NHL Player News

Bjugstad logged an assist, three shots on goal and two hits in Friday's 2-1 win over the Sharks.

Bjugstad has turned the corner to begin January, earning three assists over his first four games this month. While he remains in a third-line role at even strength, the uptick in offense could get the 32-year-old center back on track. He has 11 points, 60 shots on net, 52 hits and a minus-5 rating through 33 appearances this season.

Keller logged an assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 2-1 win over the Sharks.

Keller set up Nick Schmaltz on the game-tying goal at 5:57 of the second period. The helper was Keller's second in as many games, and he has racked up four points over four contests since he missed one game due to an illness. The top-line winger is up to 14 goals, 27 assists, 105 shots on net and a minus-3 rating through 40 appearances this season. He'll be leaned on to carry the offense even more while Dylan Guenther (lower body) is out of the lineup indefinitely.

Hayton scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Friday's 2-1 in over the Sharks.

Hayton was demoted from the top line Friday, instead playing on the second line. It still worked out, as he scored with 1:32 left in the third period, and his goal stood as the game-winner. Hayton has just two points over his last seven outings and a total of 18 points, 59 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 41 contests overall. Moving down the lineup isn't great for his fantasy value, though that could change if he picks up the scoring pace in the second half of the campaign.

Schmaltz scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 2-1 win over the Sharks.

Schmaltz tied the game at 1-1 in the second period. Since the holiday break, the 28-year-old forward has three points and a minus-10 rating over seven contests. Utah will be without Dylan Guenther (lower body) indefinitely, and that prompted head coach Andre Tourigny to shuffle his top six, so Schmaltz will have to get used to Logan Cooley as his center in place of Barrett Hayton. Schmaltz has seven goals, 23 assists, 89 shots on net and a minus-11 rating through 41 appearances this season.

Vilardi recorded a power-play assist in Friday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Kings.

Vilardi has five goals and five assists over his last eight contests. The 25-year-old has earned six of those points with the power play and continues to be a force in that situation with a spot on the top unit. For the season, Vilardi is up to 38 points (19 on the power play), 84 shots on net, 25 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 43 appearances. He'll be taking aim at setting new career highs nearly across the board in the second half of 2024-25.

Scheifele scored a power-play goal and added four PIM in Friday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Kings.

Scheifele tied the game at 1-1 midway through the third period. The center has two goals and three assists during his four-game point streak to begin January. Overall, he's up to 24 tallies, 49 points (16 on the power play), 96 shots on net, 36 hits, 36 blocked shots, 27 PIM and a plus-3 rating over 43 appearances in his usual top-line role.

Kopitar notched an assist and went plus-2 in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.

Kopitar had the secondary helper on Adrian Kempe's game-winning tally in overtime. The 37-year-old Kopitar had been held off the scoresheet in five of his previous six games, a rare quiet stretch for a player that has been the picture of consistency for much of the campaign. He's now at 12 goals, 28 helpers, 50 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a plus-19 rating through 39 outings overall. He's finished above a point-per-game pace just once in his career in 2017-18, when he had a career-high 35 goals and 92 points over 82 contests, so there's no guarantee he can continue to play at this level in the second half of 2024-25.

Turcotte scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.

Turcotte tallied at 4:39 of the second period, ending his seven-game goal drought. In that span, he racked up three assists. The 23-year-old continues to see even-strength minutes on the top line, but he hasn't elevated his offense to be in line with that assignment, and his ice time remains more like that of a middle-six forward. Turcotte has five goals, 11 helpers, 37 shots on net and a plus-12 rating through 34 appearances.

Dach notched an assist and three hits in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.

Dach has a helper in each of the last two games after opening his NHL career with two scoreless efforts. The 22-year-old continues to play on the third line at even strength, and in an offense as thin as Chicago's, there's no guarantee he'll be able to sustain decent scoring numbers. Dach has contributed eight shots on net, 10 hits and a minus-1 rating through four outings. Fantasy managers in redraft formats can afford to wait and see if he performs well over a larger sample.

Bedard recorded an assist and four PIM in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.

Bedard set up a Ryan Donato tally in the first period. The 19-year-old Bedard extended his point streak to nine games, and he's earned four goals and eight assists in that span. He's in a groove, which is all the more impressive given how inconsistent the Blackhawks' offense can be as a whole. For the season, he has 38 points, 101 shots on net, 20 PIM and a minus-16 rating through 42 appearances.