NHL Player News

Gaunce scored a shorthanded goal, blocked three shots and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Sabres.

Gaunce's goal was his first point in four games since he returned from a personal leave. The 31-year-old forward continues to be used mostly in defensive situations while seeing time on the fourth line. Gaunce is at two goals, three assists, 14 shots on net, 36 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 16 appearances this season. He should continue to see steady playing time while the Blue Jackets are missing Sean Monahan (undisclosed), Isac Lundestrom (lower body) and Miles Wood (leg) from their forward group.

Olivier scored a goal, added four PIM and logged three hits in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Sabres.

This was Olivier's fourth game back after missing a month due to an upper-body injury. He has resumed his usual checking role on the third line, compiling 21 hits over those four contests. The depth scoring isn't likely to be consistent, but he'll have some appeal in deep fantasy formats that reward physicality. Olivier is at four goals, 10 points, 34 shots on net, 92 hits, 53 PIM and a plus-4 rating across 27 appearances this season.

Sillinger scored an empty-net goal on two shots and added two hits in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Sabres.

Sillinger's tally extended his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists). The 22-year-old center is still dealing with limited ice time -- he's averaged just 12:22 per game over his last six outings. For the year, he has five goals, 20 points, 76 shots on net, 47 hits, 18 PIM and a plus-3 rating in 39 appearances, mainly in a middle-six capacity.

Pettersson scored a goal on four shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Pettersson has earned three points over five games since returning from an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old's tally tied the contest at 1-1 early in the second period. He's now at 10 goals, 25 points, 66 shots on net, 55 blocked shots, 32 hits and a minus-9 rating over 33 appearances this season. Barring a massive second half of the campaign, Pettersson looks likely to fall short of a point-per-game pace for the second year in a row.

Lindholm scored a power-play goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.

Lindholm is finding his shot again with goals in consecutive games for the first time since the start of the season. The 31-year-old center put the Bruins ahead 2-1 with his tally in the second period. He's up to seven goals, 26 points (14 on the power play), 54 shots on net, 27 blocked shots, 26 hits, 30 PIM and a minus-3 rating across 32 appearances. Lindholm's first-line role and spot on the top power-play unit put him in positions to be productive as he looks to get over the 50-point mark for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.

Minten scored two goals on six shots, with one coming on the power play, in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.

Minten is a Vancouver native, and he put on a show for his hometown in this contest. He struck at 16:24 of the first period to open the scoring, then brought down the curtain at 4:41 of overtime after Kevin Lankinen didn't make a clean save on a David Pastrnak shot. The 21-year-old Minten had been limited to four helpers over his previous 10 games. He's now at eight goals (two game-winners), 17 points, 53 shots on net, 86 hits, 29 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating across 42 appearances.

Eriksson Ek scored a power-play goal on five shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Kings.

Eriksson Ek has been on a productive offensive run with seven goals and nine helpers over his last 14 outings. He contributed his third power-play point in that span in Saturday's contest, though he remains on the top unit and should make some noise as a net-front presence. Eriksson Ek is up to 11 goals, 32 points (10 on the power play), 125 shots, 68 hits and a plus-13 rating through 43 contests this season. Fantasy managers should have plenty of room for a 60-point center in most formats.

Barzal put up two assists Saturday in a 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs.

Barzal has three assists in his last six games, which is a stark contrast to the 11 points, including eight helpers, that he put up in his previous nine outings. he has 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 41 games this season, but he's struggling at the dot with a 38.3 winning percentage. Barzal qualifies at right wing in some formats, and that's where fantasy managers get their best fantasy value.

Turcotte notched an assist and blocked two shots in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Wild.

Turcotte ended an 11-game point drought with the helper. The 24-year-old has gotten a boost in ice time since the Kings traded Phillip Danault to the Canadiens prior to the holiday break. That has opened up a third-line role for Turcotte, who now has seven points, 37 shots on net, 20 blocked shots, 17 PIM, 16 hits and a minus-7 rating over 39 appearances. While the third-line job is his for now, he'll need to do more with it than he has recently to avoid potentially losing the spot if the Kings go shopping ahead of the trade deadline.

Helenius scored a goal in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Wild.

Helenius put the Kings ahead 4-3 in the third period. He had just 4:34 of ice time in this contest, though he's been under the 10-minute mark in eight straight games. The 23-year-old is firmly on the fourth line, and his ability to play center is likely the only thing keeping him in the lineup regularly. The goal was his first point in 13 outings this season, to go with three shots on net, 28 hits, five PIM and an even plus-minus rating.