NHL Player News

Kopitar registered an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Wild.

Playing in his 1,400th career game, Kopitar was able to mark the occasion when he set up Adrian Kempe for the opening goal. Kopitar is currently 43rd all-time in games played, but he could get as high as 31st by the end of the 2024-25 regular season. It's a testament to his durability -- since his age-30 season is 2017-18, he's missed just three games. The 37-year-old is now at eight goals, 23 helpers, 33 shots on net and a plus-13 rating through 27 appearances this season. He has 10 points over his last seven outings.

McBain scored a goal Saturday in a 5-2 win over the Sabres.

McBain has been delivering points at a career-high pace while skating on Utah's second line with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. Now, it's safe to say that his goal pace will cool -- McBain has nine goals on 21 shots, a 42.9 percent success rate. Still, he has put up 26 points in each of his last two seasons while in lesser roles, and he already has 12 points in 26 games. A mid-30s point total and close to 250 hits make McBain a decent fantasy play in deeper formats.

Amadio notched an assist and three hits in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Predators.

Amadio set up Nick Cousins for an insurance tally in the third period. This was Amadio's second helper in three contests after he endured an eight-game slump. The 28-year-old forward remains a middle-six fixture for the Senators, but he's managed a poor six points with 30 shots on net, 29 hits and a minus-5 rating through 26 appearances this season.

Schmaltz scored a goal in Saturday's 5-2 win over Buffalo.

He had a goal overturned for goalie interference in the first period that would have opened the scoring. Schmaltz then put Utah up 3-1 at the end of the second frame. He was in tight and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stoned him with an acrobatic save, only to leave the rebound right there for Schmaltz to push in the net. The goal stood as the winner. Schmaltz is on a three-game goal streak (four goals) after starting the season on a 23-game goalless skid. He's on a 60-plus point pace, which is more than fantasy-worthy.

Gaudette generated an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Predators.

Gaudette helped out on a Jacob Bernard-Docker tally in the second period. While it's been a head-turning performance from Gaudette in 2024-25, he's often just been a finisher with little playmaking instinct. This was just his second assist of the season, and first since Oct. 14 versus the Kings, to go with 12 goals through 25 outings. The 28-year-old forward has added 33 shots on net, 21 hits and a plus-4 rating. He's currently on the second line, but with just 9:31 of ice time Saturday, Gaudette's usage remains heavily limited in certain situations.

Cousins scored a goal on four shots, added five hits and blocked three shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Predators.

Cousins provided an insurance tally in the third period, his second goal in the last three games. The 31-year-old forward has bounced back well from spending the last two contests of November in the press box. He's unlikely to be a scoring force in fantasy, but the veteran forward has three goals, six points, 36 shots on net, 40 hits, 16 PIM and a minus-2 rating over 24 appearances this season.

Jankowski logged an assist and three shots on goal in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Senators.

Jankowski has started to contribute in a middle-six role with four points over his last eight contests. The 30-year-old offers decent two-way play, though the Predators' overall struggles make their depth players less intriguing in fantasy. Jankowski is at five points, 25 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating through 20 appearances.

Svechkov scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Senators.

Svechkov tallied with 1:57 left in the third period to break up Linus Ullmark's shutout bid. He has two goals over his last four games, accounting for all of his points at the NHL level. Through eight appearances, Svechkov has added nine shots on net, seven hits, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating. The 21-year-old is getting a chance in a middle-six role at even strength and on the second power-play unit, but he still has a lot to prove before he'll be an option for fantasy managers.

Kozak scored a goal Saturday in a 5-2 loss to Utah.

It was his first NHL goal after Kozak had a marker overturned in his NHL debut against the Jets on Thursday. He opened the scoring in the first period when he redirected a pass at the front of the net under Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka's left arm. Kozak, who was selected 193rd overall in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft, is the first player selected in the sixth round or later of that draft to score an NHL goal.

Matthews registered two assists, four shots on net, five blocked shots, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Penguins.

Matthews has three multi-point efforts over five outings since he returned from an upper-body injury. The center's helper on a William Nylander tally in the second period was his first power-play point since his return. Matthews is up to 18 points (five on the power play), 74 shots, 30 blocks and a plus-2 rating through 18 appearances this season.