NHL Player News

Werenski scored a pair of goals in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Ducks.

Werenski opened the scoring 3:32 into the first period, swatting a puck out of the air past John Gibson before adding a second tally later in the frame. The 26-year-old Werenski has three goals and eight points in nine outings since his return from a 10-game absence with an ankle sprain. He's up to 33 points (four goals, 29 assists) through 43 games this season while averaging 24:18 of ice time on Columbus' top defensive pairing.

Kulak notched an assist and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Kulak has four assists over eight games in February, a strong run of offense by his standards. He saw just 12:56 of ice time Wednesday, his lowest total since Jan. 16. The 30-year-old blueliner is firmly on the third pairing for the Oilers and likely won't move up as long as the team is healthy. He's earned nine points, 55 shots on net, 51 blocked shots, 41 hits, 22 PIM and a plus-4 rating over 53 appearances.

Ekholm logged an assist, five shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Ekholm has warmed up on offense with four assists over his last three games. The defenseman has also logged at least a hit and a blocked shot in each of the last nine contests. Ekholm is up to 23 points, 109 shots on net, 95 hits, 61 blocked shots, 33 PIM and a plus-22 rating through 52 outings. While he's not as physical as Darnell Nurse or as offensively productive as Evan Bouchard, Ekholm's well-rounded stats make for a solid depth defenseman in fantasy.

Nurse notched an assist, three hits, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Nurse has three helpers over his last five games after posting just one assist in the prior 10 contests. The 29-year-old defenseman reached the 20-point mark Wednesday, but that's a bit of a disappointment compared to his career-high 43 points from last season. Nurse has added 109 shots on net, 102 hits, 126 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating through 53 appearances in a top-four role in 2023-24.

Ceci notched two assists and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Bruins.

This was Ceci's second multi-point effort in February, but he's gone scoreless in his other six outings. The defenseman doesn't make regular contributions on the scoresheet, but he's quietly had a solid season. He's up to 17 points, 60 shots on net, 77 blocked shots, 47 hits and a plus-13 rating through 53 outings. Ceci had just 15 points in 80 contests a year ago -- he's in a good position to secure his fifth 20-point campaign.

Wotherspoon logged an assist, two hits, two blocked shots and five PIM in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.

Wotherspoon had an eventful second period, fighting Corey Perry and then helping out on a Jake DeBrusk tally after the penalty expired. The 26-year-old Wotherspoon could be in the lineup for the rest of the Bruins' road trip, as Hampus Lindholm (undisclosed) is not traveling with the team and Matt Grzelcyk (lower body) was injured Wednesday. Wotherspoon has four helpers, 17 shots on net, 18 PIM, 52 hits and 45 blocked shots through 24 outings, so he's unlikely to be very useful in fantasy.

Lohrei notched three assists, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.

One of Lohrei's assists came on the power play. The 23-year-old blueliner entered the lineup with Hampus Lindholm (undisclosed) designated week-to-week and out for the Bruins' current road trip. Lohrei has three goals, six assists, 34 shots on net, 24 hits, 51 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 28 appearances at the NHL level this season. He could have a chance to stick in the lineup for a while after Matt Grzelcyk (lower body) left Wednesday's game early in the first period.

McAvoy scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.

McAvoy also racked up three shots on goal, five hits, two blocked shots and a minus-2 rating. His tally in overtime was his third game-winner of the season. The defenseman is up to 40 points through 49 outings, with seven of those points coming over his last five games. He's added 99 shots on net, 97 hits, 99 blocked shots, 71 PIM and a plus-12 rating in 2023-24 while seeing top-pairing minutes.

Brown notched an assist, three shots on goal, four hits and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Brown has played in three straight games after being scratched for five straight contests to begin February. The 30-year-old has displaced Travis Dermott from the lineup. Brown is up to six points, 27 shots on net, 53 hits, 53 blocked shots, 45 PIM and a minus-5 rating through 31 outings. Even when he plays, he's limited to a third-pairing role, and he's generated too little offense to make a splash in fantasy.

Durzi posted a power-play assist, two shots on goal, three blocked shots, four PIM and a minus-2 rating in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Durzi has a helper in consecutive contests after going seven games without a point. He assisted on a Dylan Guenther tally late in the second period Wednesday. Durzi's slump didn't cost him his spot on the first power-play unit, where he's earned 12 of his 30 points this season. The defenseman has added 89 shots on net, 111 blocked shots, 49 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 50 appearances.