NHL Player News

Severson scored a goal in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Stars.

Severson snapped a six-game point drought with the third-period tally that broke up Jake Oettinger's shutout bid. The 32-year-old Severson has two goals, three assists, seven shots on net, 14 blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-3 rating over 10 appearances on the season. He's in a top-four role, though his ice time could slip if the Blue Jackets continue to dress seven defensemen after doing so Saturday.

Greaves stopped 14 of 16 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Stars. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Greaves didn't face a lot of traffic, but he wasn't able to fend off enough of it. Both goals he gave up came in the first period, and the Blue Jackets failed to catch up from that. Greaves is down to 2-5-0 with a 3.11 GAA and an .883 save percentage across eight appearances. Given his ongoing struggles and a tough three-game week ahead, Greaves may be best left on the bench in weekly formats. He's also a risky option for fantasy managers in daily leagues if he draws the home start against the Avalanche on Tuesday.

Tanev (upper body) was plus-2 with three hits, three blocked shots and one shot, playing 19:21 in Toronto's 4-2 win Saturday over Vancouver.

It was Tanev's first game back from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss nine games. He now has 17 blocked shots, four hits and two shots in seven games. Tanev is a defensive stalwart on the Leafs blue line. His return is more valuable to his netminders than fantasy managers.

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.