NHL Player News

Bouchard registered an assist and went plus-3 in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Penguins.

Bouchard has five points over his last five outings, including a pair of power-play assists. The 24-year-old defenseman is up to 58 points, 155 shots on net, 83 blocked shots, 53 hits and a plus-17 rating through 59 outings. Bouchard will remain an elite fantasy defenseman as long as he's on the Oilers' top power-play unit.

Kulak produced a pair of assists, two shots on goal, four hits and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Penguins.

Kulak helped out on tallies by Ryan McLeod and Cody Ceci in a span of 23 seconds late in the second period. This was Kulak's first multi-point effort since Feb. 25, 2023 versus the Blue Jackets. The 30-year-old defenseman is rarely a big scoring threat, but he has seven points over 14 outings since the All-Star break. Kulak has 12 points, 65 shots on net, 51 hits, 53 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating through 59 appearances on the year.

Morrissey registered a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win over the Sabres on Sunday.

Morrissey potted his eighth goal of the season to start the third period and tied the game up 2-2. He also added an assist on the Jets' first goal, four shots and a plus-1 rating in 24:30 of ice time. This was Morrissey's second multi-point game in a row and his 14th of the season. Fantasy managers should project for Morrissey to maintain his solid offensive performance for the rest of the season -- his position on the power play and consistent ice time solidify his value as one of the most dependable fantasy defensemen.

Ceci scored a goal on three shots, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Penguins.

Ceci, who spent 2020-21 with the Penguins, was able to get in on the Oilers' fun against his old team. He snapped a five-game point drought in the process. Both of his goals and five of his 18 points this season have come over the last 11 games. The defenseman has added 69 shots on net, 84 blocked shots, 57 hits and a plus-10 rating through 59 contests overall.

Vaakanainen registered an assist in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Canucks.

Vaakanainen has two helpers over his last six games. The 25-year-old defenseman is still at risk of being an occasional scratch, but the Ducks' trades of Jamie Drysdale and Ilya Lyubushkin have opened up more consistent playing time for the remaining blueliners. Vaakanainen has a career-high 11 points with 54 shots on net, 60 blocked shots, 30 hits and a plus-1 rating over 52 appearances.

Dillon registered a hit and a plus-3 rating in a 5-2 win over the Sabres on Sunday.

After missing the last game with an illness, Dillon returned to his regular spot on the second pairing with partner Neal Pionk. Dillon finished with two shots, one hit, one blocked shot and a plus-3 rating in 17:47 of ice time. He can be a solid depth piece or streamer in deeper leagues for his contribution in hits -- he has 30 hits in his last eight games -- but his lack of offensive production limits Dillon's fantasy value.

Zadorov logged an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Ducks.

Zadorov has four points over his last nine outings while playing in a bottom-four role. The 28-year-old blueliner is up to 14 points, 63 shots on net, 127 hits, 54 blocked shots, 91 PIM and a plus-1 rating through 57 contests between the Canucks and the Flames. His scoring pace has actually dipped a bit with the Canucks, though he's also seen less ice time. Zadorov could get some of that playing time back while Tyler Myers (lower body) is sidelined on a week-to-week basis.

Hronek earned an assist, fired three shots on goal and blocked two shots in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Ducks.

Hronek has a goal and two assists over his last four games. The defenseman was briefly dropped off the top pairing for the Canucks, but he's since returned to that role alongside Quinn Hughes, which has been fruitful for both blueliners. Hronek has easily secured a career year with 45 points, 121 shots on net, 65 hits, 63 blocked shots and a plus-32 rating over 63 appearances while also seeing time on the second power-play unit. He's likely to be relied on even more in the absence of Tyler Myers (lower body).

Hughes notched an assist, four shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Ducks.

Since the start of February, Hughes has nine helpers over 14 games. That's solid production, though it's a noticeable downturn from his scoring pace earlier in the campaign. The captain has 12 goals, 59 helpers, 151 shots on net, 39 blocked shots and a plus-32 rating over 63 appearances. Even with the slowdown, Hughes is on pace to shatter his career high of 76 points from last season.

Fowler (face) will be in Sunday's lineup against the Canucks, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Fowler missed Friday's game against the Devils but will fortunately limit that absence to one game. The 32-year-old has 28 points in 59 games this season, including six over his last nine appearances.