NHL Player News

Lauko managed an assist, four hits and two blocked shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Lightning.

Lauko set up Kirill Kaprizov's empty-net goal with 34 seconds left in the game. That's not a scoring play that will pop up often, as Lauko is firmly in a fourth-line role in 2024-25. The 24-year-old forward has two points, 11 shots on net, 13 hits, seven blocked shots and a minus-1 rating across seven appearances.

Eriksson Ek scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Lightning.

Eriksson Ek has scored in back-to-back games, and he's up to three tallies and one assist over five appearances this season. The 27-year-old center has added 13 shots on net, 15 hits and a plus-4 rating. With the Wild off to a surprising 5-0-2 start, Eriksson Ek's steady top-six role carries a little more value that usual. He's a strong source of offense in all situations while adding strong volume in shots and hits, and he'll usually chip in some PIM as well, though he's yet to take a trip to the sin bin this season.

Wennberg logged a pair of power-play assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Kings.

These were Wennberg's first points in eight appearances to begin his Sharks career. The 30-year-old center was signed to a two-year, $10 million contract in free agency, but as a playmaker, he was always likely to struggle with unproven teammates all around him. Wennberg has added nine shots on net, seven blocked shots, five hits and a minus-7 rating. He has more value on the ice than in fantasy as a pass-first, defensive center.

Granlund scored two power-play goal on six shots, added two hits and went minus-2 in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Kings.

The Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead early on, but Granlund was able to cut the deficit to one. The Sharks fell short of tying the game, though Granlund continues to stand out in a top-line role. He's found the scoresheet in five straight games and is up to three goals, six assists, 29 shots on net, eight hits, eight PIM and a minus-4 rating through eight outings overall.

Danault notched an assist and blocked three shots in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.

Danault has a helper in two of the last three games. The 31-year-old center has struggled so far, earning three assists with a plus-1 rating, 11 shots on net, 14 hits and six blocked shots over eight appearances. He's more of a shutdown center who plays in a second-line spot, but Danault doesn't need to be rostered in fantasy on a full-time basis.

McCann registered two assists, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets.

McCann extended his point streak to five games (three goals, six assists) by helping out on third-period goals by linemates Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers. This was McCann's fourth multi-point effort of the young campaign. The 28-year-old winger has four goals, seven helpers, 17 shots on net, six blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through eight appearances.

Beniers scored twice, added an assist and went plus-3 in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets.

Beniers had been limited to a single assist over the first seven games of the campaign. Reunited with Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann, Beniers broke through, scoring in the first and third periods and adding a helper on Jordan Eberle's tally in the third. With four points, 19 shots on net, seven blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over eight contests this season, Beniers will need to be more consistent to be helpful for fantasy managers, though his defensive work will keep him in a prominent role.

Appleton notched an assist and three shots on goal in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.

Appleton has earned three points over his last two games as the Jets continue to get timely contributions from their third line. The 28-year-old forward is up to six points, 15 shots on net, six blocked shots, five hits and a plus-5 rating over seven outings this season. Appleton had 36 points in 82 regular-season contests in 2023-24, and he's warm enough on offense now to help fantasy managers in deeper formats.

Lowry posted an assist, two shots on goal, four hits and two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.

Lowry helped out on the first of Nino Niederreiter's two tallies in the game. Offense isn't the focus of Lowry's game, but he's been pretty good with two goals, three assists and 11 shots on net over seven appearances. The shutdown center has added 12 hits and a plus-6 rating while often playing bigger minutes than his third-line role would suggest.

Perfetti posted an assist and four shots on goal in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.

Perfetti picked up a single point for the first time in seven games -- he had previously logged two multi-point performances. The winger set up Nino Niederreiter's third-period tally Thursday. Perfetti has two goals, six assists, 18 shots on net, five blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through seven outings.