NHL Player News

Lehkonen notched an assist in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

Lehkonen was out of the lineup for 11 games due to an upper-body injury before making his return Thursday. The winger played on the second line but was limited to 12:06 of ice time, well below his average of 18:37 per game this season. The 30-year-old may be eased back in since the Avalanche are relatively healthy for once. Lehkonen has 19 goals, 43 points, 138 shots on net, 43 hits, 29 blocked shots and a plus-31 rating over 60 appearances this season.

Annunen stopped 26 of 29 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Devils. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Annunen was beaten once in each period and couldn't build on his two-game winning streak. In fact, the lack of consistency from game to game has been Annunen's biggest issue since the league resumed following the Olympic break. The 26-year-old netminder has made six starts since the league resumed and is 3-3-0 during that time, though that record comes with a 2.03 GAA and .931 save percentage. Those are strong enough numbers to show fantasy managers should continue to trust him even if he finds himself at the losing end of games more often than not.

Hischier scored two goals, including one on the power play, in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Predators.

Hischier has scored at least two goals in two of his last six games, as he also delivered two goals in the 6-4 win over the Kings on March 14, and he's riding one of his most productive stretches of the campaign. The 27-year-old forward has cracked the scoresheet in six of his last 10 games while tallying 12 points (six goals, six assists), 25 shots, five hits and five blocked shots over that span. He's up to 55 points on the season across 71 contests, and he's on the verge of reaching the 60-point plateau for a fifth straight campaign, which speaks volumes about his consistency on a year-to-year basis.

Drury scored a goal on five shots and added four hits in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

Drury has a goal and an assist over his last two games. The Avalanche are nearly fully healthy up front with just Nicolas Roy (upper body) unavailable. Drury will remain in the lineup in a bottom-six capacity and serve as a faceoff specialist -- he won 11 of 12 draws yesterday and is winning faceoffs at a 59.2 percent clip on the year, which is 10th among players with at least 100 faceoffs taken. Drury has added a career-high nine goals with 23 points, 85 shots on net, 53 blocked shots, 43 hits, 29 PIM and a plus-14 rating over 71 appearances.

Markstrom stopped 15 of 17 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Predators.

Markstrom returned to the lineup after not playing in New Jersey's last two games and didn't miss a beat, allowing three or fewer goals for the third game in a row to keep his winning streak alive. The 36-year-old veteran, who is firmly established as the Devils' No. 1 goaltender ahead of Jake Allen, has won seven of his last nine games, going 7-2-0 with a 2.64 GAA and an .886 save percentage over that stretch. The win total is nice, but the peripherals indicate the veteran hasn't looked nearly as good as his record indicates. He should continue to be a reliable option between the posts, though.

Bratt scored a goal and added two assists, including one on the power play, in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Predators.

Bratt was the undisputed star of the game Thursday after being involved in three of the team's four goals, with the lone exception being the empty-netter scored by Timo Meier at the 19:27 mark of the final frame. Aside from posting another multi-point performance, Bratt has also extended his goal streak to five games -- his longest of the season by a wide margin. The winger has been on a tear since the beginning of March, putting up 17 points (six goals, 11 assists), 25 shots and a plus-5 rating across 11 outings.

MacKinnon scored two goals on seven shots in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

MacKinnon's pair of third-period tallies ended up being enough to lift the Avalanche to the win. His first goal, a power-play marker 13 seconds into the frame, gave them the lead, and he added a critical insurance goal at 3:55 of the period. MacKinnon remains dominant with five goals and 13 points over his last eight outings. For the season, he's at 48 goals, 117 points, 310 shots on net, 52 hits, 33 blocked shots, 35 PIM and a plus-57 rating through 70 contests.

Blackwood stopped 22 of 24 shots in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

Blackwood has won his last three outings, allowing just five goals on 66 shots in that span. The 29-year-old is getting the majority of the playing time over Scott Wedgewood, though the Avalanche's crease remains in good hands regardless of who starts. Blackwood is up to 21-8-1 on the year with a 2.40 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 32 outings. A rematch with the Jets is on tap for Saturday in Colorado.

Scheifele scored twice on four shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Scheifele had the first and last goals in the game, but the Avalanche potted three in between his tallies. With the two-goal effort, Scheifele reset his career high in points for the second year in a row. He's now at 88 (34 goals, 54 assists) through 72 appearances with 157 shots on net, 39 blocked shots, 30 hits, 31 PIM and a plus-4 rating. At 33 years old, he won't keep growing his offense forever, but he has done well to defy the aging curve so far.

Hellebuyck stopped 32 of 35 shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Hellebuyck put in a good performance against the league's top team, but it wasn't quite enough. The American netminder is now 5-4-3 in March, adding a 2.72 GAA and an .898 save percentage behind a depleted defense for much of the month. He's at 18-20-11 with a 2.81 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 49 outings this season. The Jets are still lingering in the playoff race, so expect Hellebuyck to continue to see a heavy workload until they're mathematically eliminated.