hit. I was one of the few pegging the Devils to win the Metro this year, but that prediction leaned heavily on them staying healthy. Two games in, that now feels like a stretch.

On the backend, Luke Hughes is making his new contract look like it was worth every penny. He has started the season with two assists in back-to-back games while playing over 20 minutes a night.  His power play usage over two games has averaged over three minutes after averaging just 1:38 last season. That is solid deployment if, it sticks. Hamilton is still in the picture so we may see some back and forth with this one, nonetheless, it is a positive sign.

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Two games in and Zeev Buium is already being treated like a veteran. He is averaging 22:25 a night, with a massive 5:19 TOI on the power play, and he chipped in two points on five shots. That kind of deployment is rare for a rookie defenseman, most guys his age are lucky to crack 16 minutes in sheltered matchups. The Wild are not easing him in, but rather, they are giving him the green light to make an impact. If he keeps riding shotgun on a power play where Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy have already stacked 12 points collectively in two games, he is exactly what the Wild have been missing all these years on the back end.

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If you missed out on any of the major Tampa player during your draft, Oliver Bjorkstrand might be a player available on your waiver wire who is quietly muscling his way into relevancy on Tampa's power play unit alongside Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Jake Guentzel. Early line data already shows that the Lightning's top-unit forward usage has included Bjorkstrand. There is a chance that Bjorkstrand and Hagel may trade places on the both powerplays from time to time but it is still a positive to see Bjorkstrand getting that early look. Small sample or not, you do not stumble into that kind of assignment by accident. Tampa is testing him as a finishing piece and if he sticks on PP1, even for half the season, that is a decent waiver wire add in your fantasy leagues especially with the power play points that come attached to it. His even-strength trio with Yanni Gourde and Mitchell Chaffee has not produced much yet. If this setup holds even marginally, he is going to be one of those players whose fantasy value hinges entirely on his powerplay TOI, but those minutes are coming with the best possible company.

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In three games, Frank Nazar has already posted five points (1G, 4A) while adding 7 shots, 3 hits, and 3 blocked shots, showing he is willing to contribute across all areas of the ice. He has averaged 19:53 minutes per game, including 3:50 TOI on the power play, where he is seeing 66.4% of the team's opportunities. He is currently rostered in 30% of Yahoo! leagues and is definitely worth the look.

Teammate Sam Rinzel has built up some solid momentum in his game as well. In three contests, he has averaged 23:26 minutes per night, which is a massive vote of confidence for a rookie defenseman. He has already picked up a goal on five shots, thrown a hit, and blocked seven shots, all while splitting his usage between even-strength work and a power play TOI. Those are solid early season numbers for Rinzel.

What stands out visually is how composed he looks. He does not panic under pressure and right now, he is very much in "foundation mode", steady more than flashy. Anyone getting 23 minutes a night this early in their career is worth the look on your roster.

We have 10 games on slate Monday; make sure you set your lineups!

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!