NHL Player News

Vlasic notched a power-play assist and two blocked shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Panthers.

Vlasic snapped his six-game dry spell when he helped out on Teuvo Teravainen's first-period tally. The 23-year-old Vlasic has taken on a larger role since Seth Jones (foot) exited the lineup following last Thursday's game in Seattle. Vlasic is on the top power-play unit and also features on the first pairing, giving him more ice time with the Blackhawks' best players. The defenseman has eight helpers (four on the power play), 21 shots on net, 51 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 20 appearances. He's halfway to matching his point total from last season, and he's worth considering in deeper fantasy formats.

Werenski scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, and added three assists in a 7-6 overtime win over Tampa Bay.

It was a career game for Werenski, who logged 27:22, had eight shots and two blocks, and helped his team come back from an early 3-0 deficit. He's now tied for second among defenders in both goals (six) and points (19) in 19 games. Werenski is on a four-game, nine-point scoring streak (three goals, six assists) and he has a whopping 73 shots. That puts him third in the NHL behind David Pastrnak (87) and Brady Tkachuk (80). At some point, we all need to start talking about how much Werenski has elevated his game. And do it before his name ends up on a Norris Trophy ballot.

Van Riemsdyk tallied an assist and two shots during Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Van Riemsdyk bagged an apple on the Capitals' lone goal, giving him three assists in his last four games. The 33-year-old has been a valuable shutdown presence during his four seasons with the Capitals but is currently on pace to smash his career-high of 23 points set during the 2022-23 season.

Dermott is a late scratch for Thursday's game against Minnesota due to an illness, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Dermott has no points, six hits and 10 blocks in 10 appearances in 2024-25. Josh Brown, who was otherwise projected to be a healthy scratch, will serve on the third pairing due to Dermott's absence.

Pietrangelo will miss Thursday's game against Ottawa due to an upper-body injury.

Pietrangelo has two goals, 14 points, 16 hits and 34 blocks in 19 outings in 2024-25. He's listed as day-to-day, so he might still be an option Saturday versus Montreal, but for now, Vegas' blue line is looking thin. The Golden Knights are also missing defensemen Nicolas Hague (undisclosed) and Ben Hutton (upper body). Robert Hagg, who was called up from AHL Henderson on Thursday, is expected to draw into the lineup Thursday due to Pietrangelo's absence.

Pesce (undisclosed) is expected to play against Carolina on Thursday.

Pesce, who made his first 627 career regular-season appearances with the Hurricanes, is set to face his former team for the first time. The Devils suffered a 4-2 loss to Carolina on Oct. 15, but Pesce missed that game due to a lower-leg injury. He has no points, 21 shots, four hits and 20 blocks over 12 appearances with New Jersey in 2024-25.

Brown was recalled from AHL Bakersfield on Thursday.

Brown was sent down Wednesday, which seemed to indicate the Oilers would have a full complement of blueliners for Thursday's matchup with the Wild, but it seems that isn't the case. Darnell Nurse (upper body) has already been ruled out, which means Brown will serve as an emergency depth option should something else come up before puck drop.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch said Thursday that Nurse (upper body) could return for Saturday's game against the Rangers, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Nurse sustained an upper-body injury against the Maple Leafs on Nov. 16 and carried a return timetable of 5-10 days. While he's been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Wild, he could be back in action after missing under a week. If he's unable to suit up against the Rangers, he'll have plenty of time to recover since the Oilers won't play again until Nov. 29 against Utah.

Dumba logged an assist, two shots on goal, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Sharks.

Dumba has been back for nearly a month since he missed four games with a lower-body injury, and this was his first point over 10 outings in that span. He didn't get on the scoresheet in either of his first two appearances, and the lack of offense saw him spend two games as a healthy scratch last week. Dumba has added 20 hits, 17 PIM, 12 blocked shots, 12 shots on net and a plus-1 rating over 12 contests this season, playing mainly in a bottom-four role. He could have some safety for playing time if Nils Lundkvist (lower body) misses time after exiting early Wednesday.

Ekman-Larsson produced an assist, two PIM and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Ekman-Larsson has a helper in back-to-back contests following an eight-game slump. He was moved back to the first pairing alongside Morgan Rielly for Wednesday's game after spending some time lower in the lineup. Ekman-Larsson has eight points, 38 shots on net, 31 hits, 23 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 20 appearances. Fantasy managers may be willing to ride through streaky offense since he plays on a strong team and offers category coverage.