NHL2026-11-06Jesper Bratt Wins It in Overtime After the Devils Blow a Three-Goal Lead, Trevor Connelly Sinks Detroit and Cole Caufield Beats Utah: Thursday NHL Fantasy Notes
By Verdexed NHL Desk
Thursday's 10-game NHL slate produced three overtime or late-game finishes and several fantasy-relevant performances. Jesper Bratt scored 1:26 into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 5-4 win over St. Louis after they blew a three-goal third-period lead. Rookie Trevor Connelly scored with 1:42 left to lift Vegas past Detroit 2-1. Cole Caufield won it 30 seconds into overtime as Montreal beat Utah 5-4 despite a Logan Cooley hat trick. Here is what matters for your fantasy lineups.
Thursday's results
Here are nine of the night's results and the player who decided each one.
| Game | Final | Key performer |
|---|---|---|
| NJ vs. STL | 5-4 (OT) | Jesper Bratt, OT winner |
| MTL vs. UTA | 5-4 (OT) | Cole Caufield, OT winner |
| VGK at DET | 2-1 | Trevor Connelly, late winner |
| ANA at EDM | 5-4 | Beckett Sennecke, 2 G, 1 A |
| TB vs. CHI | 4-1 | Ilya Mikheyev, 2 G |
| BOS at PIT | 6-2 | Pavel Zacha, 2 G |
| WPG vs. VAN | 6-2 | Scheifele and Mercer, 1 G, 1 A each |
| CAR at NYI | 5-3 | William Carrier, go-ahead goal |
| NYR vs. PHI | 3-2 | Tye Kartye, late winner |
Devils 5, Blues 4 (OT): Hellebuyck's blunder, Bratt's breakaway
New Jersey led 4-1 after two periods, and St. Louis scored three times in the third to tie it. The tying goal came from Dalibor Dvorsky after a bad turnover by Connor Hellebuyck, which the goalie later acknowledged was his mistake. Bratt then scored on a breakaway pass from Dougie Hamilton early in overtime.
Fantasy read: Hellebuyck still made 28 saves and picked up the win, his fourth straight in a New Jersey uniform. Fantasy managers get the win even when the goals-against hurts. He remains a must-start. Bratt and Hamilton are steady producers on a streaking team, and Hamilton's assist on the winner is a reminder of his value as a power-play and offensive-zone defenseman. For St. Louis, Jordan Binnington made 31 saves, and Dvorsky's tying goal adds to a young forward's growing profile.
Golden Knights 2, Red Wings 1: Connelly the closer
Vegas completed a third-period comeback when Connelly broke a tie with 1:42 left. Carter Hart made 25 saves for the win, and Daniil Tarasov stopped 32 shots for Detroit, which fell to 7-7-3.
Fantasy read: Connelly is a rookie worth monitoring in deeper leagues; a late game-winner earns trust and ice time. Hart is a solid weekly start behind a Vegas team that is playing well on its road trip. Tarasov's 32-save performance in a loss shows he can deliver value in leagues that reward saves, even when the team does not win.
Canadiens 5, Mammoth 4 (OT): Suzuki returns, Cooley explodes
Nick Suzuki returned from a six-game absence with an upper-body injury and posted a goal and two assists. Adam Engstrom tied the game with 5:06 left in regulation, and Caufield finished it 30 seconds into overtime, faking a slap shot on a two-on-one before beating Sebastian Cossa.
Fantasy read: Suzuki's return restores Montreal's top line and power play to full strength. Reactivate him immediately. Caufield remains one of the best goal-scoring wingers in fantasy. For Utah, Logan Cooley's hat trick, including a power-play goal, is a major fantasy signal. A young center scoring three times in a game and producing on the power play is a must-start in all formats.
Ducks 5, Oilers 4: Gauthier's streak continues
Beckett Sennecke scored twice and added an assist, Cutter Gauthier extended his remarkable scoring run, and Anaheim held off a late Edmonton rally. Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists to extend his season-opening point streak to 17 games.
Fantasy read: Gauthier now has nine goals in a four-game span, a Ducks franchise first. Sennecke is a must-add if he is available. McDavid is McDavid. For a full breakdown of Anaheim's hot streak and what it means for your fantasy roster, see our separate piece on Gauthier and the Ducks.
The rest of the night
Tampa Bay 4, Chicago 1: Ilya Mikheyev scored twice and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves as the Lightning ran their home winning streak to eight games to open the season. Mikheyev, who signed with Tampa Bay this offseason, is a deep-league add while he is producing.
Boston 6, Pittsburgh 2: Pavel Zacha scored twice, Morgan Geekie had a goal and an assist, and David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka each had two assists as Boston (12-4-1) won a third straight. Michael DiPietro made 16 saves. Pittsburgh has lost four straight.
Winnipeg 6, Vancouver 2: Mark Scheifele and Dawson Mercer each had a goal and an assist and Stuart Skinner made 24 saves. The Jets are 6-8-3 and have now won consecutive games after a nine-game skid. Vancouver (3-14-1) has lost four straight.
Carolina 5, NY Islanders 3: William Carrier scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, Jackson Blake extended his point streak to eight games and Brandon Bussi made 24 saves. The Hurricanes are 13-3-2. Blake is a must-roster player while the streak lasts.
NY Rangers 3, Philadelphia 2: Pavel Dorofeyev tied it on the power play and Tye Kartye scored 89 seconds later, the Rangers' first come-from-behind win of the season. Dylan Garand made 23 saves, and Adam Fox had two assists. Philadelphia fell to 4-10-4.
Betting angle
Thursday showed two things to keep in mind. First, three-goal leads are not safe for teams with shaky goaltending execution: Hellebuyck's turnover is the kind of mistake that swings puck-line bets. Second, hot teams like Carolina, Boston and Tampa Bay at home keep winning. For the model's view on Friday's games, see the NHL predictions page and the daily NHL picks piece when it publishes.
What to do in your league
Reactivate Suzuki. Add Sennecke, Blake and Cooley where available. Keep starting Hellebuyck despite the blunder. Monitor Connelly and Mikheyev in deeper leagues. And keep riding McDavid, whose 17-game point streak shows no sign of slowing.