NHL Player News

Toews recorded two assists, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Toews is rolling with two goals and four assists during a four-game point streak. That's his best stretch of the season, but the 32-year-old defenseman has provided reliable scoring throughout the campaign. He's at four goals, nine helpers, 22 shots on net, 11 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating through 14 appearances. Toews' offense was too low last year, and it's too high right now -- expect a slowdown to come at some point, though he still offers enough with shots, hits and blocks to maintain good fantasy value.

Makar registered four assists, three shots on goal and a plus-4 rating in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Makar has always been good against his hometown team, but he's taken it up a notch lately. He has at least three points in each of his last four games against the Flames, with Saturday's four-point performance being his best effort in the matchup. For the season, he's at three goals, 12 helpers, 37 shots on net, 14 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 13 appearances. He's earned just two of his helpers on the power play and should be able to be more productive in that situation as the season progresses.

Nelson scored a goal on three shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Nelson had gone six games without a goal, adding just two assists in that span. Despite the sluggish pace on offense recently, he remains in a second-line role. The veteran center now has four goals, five assists, 27 shots on net, 10 blocked shots, six hits and a plus-3 rating through 14 appearances.

MacKinnon scored a goal on five shots, added a power-play assist and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

MacKinnon has earned three goals and five assists over his four-game point streak. He's logged multiple points in eight of 14 contests this season as he continues to power the Avalanche's offense from the top line. He's up to nine tallies, 15 helpers, 57 shots, 12 PIM and a plus-7 rating through 14 appearances on the year.

Necas scored a power-play goal on two shots, added an assist and went plus-4 in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Necas has racked up seven points over his last four outings. The 27-year-old is up to seven goals, 11 helpers, 30 shots on net, 12 hits and a plus-11 rating over 14 appearances. Necas has earned just three of his 18 points on the power play as the Avalanche continue to struggle while up a man. If the team improves in that situation, Necas' offense could spike a little higher.

Lehkonen scored two goals on four shots and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Lehkonen's point streak up up to nine games, and he has nine goals and four assists in that span. Life on the Avalanche's top line is serving the winger well in his contract year. He's scored 12 goals while adding five assists, 28 shots on net, 13 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 14 appearances. No player is good enough to sustain a 42.9 shooting percentage, but it's safe to assume Lehkonen's production won't just fall off a cliff since he's playing alongside one of the best players in the league.

Blackwood stopped 25 of 27 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Blackwood and the Avalanche were in firm control of this game from the start. He picked up his third straight win with this effort, allowing just seven goals on 83 shots in that span. For the season, Blackwood has a 7-3-0 record with a 2.73 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 10 starts. With Scott Wedgewood struggling to match last year's success, Blackwood is likely to continue handling a majority of the starts. Both goalies should get a look during the Avalanche's two-game road trip, which features stops in Chicago on Monday and in Columbus on Tuesday. Both games are great matchups for fantasy managers looking for wins.

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.