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Derek Cain via Getty Images

By Evan Berofsky, RotoWire

Special to Yahoo Sports

The excitement level is high. You can almost taste those fantasy winnings.* But it's still important to check everything. Because things sometimes require attention so you're not relying on the hope it'll automatically go the way you planned.

(*I think this goes without saying, but please DO NOT actually try to taste the winnings.)

Take charge. Get it done. And check the recommendations below to see if any of them can help push you over the line.

(Rostered rates as of Apr. 4)

Forwards

Logan Cooley, UTA (Yahoo: 44%)

Other than a couple of minor drop-offs and a lower-body injury, Cooley's second season has been superb. The 56 points — including 17 on the power play — and 144 shots represent decent totals, with nine and 22 of each coming in the last 10 games. Cooley also upped his hit count during that stretch by dishing out 13 while logging big minutes and operating as Utah's top center in all attacking situations. His fantasy profile has recently been boosted by improving on faceoffs, though you're really adding him for his offense.

Mason Marchment, DAL (Yahoo: 33%)

Some probably forgot about Marchment while he was out for a month after taking a puck to the face and undergoing surgery. It may have taken him some time to get back into form, but he's been on a heater since the start of March by racking up six goals — three of those PPGs — nine assists, 32 shots and 24 hits. Based on a top-six spot with Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund while joining forces with them on the Stars' strong backup PP unit, Marchment is primed to keep the stats flowing.

Ryan McLeod, BUF (Yahoo: 9%)

McLeod pulled off a hat-trick and another three-point performance back in January, and the fantasy world didn't think much of it. Fast-forward through the next 25 contests where he reeled off 24 points, 36 shots and 217 FW on an 18:56 average that also involved two PPAs and three shorthanded goals. And all that … has barely increased McLeod's coverage numbers. He's enjoying a career year, and barely anyone is paying attention even though he's in the upper-half of the Sabres' depth chart while participating on both special-teams groups.

Trevor Zegras, ANH (Yahoo: 7%)

The fact that we've reached April for Zegras' season debut in this column speaks to how far he's fallen as a fantasy commodity since recording back-to-back 60-plus point efforts (either that or he's been really, really good). Multiple ailments destroyed his production last year and carried over to the current campaign, where inconsistency eventually turned into another significant absence.

Zegras' fortunes — other than a three-game suspension — have turned around in the form of six goals, 12 assists and 46 shots at 17:20 per outing with a 13.0 shooting percentage that's not much higher than his normal averages. He's also found the scoresheet in nine of the last 13 matchups. Zegras has started to prove he's getting back to his better days, so you may want to grab a share of this upswing.

Sean Couturier, PHI (Yahoo: 5%)

It only took the Flyers firing John Tortorella for the offense to explode, though maybe part of that has something to do with them facing three weaker defensive sides in Montreal, Buffalo and Nashville. And even before Torts was let go, Couturier had been hot by way of 12 points from 12 games in addition to 37 shots with three and 10 of each since the personnel change. He's not the only one benefiting, as linemates Matvei Michkov (48%) and Travis Konecny (92%) have been equally unstoppable of late. Yet Couturier somehow remains available in 95% of Yahoo leagues. Go figure.

Jackson Blake, CAR  (Yahoo: 5%)

It was a month and a half ago when Blake was first mentioned here on the heels of a multipoint appearance and a move up to the Canes' lead even-strength trio. He's also received time on the first power play, where he tallied four PPPs from the last five — including a pair of PPGs on Wednesday. Blake seems to be growing into his game and reaping the benefits. Maybe adding him can do the same for you.

[It's not too late — join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]

Frederick Gaudreau, MIN (Yahoo: 3%)

Joel Eriksson Ek has been out since Feb. 25, though could be back soon. In the meantime, Gaudreau has inherited a larger role with better attacking wingers while recently jumping on Minnesota's first man-advantage and delivering an assist there last Thursday. Add on adequate amounts of shots and blocks to a hefty dose of faceoff wins and major minutes, and you've got a pretty good fill-in forward.

Andre Burakovsky, SEA (Yahoo: 1%)

It's been a different type of year for Burakovsky in that he's been overlooked due to underperformance rather than a series of injuries. He's made a surge the last two weeks, notching three goals and six assists — two of the PPA variety — while skating at a modest sub-14 clip. Burakovsky plays with a few serviceable linemates at both five-on-five and while up a man, so let's see if he can keep this going the rest of the way.

Defensemen

Brandt Clarke, LA (Yahoo: 23%)

Clarke's 31 points represent a decent haul for a rookie season, yet he's struggled to retain elevated ice times while enduring a few healthy scratches. The latter hasn't come up recently as the Kings have regularly used seven defensemen, though there's always a chance. Clarke still lines up on the second power play and has posted eight PPPs, with the last one coming on Sunday. That may come in handy, as LA's remaining matchups are against opponents ranked no higher than 15th in penalty-kill percentage. Even as Drew Doughty debuted in late January, he may not be pushed too hard, as the team is fairly safe to make the playoffs. Either way, there's an opportunity for Clarke to accumulate some scoring.

Ryan McDonagh, TB (Yahoo: 16%)

Congrats to McDonagh for reaching the 1,000-game mark, and this section will focus on the last 14. During that stretch, he's produced 10 points, 15 shots, 26 blocks and a plus-6 on a 20:18 average. One of the scoring plays came on the man-advantage, yet that's not a normal occurrence for McDonagh, as he's better known for his shorthanded skills. As the Bolts are in the hunt for the Atlantic Division crown, he should be provided with enough opportunities to maintain current form.

Matt Grzelcyk, PIT (Yahoo: 5%)

Grzelcyk has eclipsed his career-high with 36 points thanks to 13 PPAs and a prominent workload that usually sees him sharing the ice with Kris Letang. He had his four-game assist streak snapped on Saturday, but has averaged 22-plus minutes the last few weeks while supplying some blocks and a couple shots/hits. Grzelcyk may not be flashy, though he's reliable — and that's what you're ultimately looking for in a fantasy player.

Dante Fabbro, CLS (Yahoo: 5%)

Fabbro had a nice run going when he was originally discussed during November soon after being acquired on waivers from Nashville. The offensive output hasn't been consistent since and there was a brief injury, yet he's mainly dependable when it comes to the physical categories. And if we look at Fabbro's last four outings, he's registered 2 goals, 5 assists, 8 shots, 4 hits, 2 blocks and a plus-6 at 20:32 per night. With an even-strength partnership alongside Zach Werenski and a secondary PP role on a team that's recently been finding the back of the net like the 1980s Oilers (or pretty much any team from that decade), Fabbro needs to be on more rosters.

Goaltenders

Cam Talbot, DET (Yahoo: 37%)

Talbot has reclaimed the No. 1 job in Detroit after Petr Mrazek initially excelled and then got hurt while Alex Lyon has been erratic all season. Despite a 1-1-1 record last week, he only allowed a total of four goals and made 76 saves. The Red Wings still have a fighting chance for a Wild Card and will probably provide Talbot with all the action he can handle until they clinch a berth or are out of contention.

James Reimer, BUF (Yahoo: 4%)

Not many could've predicted Reimer would hold fantasy relevance in 2025, though the 37-year-old has recently reappeared on the radar by notching five straight wins and starting six of the last eight. Meanwhile, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has struggled since Feb. 27, going 3-7 with a 4.26 GAA and .845 save percentage — including the last outing on Saturday, where he gave up seven goals at Philly. He may be given another chance with the Sabres long out of the playoff race, though it's tough to go away from the hot hand. And as the Buffalo offense has been surging of late, Reimer is a solid streaming option.

With the number of games remaining in the 2024-25 season down to single digits, the Anaheim Ducks took to the road for a two-game trip to Western Canada, starting on Thursday with a matchup against the Calgary Flames.

The Ducks were coming off of a shootout win on Tuesday in which they fended off a comeback from the San Jose Sharks and entered Thursday having won three of their previous four games.

The Flames came into this game hoping to remain relevant in the Western Conference wild card standings and creep within five points of the Minnesota Wild with a game in hand. They had only logged one win in their prior four games.

Brett Leason was inserted into the lineup in place of Nikita Neserenko on the fourth line. Pavel Mintyukov was given the night off as a healthy scratch in favor of Oliver Kylington, who slotted in on the left side of Drew Helleson.

John Gibson received the start in net for the Ducks in this game. He saved 23 of the 26 shots he faced before he was forced to exit the game after the second period. He has started six games since the NHL 4 Nations break and has only been able to finish half of them.

Gibson was relieved by Lukas Dostal, who saved seven of eight shots in the third period.

In net for Calgary was rookie sensation Dustin Wolf, who stopped 26 of the 27 shots Anaheim was able to get through to him.

Here are my notes from this game:

Breakout-Anaheim didn’t have much trouble connecting on first outlets out of the defensive zone, but they did have trouble manufacturing any sort of impactful offense from those passes. Calgary did well to always have an aggressive pinching defenseman down the board and a high or backtracking F3 to cover and thwart any rush threat.

The Flames were able to pounce on second passes out of the zone and quickly turn them up ice for counterattacks, keeping Anaheim’s defense on their heels.

Trevor Zegras-This was a rare undetailed effort from Zegras, especially low in the defensive zone. Because of the constant motion of the Flames’ attackers, he was often tasked with assuming traditional center responsibilities as the low forward in the defensive zone, but often lost his assignment, was late to react, and became too puck-focused away from it.

Olen Zellweger-Zellweger may have been the Ducks' best player in this game. He was playing free and active in all three zones, looking to jump into rushes and search for passing lanes. He trusted his elite skating to recover and protected the middle of the ice well.

Radko Gudas-Gudas’ lack of lateral mobility was apparent when defending Calgary’s speed on counterattacks. An adjustment to angling techniques will be necessary if he’s to limit the number of times forwards are going to drive or make moves to the outside.

He does well when making simple plays with the puck on his stick, but judgment and overcommitments without the puck often take him out of plays.

The Ducks will next travel to British Columbia to take on the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday for a 1 pm PST matinee.

"PLAYOFFS OR BUST" remains a live Rangers theme and that's a fact.

But the final make-it-or fail  result will hinge on the remaining games scheduled for the Rangers and its competitors.

Realistically, the schedule works against New York. That starts with the fact that the Montreal Canadiens won over Boston last night.

The victory leapfrogged the Habs over New York for the final Wild Card position. So, let's check out the homestretch schedule for the WC contenders from here to the Finish Line.

RANGERS: The Blueshirts are in Newark tomorrow afternoon. After that they have six more games: Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Islanders, Hurricanes, Panthers and Tampa again.

CANADIENS: Leading for the remaining Wild Card spot, Montreal next faces Nashville, Detroit, Ottawa, Toronto, Chicago and Carolina.

COLUMBUS: Having lost to Colorado, the Blue Jackets still have games in hand on their rivals. Next up for the BJ's are Toronto, Ottawa (home and home), Buffalo, Washington (home and home) followed by Philadelphia and concluding with the Islanders.

DETROIT: Carolina, Panthers, Habs, Panthers, Dallas, New Jersey and Toronto.

FORECAST: The Maven's Supreme Analyst, Jess Rubenstein, puts Montreal in the Catbird Seat and insists that the Canadiens will get the final plum.

"The Habs have the easiest schedule as they play just three playoff contenders," says Rubenstein. "Starting tomorrow in New Jersey, the Rangers will face a total of five playoff contenders.

"Columbus will have to play six of the better teams while Detroit has the worst schedule – all seven remaining games are against contenders."

With a two-game winning streak on the line tomorrow against New Jersey, the Rangers are now in "Mustwinland" – and had better have their Victory visas ready!

Otherwise it will be a question of better luck next time! And "next time" – or next year – may never be!

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have recalled forward Noah Ostlund from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans. 

Seeing Ostlund get called up to the Sabres is entirely understandable, as he has been red-hot with Rochester. The 2022 first-round pick currently has an eight-game point streak with the club, posting eight goals and five assists over that span. Furthermore, he has scored at least one goal in each of his last six AHL games.

Due to his excellent play, Ostlund was named AHL Rookie of the Month for March. In addition, he was named the AHL's Player of the Week from March 21 to March 30.

After recording just one point in his first 12 games with Rochester this season, Ostlund now has 18 goals, 17 assists, and 35 points in his last 32 games. He has been only getting better as he continues to adjust to the AHL level, and he is now getting this big opportunity with the Sabres because of it. 

It will now be intriguing to see how much of an impact Ostlund makes with the Sabres during his call-up from here. When noting that he is one of the Sabres' top prospects, he is a player fans should watch very closely. 

Recent Sabres News 

Young Sabres Forward Is Heating Up Big Time

Buffalo Sabres Send First-Round Pick Back To AHL

Ex-Sabres Star Jack Eichel Rewarded For Incredible Month

Ex-Sabres Defender Expected To Be Done For The Season

Buffalo Sabres Send Defenseman Back To AHL

Buffalo Sabres Announce Exciting Rasmus Dahlin News

Chris Chelios didn’t even know he still held the scoring record for a rookie defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens until someone brought it up to him this season as Lane Hutson kept piling up the points.

Three Takeaways From Montreal's Dominant Win Over Boston
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In an interview with Jeremy Filosa on 98.5, the former blueliner said he was impressed by the youngster, especially since today’s game is not made for defensemen, given all the rule changes that aim to increase scoring. However, he added the game's skills orientation has favoured smaller players.

Reminiscing about his rookie season, Chelios explained that he knew he was chasing Larry Murphy’s record of 76 points back then, but he started thinking about it too much and just stopped getting points. So far, that doesn’t seem to be an issue for Hutson, who’s been racking up the points at an increased rate of late, aside from being held off the scoresheet on Thursday night.

Chelios spoke about Hutson’s elite skating and called him very skilled and fun to watch. He seems genuinely happy for the youngster and for the Canadiens being in the wild card spot. The NHL coverage isn’t great in Chicago, so he cannot watch the Habs that much, but he’s keeping an eye on the Habs and their push for the playoffs.

Speaking about Team USA, Chelios explained he’s glad the Americans now have depth and options for the upcoming Olympics. He added that there will be more Olympics roster spots than the Four Nations Face-Off.

Lane Hutson yesterday when asked about breaking Chris Chelios’ Habs assist record for a rookie defenseman:

“I guess it’s cool but we’re in a pretty good playoff race, so first & foremost that’s what it’s all about. I feel like there’s so much more to do.” pic.twitter.com/6wckEINQkL

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 2, 2025

These days, the former defenseman works as an ambassador for the Chicago Blackhawks alongside Denis Savard, the player he was traded to Chicago for back in 1990. The pair attend most Blackhawks games these days, and he enjoys being with the team even though he doesn’t have a hockey operations role.

At the end of the interview, he added that if the Canadiens want to fly him around like the league does with Wayne Gretzky as the watch for Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin breaking his goal-scoring record goes on, he would like to be there when Hutson beats his record.

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. 

Three top Philadelphia Flyers prospects, and, potentially, their future teammates, have been recognized by OHL coaches as some of the top players in different categories in this year’s annual OHL Coaches Poll.

Denver Barkey, Jett Luchanko, and Oliver Bonk all placed highly in at least one category, though Barkey, the captain of the London Knights, was the most prominently featured Flyers prospect in the poll.

Barkey, 19, earned 11 points for the Western Conference’s Smartest Player category, trailing potential 2025 No. 1 overall pick Michael Misa (32) and breakout star Ilya Protas (30).

The Flyers’ 2023 third-round pick again placed behind Misa (23) and Protas (36), picking up 21 points in polling for the Western Conference’s Best Playmaker.

As for the Best Stickhandler, Protas came out on top with 27 points, but Barkey was narrowly behind him with 19 points, which also put him level with top Calgary prospect Zayne Parekh.

Luchanko, who recently recorded his first professional point, only appeared as a finalist in one category, though it is the one you’d most expect from the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick.

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, contending with Misa and others for the right to be the top pick this summer, was named the Best Skater in the Western Conference with 34 points, though Luchanko was a very close second with his 30 points.

Bonk, Barkey’s teammate, fellow Flyers prospect, and draft classmate, was a finalist in two categories, but was not particularly close to winning either.

The 20-year-old defenseman placed third for the Best Shot Blocker in the Western Conference (13 points), but notably finished second for Best Defensive Defenseman (14 points) ahead of Schaefer (13 points). Ottawa’s Matthew Andonovski ran away with top honors with his 33 points.

Takeaways from the OHL Coaches Poll

As noted above, Barkey is the clear standout here, though the Flyers are assuredly happy to see any prospects recognized this way.

Due to an offseason bout with mono, Barkey was unable to participate in the Flyers’ development camp and training camp, and upon returning to the Knights, got off to a slow start offensively.

The 19-year-old exploded for 35 goals and 102 points for the Knights last season, and while his 25 goals and 82 points this season pale in comparison, he also played 14 fewer regular season games.

At the end of the day, 10 goals and 20 points in 14 games are nothing for a talented prospect like Barkey playing in the OHL in his D+2 season. Accounting for the slow start, Barkey would have easily shattered his career-highs in those categories.

Barkey and the Knights just made quick work of the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL playoffs, sweeping their opponents in four games and winning by no fewer than three goals in all four.

Quietly, Barkey has 16 points in his last five games and 24 points in his last 10. The Knights’ season might not end in time for Barkey to make his pro debut for the Flyers organization, but it’s now a matter of when, not if.

What the diminutive 5-foot-9 forward lacks in size, he makes up for in skill and a never-say-die attitude on the ice.

Some Flyers fans are concerned with the lack of offensive production from Bonk, who scored 13 fewer goals and 27 fewer points than last season despite only playing in eight fewer games.

The reality is that Bonk was never going to be a major point-producer at the NHL level, as nice as it would be. A lot of his production came from filling a niche role on the Knights’ power play (see: Bumper Bonk), and we know the Flyers’ power play is not exactly one that is prolific.

Placing highly in two defensive categories bodes well for Bonk’s future as an NHL player.

Luchanko had a strange season. The 18-year-old played four NHL games for the Flyers between Oct. 11 and Oct. 19, then returned to the Guelph Storm.

The issue is that Guelph was not a good team all season and traded away much of their talent aside from Luchanko.

The first-year Storm captain finished his third OHL season with 21 goals (career-high), 35 assists, and 56 points in 46 games.

Now that he’s made his debut for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Luchanko has played in the NHL, AHL, OHL, and World Junior Championships this season.

From personal experience talking to him and meeting him, Luchanko works hard, takes things easy, and never complains. But he’s had quite the busy season overall.

Coaches Poll notwithstanding, it would not at all be a surprise to see Luchanko rocking the Orange and Black again next season, just for more than a four-game trial.

All three of these Flyers prospects were drafted to be meaningful pieces for the future, and they all appear to be well on their way to becoming that.