NHL Player News

Heiskanen notched two assists and two blocked shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

This was Heiskanen's second multi-point effort of the campaign. He's gone seven games without a goal but still has five assists, including two on the power play, in that span. The star defenseman is up to three goals, eight helpers, 26 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, 10 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 14 outings this season. He should continue to see significant ice time in all situations.

Harley scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

Harley caught Jet Greaves napping at the end of the first period to give the Stars a 2-0 lead. This was the first tally of the season for Harley, who has handled a lot of ice time in a top-four role this season. He was down to 22:49 of ice time Saturday with the return of Esa Lindell from a lower-body injury. Harley has produced six points, 25 shots on net, 29 blocked shots, 14 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 14 appearances. He won't see top usage at even strength or on the power play as long as Miro Heiskanen stays healthy, and that will limit Harley's ability to pile up points.

Merilainen stopped 24 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday. He allowed three goals.

Merilainen has badly outplayed starter, Kevin Lankinen, and is 2-5-1 with a 3.31 GAA and .897 save percentage in nine starts (11 appearances). Those numbers aren't as bad as they look -- the NHL average for save percentage is .891. Merilainen is typically hung out to dry most nights, but he hangs in there and gives the Orcas a chance. Plus his 5.45 GSAx is 16th in the NHL. He's making the most of this opportunity and is worth monitoring for future drafts when the team improves.

Rantanen scored a power-play goal on three shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

Rantanen continues to pile up points with five goals and six assists over his last eight games. He had a fairly modest start to the year but has quickly gotten back to looking like a superstar again. He's at seven tallies, 17 points (five on the power play), 28 shots on net, 13 hits, 12 PIM and a plus-5 rating over 14 appearances.

Hyry scored an empty-net goal on four shots, dished an assist, went plus-2 and added three hits in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

Hyry ended a five-game point drought with the effort. The 25-year-old forward has gotten on the scoresheet in just three of 14 games, but two of those instances have been multi-point efforts. He has a career-high four goals with one assist, 26 shots on net, 29 hits, seven PIM and an even plus-minus rating to start the campaign. He's firmly in a bottom-six role while the Stars deal with some injuries to forwards.

Oettinger stopped 24 of 25 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

The Stars led 2-0 after the first period, and the Blue Jackets never offered much of a threat. Oettinger had allowed seven goals over his last two games, but he was able to lock things down in a favorable matchup to bounce back from his loss versus the Canadiens on Thursday. For the season, the 27-year-old netminder is 7-3-1 with a 1.63 GAA and a .921 save percentage across 11 starts. The Stars' next game is Tuesday on the road versus the Capitals, which could be more of a challenging matchup.

Novak scored a goal on three shots and added a power-play assist in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Canadiens.

The helper was the 100th of Novak's NHL career. While Bryan Rust (lower body) is out, Novak has filled in on the top line, which gives him a bit more fantasy value. He hasn't taken full advantage yet, but this outing could be the spark he needs. Through 14 contests, Novak has four goals, six helpers, 22 shots on net, nine blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating. Five of his assists have come with the man advantage.

Rakell scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Canadiens.

Rakell's resurgence continued despite the loss. He's scored in four of the last five games and has a total of six points in that span. The 33-year-old is up to four goals, four assists, 35 shots on net, 16 hits, 12 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 14 appearances. As long as Rakell stays on the top line, he should be able to provide good scoring numbers and a bit of all-around production.

Sasson scored a goal Saturday in a 4-2 loss to Toronto.

It was his fourth of the season. Sasson has four goals, two assists, 17 shots, 12 blocks, 10 PIM and eight hits. The fourth-liner is heading toward a career high in goals and points, but there isn't enough other category coverage to make a potential 20-goal guy worthy of rostering.

Karlsson scored a power-play goal on four shots and added two assists in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Canadiens.

Karlsson scored for the second game in a row and earned his fourth multi-point effort of the campaign. The 36-year-old defenseman is showing no signs of slowing down this season. He's up to three goals, 13 assists, 25 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a minus-2 rating across 14 appearances. Keep him in fantasy lineups -- the Penguins are struggling, but Karlsson is heavily involved in the offense this year.