NHL Player News

Zibanejad notched a power-play assist and four shots on goal in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Bruins.

Zibanejad lined up at right wing amid the lineup shuffled introduced by the acquisition of J.T. Miller, who was his center. They split the faceoff duties, with Miller going 4-for-11 and Zibanejad winning five of eight draws. It's unclear if that is a structure that will stick -- given Zibanejad's struggles this season, it wouldn't be surprising to see him eventually end up back at center on the third line, a spot Jonny Brodzinski filled Saturday. Zibanejad has nine points over 15 games since the start of January, and he's at 30 points, 114 shots on net, 31 blocked shots and a minus-26 rating through 51 appearances this season.

Brodzinski scored a goal in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Bruins.

Brodzinski may have a clearer path to playing time in the wake of the J.T. Miller/Filip Chytil trade. Miller is playing in a top-six role, leaving the third-line center spot open, and that's where Brodzinski filled in Saturday for his first appearance since Jan. 11. Brodzinski has seven points, 26 shots on net and a plus-5 rating over 21 outings this season. He's not an overly physical player and likely won't add much offense either, so he doesn't need to be rostered in most fantasy formats.

Coyle scored a goal on three shots in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.

Coyle stretched the Bruins' lead to 3-1 in the second period. The forward has three goals and three assists over his last nine outings for one of his longer productive stretches of the season. He remains in a middle-six role and has played on the wing lately, though he's still taking a decent share of faceoffs -- Coyle was 6-for-15 at the dot Saturday. Overall, Coyle has 13 goals, 20 points, 76 shots on net, 80 hits, 43 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating through 54 appearances.

Rodrigues scored a goal on three shots and added four PIM in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Blackhawks.

Rodrigues has five goals and an assist over his last 11 outings, though his tally Saturday ended a three-game dry spell. The 31-year-old forward continues to handle a middle-six role in a strong offense, giving him some appeal as a depth forward in fantasy. He's at 12 goals, 23 points, 97 shots, 79 hits, 28 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 53 contests this season.

Kozak (illness) won't play versus the Devils on Sunday, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Kozak has one goal, six shots on net, 16 blocked shots and 11 hits in 11 NHL appearances this season. His next chance to play will be versus Columbus on Tuesday. Dennis Gilbert will replace Kozak in Sunday's lineup because the Sabres will dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards.

Zacha scored the game-winning goal and added an assist, both on the power play, in Saturday's 6-3 victory over the Rangers.

After helping to set up Charlie McAvoy for the game's opening goal midway through the first period, Zacha banged a rebound past Igor Shesterkin late in the second to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. Zacha has been on a roll of late, producing three goals and 11 points over the last nine games, including four points (two goals, two assists) with the man advantage.

Poitras recorded two assists in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.

The 20-year-old center had a hand in two of David Pastrnak's three goals on the afternoon. Poitras snapped a brief five-game point drought with the performance, and if he continues to see even-strength shifts with Pastrnak, Poitras could work his way onto the fantasy radar. He'll need to prove himself before being worth a roster spot in most formats, however -- since returning to the Bruins from AHL Providence in mid-January, Poitras has five assists in nine appearances.

Miller scored two goals, one on the power play, in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Bruins.

Acquired from the Canucks on Friday in a blockbuster trade, Miller immediately looked comfortable in his return to the team that employed him for the first five-plus seasons of his NHL career. There will likely be some juggling as coach Peter Laviolette determines the 31-year-old center's best fit in the top six alongside the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, but Miller should be locked in on a talented first power-play unit. He was already heating up in Vancouver prior to the trade, and over his last seven games, Miller has racked up three goals and eight points.

Verhaeghe scored a power-play goal and added an even-strength assist in Saturday's 5-1 win over Chicago.

The 29-year-old has had trouble building any momentum since late December. Saturday's effort was only the second time in the last 20 games that Verhaeghe has delivered multiple points, a sluggish stretch in which he's managed just three goals and 10 points. After reaching the 30-goal and 70-point plateaus in each of the last two seasons, Verhaeghe is well short of those paces with just 12 goals and 37 points in 53 appearances so far in 2024-25.

Barkov picked up two assists, one on the power play, in Saturday's 5-1 win over Chicago.

After helping to set up what proved to be the game-winner by Sam Reinhart in the first period, Barkov had a hand in Carter Verhaeghe's tally midway through the third. Barkov hit a slow patch in late December and into January, going 14 straight games without a multi-point performance, but he's heating up with a goal and five points in his last four contests.