In Sunday’s matinee, the Florida Panthers came away with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, with Lars Eller scoring the game-winner late in the third of an Aaron Ekblad assist. The score does not tell the whole story, as Spencer Knight faced 33 shots while Akira Schmid saw just 21.

Chicago had plenty of opportunities to win this game but couldn’t capitalize on seven power-play chances, including two five-on-three opportunities. The Blackhawks’ power-play conversion rate has now dropped to 8.33%, the worst in the NHL.

Ryan Greene scored his first goal of the season, while Roman Kantserov registered his fourth, with Patrick Kane and Connor Bedard collecting the assists. I mentioned Kantserov as a waiver option a couple of weeks ago, and the upside is still there. However, if Chicago continues to struggle, don’t be surprised to see the lines shaken up. Kane also picked up an assist, leaving him just two shy of 900 career assists.

Matthew Tkachuk ended a six-game goal drought with a power-play marker, assisted by Seth Jones and brother Brady Tkachuk. Despite the slow start in the goal department, he’s been producing, recording 11 points in his last six games, including a five-assist outing against Columbus.

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Jason Robertson led the way for Dallas with two goals, extending his point streak to four games with three goals and five assists over that stretch. Roope Hintz picked up two assists, both on Robertson’s goals, while Wyatt Johnston added a goal and an assist. Tyler Seguin also finished with a multi-point outing, recording a goal and an assist, while Mikko Rantanen scored his sixth goal of the season.

On the Islanders’ side, Matthew Schaefer scored during four-on-four play and logged a team-high 26:16 of ice time.

Teammates Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn scored the other two goals for New York, while Bo Horvat recorded two assists, two shots and 19:18 of ice time. Horvat also won seven of 12 faceoffs, for those leagues that count faceoff wins.

In goal, Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves on 38 shots, finishing with a .842 save percentage. Jake Oettinger had a much quieter night, stopping 17 of 20 shots for a .850 save percentage.

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The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Connor Hellebuyck-less Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in the Heritage Classic. Lane Hutson opened the scoring off a slick passing sequence from Noah Dobson and Cole Caufield, who had a strong night of his own, recording assists on both Montreal goals. Kaiden Guhle scored the game-winner, with Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky picking up the assists.

LANE HUTSON OPENS THE SCORING AT THE #HERITAGECLASSIC! 🔵⚪🔴

🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports ➡️ https://t.co/qAjIlD26Mn
🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @hbomax ➡️ https://t.co/usQtBgmn31 pic.twitter.com/udJLzBOxVp

— NHL (@NHL) October 26, 2026

Jacob Fowler was the difference-maker, stopping 32 of 33 shots to help Montreal secure the win. Winnipeg outshot the Canadiens 33-21 but couldn’t generate enough offence to overcome Fowler’s strong performance.  Not for a lack of trying, Kyle Connor finished with five shots on goal, while Mark Scheifele led the way with six. Unfortunately for the Jets, neither was able to find the back of the net.

For Winnipeg, Isak Rosen scored the lone goal, with Gabriel Vilardi and Hayden Fleury recording the assists.

Through his first six games, Fowler now has a 5-1 record, a 1.79 GAA and a .924 SV%, making for an impressive start to his season.

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It was a tough night for the Colorado Avalanche, as the Predators scored four power-play goals while Colorado went 0-for-6 with the man advantage.

Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos led the way offensively, scoring two goals apiece and finishing with four and three points, respectively. Filip Forsberg added a goal and an assist, while Roman Josi chipped in with three assists.

Former Avalanche forward Jack Drury also found the back of the net against his former team.

Jack Drury scores against his former team and the Preds are TAKING IT to the Avs 4-0 😱😳 pic.twitter.com/0LnHaEg2k9

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 26, 2026

For Colorado, Martin Necas recorded two assists, setting up goals by Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews, while Nathan MacKinnon added an assist. Lehkonen scored late in the second period before Toews found the net early in the third.

Juuse Saros got the night off, with Justus Annunen getting the start and picking up the win, stopping 19 of the 21 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood had a much busier night for Colorado, making 29 saves while allowing six goals.

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Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild faced his former team and came out on top with a 4-2 win over the Canucks, but not before Canucks fans started chanting "HE'S NOT SINGING" in the first period. Gotta love hockey fans!

Hughes finished the game with a goal and an assist, including a power-play marker that also happened to be his 500th career point. He also assisted on Kirill Kaprizov's third-period goal.

QUINN HUGHES SCORES IN HIS RETURN TO VANCOUVER AND SILENCES THE CROWD 🚨

It's also his 500th career NHL point 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qDfy5wDGq1

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 26, 2026

Maxim Shabanov notched two goals and an assist for a three-point night. Shabanov has seen a mix of linemates at 5v5 so far this season but has been a fixture on Minnesota's top power-play unit. That's something to consider if you're looking for power-play production, as six of his eight points have come with the man advantage.

Matt Boldy also picked up an assist on Shabanov's power-play goal, while Kaprizov finished with a goal and an assist.

Vancouver, as expected, struggled to generate much offence through the first two periods but showed some life late in the game. Max Sasson scored in the third period before Brock Boeser added another goal later on. Elias Pettersson assisted on Boeser's goal, while Filip Hronek picked up an assist on Sasson's marker.

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Waiver Wire Targets

Continuing on with the weekly tradition, here are some waiver options for the upcoming week and potentially going forward.

Luke Evangelista (LW/RW) – 38% owned

The excitement around the Devils is understandable with the addition of Connor Hellebuyck. While he has not suited up for New Jersey just yet, you can already see an extra pep in their step. Having Hellebuyck between the pipes will provide a sense of security on the back end, allowing the team to take a few extra chances knowing they have a netminder who can bail them out. Looking ahead, I wouldn't be surprised to see an uptick in roster percentages for Devils players, particularly those available on the waiver wire. Luke Evangelista and Arseny Gritsyuk are two names worth targeting, but I would prioritize Evangelista given his deployment on the top power-play unit and his additional 1:30 of ice time per game compared to Gritsyuk. For the short-term the Devils play just three games this week, with two coming on lighter nights, although those matchups are against Colorado and Vegas so they  will not be easy. Through eight games, Evangelista has seven points (3G, 4A) and is currently pacing for 74 points over a full season.

Devin Cooley (G) – 11% owned

Devin Cooley's post-game interviews have been entertaining, much like Jameis Winston's for those who follow the NFL. What's also been fun to watch is his play on the ice. Cooley has started three straight games for Calgary, winning all three while allowing just four goals. Two of those starts came against Carolina and Minnesota, where he made 36 and 39 saves, respectively. While he has not officially taken the starting job from Dustin Wolf, Cooley has been the better option lately. The Flames play four times this week, three of which are on off nights and while Calgary isn't among the NHL's worst teams, it's far from a powerhouse. Matchups against Toronto, Edmonton, Seattle and Colorado won't make for an easy week, particularly with three challenging opponents. Still, if Cooley gets three of the four starts, he could provide decent value for fantasy managers looking for a goalie to stream this week

Easton Cowan (LW) – 43% owned

Cowan has been turning heads in Toronto, recording four points over his last two games and totaling 12 points (5G, 7A) through 13 contests. While his current 78-point pace is unlikely to hold, that shouldn't stop you from adding him, especially with his top-six role at even strength. Playing alongside Jack Roslovic and Auston Matthews gives Cowan an opportunity to continue producing making a consideration as a waiver-wire pickup. Cowan is reserved to the second powerplay unit averaging just over one minute of TOI and one power-play point on the season. His improved shot generation and 5v5 production are encouraging signs and while I wouldn't expect him to maintain his current pace, he has a good chance to improve on last season's 29 points.

Matt Coronato (RW) – 6% owned

Through 10 games, Coronato has eight points (2G, 6A) and is seeing top-six minutes at even strength, which should give him opportunities to maintain his production. Looking at his underlying numbers, there are reasons to believe his goal scoring could improve. His 5v5 shooting percentage sits at 4.4%, down from 7.0% last season, while his overall shooting percentage is 8.3%, below his career average of 10.2%. If his finishing improves, we could see an uptick in goal production. However, keep in mind Calgary's struggles at controlling play will remain a concern and are unlikely to disappear overnight.   Regardless, as I mention earlier, Calgary has a favourable schedule this week with four games and he in particular is riding a hot streak. His power-play production is another positive, with five of his eight points coming on the man advantage. Given his recent production, top-six deployment and power-play usage, Coronato is worth considering as a waiver-wire look this week.

All stats courtesy of Frozentools. 

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!