NHL2026-11-04Jack Hughes Scores Twice as Connor Hellebuyck Wins His Devils Home Debut, Charlie Coyle Posts Four Points and Dylan Garand Steadies the Rangers: Tuesday NHL Fantasy Notes
By Verdexed NHL Desk
Tuesday's NHL slate delivered a shootout between two of the league's best centers, a seven-goal rout in Columbus and a late power-play winner in Pittsburgh. Jack Hughes scored twice and added an assist as the New Jersey Devils beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a shootout in Connor Hellebuyck's first home start for his new team. Charlie Coyle tied his career high with four points as Columbus hammered Colorado 7-2, Tomas Hertl scored with 35 seconds left to lift Vegas past the Penguins 3-2, and Dylan Garand made 32 saves as the Rangers ended a four-game slide. Winnipeg's historic comeback in Montreal gets its own breakdown elsewhere on the site.
Here are the results and the fantasy takeaways from each game.
| Game | Final | Fantasy headline |
|---|---|---|
| Oilers at Devils | NJ 4-3 (SO) | Hughes 2 goals, 1 assist |
| Avalanche at Blue Jackets | CBJ 7-2 | Coyle 2 goals, 2 assists |
| Golden Knights at Penguins | VGK 3-2 | Hertl 2 goals, late PPG |
| Blues at Rangers | NYR 3-1 | Garand 32 saves |
| Jets at Canadiens | WPG 5-4 (OT) | Four-goal late rally |
Devils 4, Oilers 3 (shootout)
Hughes was the best player on the ice for most of the night, scoring twice and setting up another goal in regulation. He was stopped on the first shootout attempt, McDavid answered with a highlight-reel deke on Hellebuyck, and Arseny Gritsyuk scored in the fourth round before Hellebuyck stopped Kapanen to end it. New Jersey has won two straight and five of its last six.
Fantasy read: Hughes is a top-10 fantasy forward when healthy, and his chemistry with Gritsyuk is worth noting for managers looking for a mid-round winger. Hellebuyck has won his early starts with the Devils since the October 23 trade from Winnipeg, and he is an every-night starter again. His save totals will be modest behind a New Jersey team that controls play, but his win equity is among the best in the league.
On the Edmonton side, Connor McDavid extended his season-opening assist streak to 16 games, a run that reports describe as an NHL record for the start of a season. He leads the league in assists and is the No. 1 fantasy player in hockey right now, with no reason to expect a slowdown.
Blue Jackets 7, Avalanche 2
Columbus snapped a two-game skid in emphatic fashion. Mathieu Olivier scored 28 seconds into the game, and four straight goals in the second period chased Avalanche starter Scott Wedgewood. Coyle scored twice and added two assists, matching his career high for points. Cam Talbot made 26 or 27 saves, depending on the scorer, for the win.
Fantasy read: Coyle is a deep-league add after this game, but a four-point outburst from a veteran depth center tends to be an outlier rather than a trend. Talbot is a streaming option when Columbus is at home. For Colorado, a bad night for Wedgewood does not change the Avalanche's status as one of the league's better teams, but it does add weight to the case for rostering Colorado's backup in deeper leagues.
Golden Knights 3, Penguins 2
Hertl scored both Vegas goals, the second on the power play with 35 seconds left in the third period. Sidney Crosby was held without a point and remains tied with Marcel Dionne for sixth on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
Fantasy read: Hertl's power-play role makes him a solid mid-range center in standard leagues, and a two-goal game with a late winner is the kind of performance that wins weekly matchups. Crosby's chase of Dionne is a nice storyline for Penguins fans, but from a fantasy standpoint, he remains a reliable starter whose production has not slipped.
Rangers 3, Blues 1
Garand made 32 saves to end New York's four-game losing streak. With Igor Shesterkin sidelined, the Rangers' crease has been unsettled for weeks, with Joonas Korpisalo working back from injury and James Reimer day to day as of last week.
Fantasy read: Garand has a real path to starts while the Rangers sort out their goaltending, and a 32-save win is the kind of performance that earns another look. He is a speculative add in deeper leagues and a streaming option in favorable matchups. Managers should watch whether the Rangers ride the hot hand or turn back to Korpisalo when he is ready.
Waiver priorities from Tuesday
The most actionable pickup from Tuesday is Garand, because Rangers goaltending has been unsettled and a 32-save win gives him a case for more starts. Gritsyuk is the second name to check, since he also scored twice against Vegas last week and delivered the shootout winner on Tuesday, a sign of a forward earning trust in big moments.
Coyle is a short-term streamer at best. Talbot is worth a look as a home streamer when Columbus faces weaker offenses. On the Colorado side, managers should not drop Wedgewood after one bad night, but they should monitor whether the backup gets the next start.
The Verdexed angle
The pattern across Tuesday's games is that goaltending decided the margins. Hellebuyck's shootout save, Garand's 32 stops and Wedgewood's early exit all shaped the outcomes, and in fantasy hockey, goaltending is the position most likely to swing a weekly head-to-head matchup. Managers chasing wins should prioritize starters on winning teams like New Jersey, and those chasing saves should target goalies like Garand who face heavy shot volume.
Verdexed's model view on every game and the daily picks are at /nhl/predictions and /blog/nhl-picks-2026-11-04.
What to do now
Start Hughes, McDavid and Hertl with confidence. Add Garand in deeper leagues as a speculative goalie, and consider Coyle only in leagues with deep benches. Keep Hellebuyck active every night, and do not overreact to Wedgewood's bad outing.