NHL Player News

Backlund tallied a goal and fired four shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.

Backlund started Calgary's comeback effort in the third period with the team's first goal of the game. He has scored in each of the last two games and is up to 15 goals, 38 points and 159 shots on net through 66 games this season. The 36-year-old has scored exactly 15 goals for a third consecutive regular season. He seems poised to lead Calgary's offense for the remainder of the season, giving him fantasy value in most deep leagues and various standard formats.

Cizikas scored a goal, placed two shots on net and dished out four hits in Saturday's 3-2 win over Calgary.

Cizikas lit the lamp at the midway point of the opening period Saturday for the first of the Islanders' three first-period goals. The twine finder brought the 35-year-old center up to eight goals, 16 points, 58 shots on net, 126 hits and 47 blocked shots across 66 games this season. The 15-year NHL veteran used Saturday's goal to snap an eight-game streak without a twine finder. He's just one point shy of tying the 17 points he posted in 82 games a year ago.

Stankoven scored an empty-net goal in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Lightning.

Stankoven has two goals and an assist over his last five games. While his offense hasn't been explosive, he's been good enough to maintain a second-line role for much of the campaign. Stankoven is up to 13 goals, 30 points, 126 shots on net, 37 hits and a plus-10 rating over 66 appearances.

Jarnkrok was in the lineup for the fifth time in six games in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Sabres.

Jarnkrok has been in a part-time role this season, and he's done little with it. This was his 12th straight game without a point, and he's added just nine shots on net, five hits and a minus-3 rating in that span. The 34-year-old has been limited to bottom-six duties when he plays. Jarnkrok has just seven points with 37 shots on net, 27 hits and a minus-10 rating through 43 appearances this season, so fantasy managers can do better for forward depth.

Dowd provided an assist, two shots on goal and four PIM in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Dowd picked up his first point in five games with the Golden Knights. The 35-year-old forward is up to 17 points, 52 shots on net, 122 hits, 43 blocked shots, 59 PIM and a minus-6 rating over 60 appearances between Vegas and Washington. Dowd has filled a bottom-six role with the Golden Knights, and the team's stronger forward depth has had a limiting factor on his ice time compared to his usage with the Capitals.

Raty's point drought reached 13 games in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Kraken.

Raty is playing regularly again after the Canucks shipped David Kampf to the Capitals at the trade deadline. That hasn't helped Raty's offense -- in addition to the point drought, he's gone 24 contests without a goal, posting just one assist in that span. His work early in the campaign means he still has a career year with 12 points over 50 outings, and he's brought a physical edge with 119 hits, but there's not much to like about a bottom-six forward on a low-scoring team when it comes to fantasy value.

Rossi scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Kraken.

Rossi has three goals and four assists over his last seven contests, so it looks like he's starting to put things together. His tally Saturday was too late to make an impact on the game. The 24-year-old center is at eight goals, 22 points, 47 shots on net, 23 hits, 25 blocked shots and a minus-13 rating across 34 appearances between the Canucks and the Wild this season.

McCann scored a goal in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Canucks.

McCann was bumped from the top line by Bobby McMann, but this worked out fine for the former, who remains in the power-play mix. Prior to Saturday, McCann had been limited to five assists and 25 shots over his last 10 games. The 29-year-old has 17 goals, 35 points, 98 shots on net, 36 hits and a minus-2 rating over 41 appearances. McCann is still performing fairly well, but a smaller role on the second line could ultimately reduce his scoring output down the stretch.

Beniers scored a goal, dished two assists and went plus-4 in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Canucks.

Beniers showed immediate chemistry with newcomer Bobby McMann, who joined him and Jordan Eberle on the top line. The 23-year-old Beniers is carrying some momentum with four goals and two assists over his last seven contests. The center is up to 18 goals, 43 points, 123 shots on net, 55 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 65 appearances. It took him all 82 games last year to earn 43 points -- Beniers is on pace to top the 50-point mark for the second time in his career.

McMann scored twice on four shots, added an assist and logged four hits in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Canucks.

This was McMann's first action since March 2 with the Maple Leafs, as he was scratched twice before the trade deadline and then had to sit out three more games waiting for his visa paperwork to be completed. The 29-year-old slotted onto the top line and also worked on the power play, which could boost his offense moving forward, though he did have an easy first matchup in a Kraken sweater. Through 61 contests this season, McMann has a career-best 21 goals and 35 points while adding 129 shots on net, 139 hits, 30 PIM and a minus-2 rating. The Kraken are in the playoff hunt, but McMann is also angling for a good contract in free agency, so the next few weeks will be important to see if his future could be in Seattle in the long run.