NHL Player News

Gilbert posted an assist, five PIM and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

Gilbert has played in both of the Sabres' games to begin February, earning a helper in each. The 28-year-old has featured because the Sabres are deploying seven defensemen, and his playing time has come at the expense of winger Sam Lafferty. Gilbert is now at three assists, 48 PIM, 44 hits, 17 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 19 appearances.

Byram produced a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

The 23-year-old blueliner opened the scoring midway through the first period by ripping the puck past Elvis Merzlikins from the slot after a deflected shot bounced right to him. It was Byram's first multi-point performance since Nov. 23, but he's been a steady contributor for the Sabres and is headed for a career-best campaign with six goals and 27 points through 53 appearances.

Provorov scored a goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

With Zach Werenski (undisclosed) sidelined, Provorov took over as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 defenseman and came through with his first multi-point performance since Jan. 4. While he's still a candidate to be dealt if Columbus falls out of the playoff picture, Provorov has been a rock on the blue line for the team this season, producing five goals and 24 points in 54 games with 83 blocked shots, 65 shots on net and a plus-4 rating.

Sergachev scored a goal, dished out two assists and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win against Philadelphia.

Tuesday's performance matched Sergachev's highest point total of the season, tallying three points for the first time since Oct. 30 against Calgary. The latter of his two assists came on Dylan Guenther's game-winning goal. The 26-year-old blueliner has 10 goals, 24 assists, 91 blocks, and 80 shots on goal in 48 appearances this season. Sergachev's average TOI is up to 25:45, which trails only Zach Werenski across the NHL. The blueliner's 13-game goal drought from mid-December into January seems to be well behind him after scoring two goals in his past four contests. He is the heart of Utah's defense and should continue to receive many opportunities to produce in fantasy moving forward.

Pionk scored a power-play goal on two shots in Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Carolina.

Pionk extended his point streak to three games with Tuesday's tally, giving him eight goals on the year, including a career-high four with the man advantage. The 29-year-old Nebraska native should be capable of reaching the 10-goal threshold for just the second time in his eight-year NHL career, making him a decent depth option for fantasy managers -- especially in banger leagues that value hits.

Weegar notched two assists, three shots on goal, four hits and two PIM in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

One of Weegar's helpers came on the power play. The defenseman is on a roll lately -- he has a goal and six helpers over his last seven contests, with five of those seven points coming on the power play. For the season, the 31-year-old has remained an all-around force with 29 points (13 on the power play), 115 shots on net, 143 hits, 114 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating across 53 appearances.

Lilleberg provided an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Senators.

This was Lilleberg's second game back from a two-game suspension. He has four helpers over his last 10 outings, though it's unlikely the 24-year-old blueliner will maintain that level of production in the long run. The Norwegian defenseman is at 12 assists, 29 shots on net, 39 blocked shots, 76 PIM and 83 hits through 47 appearances in a bottom-four role this season.

Perbix notched an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Senators.

Perbix snapped a seven-game slump with the helper on a Luke Glendening tally in the second period. The 26-year-old Perbix has handled a third-pairing role lately, but it's not one that comes with much offense. For the season, the blueliner is at 13 points, 48 shots on net, 45 blocked shots, 33 hits, 16 PIM and a plus-5 rating through 47 contests.

McDonagh scored an empty-net goal on two shots, blocked two shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Senators.

McDonagh ended an 18-game goal drought, during which he had four assists. His empty-netter ended up being the game-winner Tuesday, as the Senators got one back following his freebie. The 35-year-old defenseman is now at two goals, 15 points, 50 shots on net, 102 blocked shots and a plus-21 rating across 52 appearances this season. McDonagh continues to handle top-four minutes, though mostly in a defensive capacity.

Walman logged a power-play assist, six blocked shots and three hits in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Walman's offense is starting to come back around -- he has three points over his last six outings, and this was his first power-play point since Dec. 17. He also has 24 blocks in that six-game sample. The 28-year-old blueliner is up to 29 points (seven on the power play), 108 shots on net, 82 blocks, 40 hits, 28 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 42 contests overall.