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Cole Hutson D | WAS
Capitals' Cole Hutson: Flexes shot in win
Hutson scored twice and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Predators.
Hutson showed the value in his shot in this contest. He picked a corner on his first goal and then tallied again in the second period to put the Capitals ahead 3-2. This was his first career multi-goal game and the first multi-point effort of his campaign. Hutson has four goals, three helpers, 25 shots on net, 12 hits, eight blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-4 rating across 12 appearances this season.
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Anthony Cirelli C | TB
Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Three-point effort in win
Cirelli had a goal and two assists in Thursday's 6-4 win over Winnipeg.
His first helper was Cirelli's 200th in the NHL. He has four goals, four assists, eight hits, seven blocks and 17 shots in 12 games, which puts him on a mid-50s point pace. Add on Cirelli's face-off success (116 FW) so far, and you have an solid mid-level fantasy play in deep formats.
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Charlie Lindgren G | WAS
Capitals' Charlie Lindgren: Picks up win over Predators
Lindgren stopped 24 of 27 shots in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Predators.
Lindgren earned his third straight win with this performance. He's given up at least three goals in each of his victories this season, but this was a good result on the second half of a back-to-back. He also has a hard-luck loss on his ledger. Lindgren should continue to see backup duties behind Logan Thompson, who returned from a brief absence Wednesday versus the Flyers. The Capitals' next game is a big test when they host the Wild on Sunday.
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Brandon Hagel LW | TB
Lightning's Brandon Hagel: Model of consistency
Hagel had a goal and two assists in a 6-4 win over the Jets on Thursday.
Hagel netted the winner in the last minute of the second period. He has been the model of consistency this season. Hagel has 16 points, including eight goals, in 12 games, and his 55 shots make him on a pace to fire 345 over the season. That's a total that would obliterate his career mark of 228. Hagel has put up points in nine of his 12 games, but just three of his points have come with the man advantage. The Bolts have the 26th best power play (16.3 percent) this season, so there's real opportunity for improvement for both the team and Hagel in that category.
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Pontus Holmberg RW | TB
Lightning's Pontus Holmberg: Career point mark in win
Holmberg had one goal and three assists in a 6-4 win over Winnipeg on Thursday.
It was the first time Holmberg delivered four points in his NHL career. He entered the game with three goals and three assists in 11 games. Holmberg skated with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, who praised the winger after the game. "He kind of plays exactly like us," said Hagel. "He's like a Swiss Army knife. You can almost compare him and Tony a little bit. He's always had that offensive skill. We ask him to do whatever and he's going to do it." Holmberg caught lightning in a bottle Thursday, but at the same time, skating with Hagel and Cirelli is the kind of pinch-me deployment that could deliver more points sooner rather than later. He has two goals, three assists and five shots in his last two contests.
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Spencer Knight G | CHI
Blackhawks' Spencer Knight: Solid but needs help from mates
Knight made 27 saves in a 4-1 loss to Detroit on Thursday. He allowed three goals.
This loss was not on Knight -- his team coughed up yet another hairball. They opened the scoring and then pretty much stopped skating and engaging. Knight's .897 save percentage is above the NHL average of .892; he's seen the most shots (340) this season, and that trend isn't likely to change. Still, his GSAx of 2.3 means Knight is stopping more pucks that an average goalie, which means he's actively stealing goals from opponents. Knight is performing well above the environment he plays in.
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Connor Bedard C | CHI
Blackhawks' Connor Bedard: Gets team's only goal
Bedard netted a goal Thursday in a 4-1 loss to Detroit.
Bedard deflected a point shot that hit John Gibson in the pads, and then he knocked the rebound in five-hole. The young superstar is on a modest four-game, four-point (two goals, two assists) streak. Bedard can't carry this team alone, though -- the Blackhawks sit second-last in the NHL with a 4-9-0 record in 13 games.
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Alex DeBrincat RW | DET
Red Wings' Alex DeBrincat: On career pace
DeBrincat picked up two assists Thursday in a 4-1 win over Chicago.
DeBrincat is the team leader in points (15) and assists (nine) over 13 games. He has six points (one goal, five assists), including four power-play points (one PPG) in his last five contests. DeBrincat has 18 shots in that span. He's on a career pace for points (97) and shots (310).
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Brandt Clarke D | LA
Kings' Brandt Clarke: Exits with upper-body injury
Clarke (upper body) won't return to Thursday's game versus the Senators.
Clarke was ruled out for the remainder of the game early in the third period. The 23-year-old defenseman's exit may at least partially be cautionary after the tenor of the game turned contentious. Clarke will be day-to-day leading into Saturday's contest versus the Sabres.
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John Gibson G | DET
Red Wings' John Gibson: Gets win against Chicago
Gibson delivered 18 saves in a 4-1 win over Chicago on Thursday.
Gibson has lost just once in regulation in his last five games (3-1-1) , but he's 4-4-1 with a 3.15 GAA and .874 save percentage in nine starts overall. Thursday's win was just the second full-game this season where he allowed just one goal in the contest. He's allowed four or more three times and those have all occurred in his last six starts. Gibson is consistently inconsistent and that makes him an unreliable fantasy option right now.