NHL Player News

Vaakanainen recorded an assist in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Vaakanainen has two assists, five shots on net, eight hits and nine blocked shots over his last six outings. The 25-year-old defenseman continues to see steady bottom-four usage for the Ducks, but the team's scoring troubles will suppress his offense. For the season, the Finn is at 13 points, 63 shots on net, 71 blocked shots, 42 hits, 24 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 60 appearances.

Zellweger registered an assist in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Zellweger snapped a seven-game point drought with the assist. The 20-year-old has been over 20 minutes of ice time in six of 11 games in March, and he's also seeing fairly steady power-play time. The rookie blueliner has just three helpers over 15 contests this year, so his fantasy value remains limited in redraft formats, though his future is bright.

Mintyukov notched an assist, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Mintyukov has two helpers over his last three contests. The 20-year-old rookie continues to stick in the Ducks' lineup, but his role -- particularly on the power play -- has fluctuated in recent weeks. He's at 27 points, 83 shots on net, 77 hits, 59 blocked shots and a minus-17 rating through 59 appearances. Mintyukov should be considered a bottom-four option on a low-scoring team for the remainder of this season, giving him limited fantasy appeal.

Fowler provided a power-play assist and fired four shots on goal in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Fowler had gone four games without a point entering Thursday. He has four helpers over 10 appearances in March. The 32-year-old blueliner is up to 32 points, 97 shots on net, 104 blocked shots and a minus-33 rating through 69 appearances as the Ducks' top defenseman.

Stecher recorded an assist, two hits and two blocked shots in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Sabres.

Stecher got on the scoresheet in his third game with the Oilers, setting up a Darnell Nurse tally in the third period. The 29-year-old Stecher has been limited to a bottom-four role since he was traded from the Coyotes, though he's recently pushed Vincent Desharnais for playing time. Stecher has six points, 46 shots on net, 61 hits, 73 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating over 50 appearances overall.

Ceci notched an assist and two PIM in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Sabres.

Ceci snapped a seven-game point drought with his helper on Connor Brown's goal late in the third period. The 30-year-old Ceci saw some top-four usage earlier in the season, but he's been limited to the third pairing recently. He's at 19 points, 80 shots on net, 73 hits, 95 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 67 outings this season. With his physical play on the decline this year, Ceci has less appeal in deeper fantasy formats since his scoring hasn't changed much.

Graves is back in Pittsburgh awaiting the birth of his child and will miss out against Dallas on Friday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.

Depending on timing, it's possible Graves will link up with the team to face Colorado on Sunday, but for now, he should probably be considered questionable at best. Considering the defenseman has just one point in his last eight outings, few fantasy players figure to be impacted by his absence. In his stead, Jack St. Ivany will make his NHL debut versus the Stars.

Bouchard logged two assists, three shots on goal, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Sabres.

One of his helpers came on the power play. Bouchard is on another playmaking run with seven helpers, including three on the power play, over his last five contests. The 24-year-old defenseman is up to 67 points (15 goals, 52 assists) with 180 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 56 hits and a plus-28 rating through 67 appearances.

Brodin (lower body) will miss Saturday's tilt versus St. Louis, but he could return for Thursday's game against San Jose, according to Jessi Pierce of NHL.com.

Brodin is progressing according to coach John Hynes, and with the Wild off until Thursday after Saturday's contest, the defender remains a possibility to play against the Sharks. Brodin has seven goals, 16 assists and 121 blocked shots in 51 games this season.

Nurse scored a goal on three shots, doled out eight hits and blocked four shots in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Sabres.

The eight hits matched a season high for Nurse, who left his mark on this game. His third-period tally was also the game-winner, giving him five points over his last seven contests. For the season, the veteran defenseman is up to nine goals, 25 points, 146 shots on net, 154 blocked shots, 142 hits, 46 PIM and a plus-4 rating through 67 appearances.