Happy Wednesday, Razzball faithful!
It’s double duty for your guy, MarmosDad, this week!
After writing just under 4000 words on this past weekend’s NHL action, I’m back again for our Tuesday night roundup!
I managed to squeeze in a quick snooze before the 7:00 games started up, but I guess I didn’t tune in early enough as the Leafs were already down 1-0 when I turned the game on 5 minutes after puck drop.
But don’t worry, fans. The Blue Jackets Fam door was wide open, and the torrential downpour that followed soon after soaked everyone in Leaf showers.
Sure, Columbus got the chickens and pigs in before it got too muddy. But they couldn’t get the Cowan.
Easton Cowan (1 G, 2 A, +3, 2 SOG,) is living up to the hype and making Leaf fans a bit less upset about moving Fraser Minten in that Brandon Carlo deal and making the 21-year-old right winger from Mount Brydges, Ontario, untouchable.
But it wasn’t just the young forward who showed up on the scoresheet last night. After two periods, the Leafs were sitting pretty with a 5-1 lead and FIVE different skaters with multiple points.
We’ll get into all of that later on, but suffice it to say that when that Toronto offense is clicking, it’s about as dangerous as any group in the league.
I guess when it rains, it pours.
Oh, and before we get to the nitty-gritty, I wanted to share one more thing with y’all.
I wanted to apologize for Monday’s comment section and my split-up responses to questions there. I was trying to get things in while I was watching the kiddo’s after-school volleyball games and ran into some trouble.
I know that the site has some loading and “jumping” issues, especially when you’re reading on the phone. But there’s a solution for that if you’re willing to bear with me.
I guess I should have assumed that, like on the baseball side of things, we also have the ad-free option on the hockey side of things here.
At the risk of sounding like a company shill, if you’re having trouble with page reloads or screen jumping, the ad-free subscription is available for just $9.99 a year. Rudy has an explanation about why we have ads – the guys really don’t want to put Razzball behind a paywall – so the ad-free option is there to help smooth out wrinkles if you’re having trouble, like I was on Monday.
Click on the link there if you’re interested. (It really does clean things up very nicely, and with burger combos going for $14 nowadays it seems like a pretty sensible price for a year of clean reading).
OK! Enough of the business! Let’s get down to…uh…game recaps?
Here’s what else I saw in Tuesday night’s NHL action!
Jet Greaves – 19 saves on 24 shots and the early hook. Greaves was pulled after two periods of action and replaced by Cam Talbot, but still took the loss. I swear to you, I originally typed “Jet Graves” and had a bit of a chuckle at the irony of this guy getting killed on the ice last night (metaphorically, of course!).
Jake Christiansen – 1 G, 2 SOG, 1 HIT, 2 BLK. Even divine intervention couldn’t help the Blue Jackets last night.
Anthony Stolarz – 35 saves on 37 shots and the 6-2 win at CLM. Don’t look now, but Stolarz is 3-1 and just had the best game out of all four starts. If the Leafs were smart, they’d split time between this guy and Bobrovsky at a 60:40 rate. Health permitting on both sides, of course.
Auston Matthews – 1 G, 1 A, +3, 3 SOG, 1 BLK. That’s 18 points in 11 games for Matthews, and he’s showing everyone why he was being criminally underrated in the draft room this fall. Hopefully, you got in at a good price.
Jack Roslovic – 1 G, 2 A, +3, 2 SOG, 1 HIT, 1 BLK. It was nearly a mirror image of Cowan’s line, but Roslovic gave us a hit and blocked shot too.
William Nylander – 1 G, 1 A, 2 SOG, in 17:56 TOI. Another one of those multi-point skaters.
Morgan Rielly – 3 A, +2, 2 PIM, 4 BLK. I THOUGHT YOU DIDN’T LIKE THE LEAFS! Ya, ya, ya, Mr. Italics. I know. But the news is the news, and I’m merely here to report it. Then add some commentary. And rip on folks if it feels appropriate. Or not. All I know is it drives me nuts that this guy’s name isn’t spelled “Reilly”. Thank goodness for spellcheck knowing the difference.
Scott Wedgewood – 37 saves on 40 shots and the loss. No lie, after I submitted the weekend update (don’t come after me, Lorne Michaels), right after I went to sleep, I woke up in a bit of a panic that I flubbed this guy’s name again and called him Steve. One day I’ll sever the Steve Winwood/Scott Wedgewood tie in my brain. But today was not that day.
Artturi Lehkonen – 2 G, 2 PIM, 2 SOG, 1 BLK. If this guy is somehow still available in your (very shallow) league, what are you waiting for? Add him immediately.
Gabriel Landeskog – 1 G, 3 SOG, 1 HIT, 1 BLK. I think I’d bet every dollar I’ve ever made in my life that he won’t play a full 84-game season, but 6 points in 10 games is a pretty solid start from a guy who didn’t cost a lot on draft day.
Cale Makar – 2 A, 3 SOG, 4 BLK. I know Evan Bouchard is the flashier guy, but if it were up to me, I’d be taking Makar to start my real-life franchise every day of the week. In fantasy, he’s not finishing worse than the 3rd-highest defenseman, either.
Jake Allen – 31 saves on 34 shots and the 4-3 win vs COL! Ha! Eat that, Avs! Sorry, Jake Allen needed some love, and that .883 save percentage wasn’t bringing him any happiness otherwise.
Luke Evangelista – 1 G, 1 A, +2, 6 SOG, 1 BLK, and 16:54 TOI. The TV minister is making the most of some less-than-top-tier ice time with 5 PTS in 6 GP.
Logan Thompson – 21 saves on 25 shots in the 5-2 loss vs LA. That’s three losses in his most recent four starts. I wouldn’t be panic-dumping this guy just yet, but he hasn’t been that #1 overall goalie that some of us were drafting this year; that’s for sure.
Ryan Leonard– 1 G, 2 SOG, 2 HITS. It’s easy to call these guys when you write up as much as we do in the preseason, but Leonard was my Capitals’ click-to-pick from the young group of up-and-comers last year. Seven points in eight games is a solid start and an even bigger step towards his goal of smashing his 45-point output from 2025-2026.
Cole Hutson – 1 G, 3 SOG, 21:44 TOI. That’s five points in nine games. He’s halfway to his total from last year (14 GP, 10 PTS).
Jakob Chychrun – 1 A, 6 SOG, 1 HIT, 1 BLK. Hey, don’t blame him for not scoring. He put enough shots on net in this one, but couldn’t get anything by…
Darcy Kuemper – 30 saves on 32 shots and the 5-2 win. I’m sure Darcy would love it if the guys in front of him blocked a few more shots, but a win’s a win.
Adrian Kempe – 2 G, +3, 6 SOG, 2 HITS, 18:18 TOI. I got annoyed that this wasn’t Quinton Byfield’s line until I realized the latter left early with an injury.
Quinton Byfield – 0 PTS, 2:44 TOI. Apparently, Byfield was “banged up” in practice and left the game pretty quickly with an “upper body injury” last night. That’s not going to help any of his fantasy owners who’ve been looking for reasons to move on. (Yes, I can empathize. I’m also one of those guys).
Artemi Panarin – 1 G, 2 A, +3, 3 SOG. The Bread Man is still the toast of the town.
Alex Laferriere – 2 A, 2 PIM, 3 SOG, 4 HITS, 1 BLK. It would be nice if either this guy or his almost namesake in New York were off to a poor start. It might make mixing them up less likely. Then again, if you drafted both this guy and Alexis Lafreniere, you’re in pretty good shape.
Lukas Dostal – 22 saves on 25 shots in the 3-2 loss at NYI. He’s 0-3 in his most recent three starts with 10 goals against. An .881 save percentage ain’t it, Lukas.
Leo Carlsson – 2 A, 2 SOG. Carlsson picked up apples on both goals (Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn).
Ilya Sorokin – 15 saves on 17 shots and his third straight win. That .943 save percentage is the polar opposite of his opponent’s from last night. Start this guy with confidence in any matchup.
Ondrej Palat – 1 G, 2 PIM, 1 SOG, 1 HIT. Victor Eklund and Simon Holmstrom also scored in this one. When the Isles are getting production from the less-than-household names, things are good!
Stuart Skinner – 27 saves on 29 shots in the 2-1 loss at STL. Don’t worry, StuSkin, Friday should bring some sanity to Winnipeg one way or another.
Cole Perfetti – 1 G, 5 SOG, 2 HITS, 19:47 TOI. That’s 6 goals in 9 GP.
Joel Hofer – 32 saves on 33 shots and the 2-1 win. I know he’ll move aside for Binnington much more than we’d like him to, but this is the guy you want if you’re looking at Blues goalies.
Philip Broberg – 1 G, 1 A, 6 SOG, 1 BLK. Commenter SBS asked if we were buying Broberg again, and I said that I wouldn’t be dropping him just yet. If he was good enough to draft a month ago, give all your guys at least a dozen games to snap out of a funk and hit their stride. SBS – I hope you can find someone to drop for him!
Jeremy Swayman – 22 saves on 25 shots in a tough 3-2 OT loss. Pavel Zacha’s overtime slash sent the Stars to the power play, and after a Dallas timeout, Mikko Rantanen spun out front for a nice OT winner. (Well, not nice if you’re a Bruins fan).
Matthew Poitras – 1 G, 2 SOG, 1 HIT, 1 BLK, and 9:01 TOI. Zacha’s return to the lineup meant Poitras moved back to the 4th line C spot. It didn’t take him much time to remind folks why he’s up, though. He scored the first goal of the game and is up to 4 G in 7 GP.
James Hagens – 1 G, 2 SOG, 1 HIT, 2 BLK, and 13:20 TOI. If they keep giving this kid ice time, he’s going to make a run at the Calder Trophy. He might look younger than my 13-year-old son, but the kid can flat-out play.
James Hagens continues his hot start to the season with a goal 🚨
7 Points in 10 Games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tRyDzrZEEt
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 21, 2026
(Shout out to Casey Mittlestadt for the filthy pass here, too)
And if you’re in a multi-category league, the 17 SOG and 13 BLKS are a nice little bonus, too.
Jake Oettinger – 18 saves on 20 shots and the 3-2 OT win. Two solid teams last night that played two solid games. Oettinger can thank one dude for this dub, though…
Mikko Rantanen – 3 G, +2, 2 PIM, 6 SOG, 2 HITS, in 22:12 TOI. He was buzzing all night and scored to tie the game up twice before, of course, finishing things off in overtime.
Jason Robertson – 2 A, +1, 3 SOG, 1 BLK. Assists? What? We want goals, J-Rob!
Jakub Dobes – 26 saves on 30 shots in the tough-luck 4-3 OT loss to SJ. Honestly, I wouldn’t touch the Montreal goaltending dilemma with a 10-foot pole. Or, I guess, “une perche de trois mètres”.
Nick Suzuki – 1 G, 1 A, +3, 4 SOG, 1 BLK. Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and an assist, too. But yes, they could’ve used one more.
Alex Nedeljkovic – 31 saves on 34 shots and the OT win. It was a nice bounceback after his last OT loss (at DET). There’s been Hellebuyck rumors swirling, but I doubt the Sharks make a move there. Nedeljkovic and Askarov are a solid tandem.
Macklin Celebrini – 2 G, 1 A, 6 SOG, 1 HIT, 1 BLK, and 23:07 TOI. There’s only one question here. If you roster this guy in a dynasty league, why haven’t you ordered the jersey yet?
Michael Misa – 1 G, 2 PIM, 3 SOG. That’s his first goal of the year. The only thing better than Misa blowing past last year’s 21 points this year will be the inevitable deluge of Star Wars puns that it’ll create for you. I’ll apologize in advance.
The “Late” Games
(I’ll start putting the late games in a separate section each week, just so you know these were not finished when I ran through my final edits.)
Jesper Wallstedt – 20 saves on 23 shots through 2 periods of work. Edmonton was leading 3-1 heading into the third.
Joel Eriksson Ek – 1 G, 6 SOG. 6 shots and still 20 minutes to play? Wow. Talk about a guy who doesn’t like to share. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy assisted on this one, too.
Devon Levi – 18 saves on 19 shots through the end of the 2nd period. As someone who rosters Tristan Jarry in a 32-team dynasty league, I’m not loving that Levi is playing well, but it feels inevitable that the kid will take the #1 job and run with it at some point. Hopefully that happens before Frederik Andersen returns! (December).
Leon Draisaitl – 2 G, 3 SOG. I wouldn’t bet against Leon finishing off the hat trick in the third.
Connor McDavid – 2 A, 1 SOG, 2 HITS. 25 points in 9 games, eh? Yep.
Daniil Tarasov – 18 saves on 20 shots. Here’s hoping someone scores for Detroit because, as they say, it’s tough to win a game when your team scores zero.
Dylan Larkin – Nothing to report here other than an updated trade list.
To be honest, with what the Red Wings are asking for in a trade return, I’m glad my favorite team isn’t on this list.
Philipp Grubauer – 14 saves on 14 shots with 4:00 left in the 2nd period. Pretty good!
Brandon Montour – 1 G, 3 SOG. Noted super-sniper Brandon Montour with his first of the year.
Pyotr Kochetkov – 7 saves on 9 shots with 12:00 left in the 2nd period. He brings a 5-0 record into this game, and it’s a lot like the Montreal goalie situation. In real life, getting two solid goalies on a very strong team is excellent. In fantasy leagues where volume matters? Not so much.
Logan Stankoven – 1 G, 1 A, +2, 2 SOG. Maybe if you’ve got Stankoven, it’s time to stop baking your lake fish.
Jackson Blake – 2 A, 2 SOG. One of these days I’m going to type “Jason” instead of Jackson Blake. Today is not that day.
Leevi Merilainen – 20 saves on 23 shots with still half a game to go? Woof. Play some defense, Vancouver!
Jake DeBrusk – 2 A, 1 SOG, 1 HIT. $5.5 million AAV for a guy who has hit the 50-point mark just once in 9 years? Uh. Ok.
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 9 saves on 11 shots and a 2-2 tie after the end of the first period.
John Carlson – 1 G, 3 SOG, 1 BLK. It was an exciting first period, that’s for sure. But I was shaking my head when the ESPN anchor said, “Worth staying up for if you’re on the East Coast!”
Carter Hart – 6 saves on 8 shots. He’s the clear-cut starter over Adin Hill, but I’m still surprised they chose these two guys over Logan Thompson.
Mark Stone – 1 G (SHG), 1 SOG. There are a few folks who would make the short list for hockey’s version of the “Tyler Glasnow Award”. That’s the “this guy is an elite talent who will produce excellent numbers…as long as he’s healthy”. I don’t want to curse Mark Stone or Auston Matthews, but they’re on the list!
That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Happy Wednesday, and I’ll see you next week!
Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social
