NHL Player News

Johnston scored a power-play goal, recorded two assists, including one with the man advantage, and put two shots on net in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Oilers.

Johnston's three-point night helped him reach 71 on the season, which is tied for his career high in a season. He's generated 12 points over his last eight games and has been held off the scoresheet only twice in that span. Overall, the 22-year-old center has 35 goals, 36 assists, 168 shots on net, 37 hits and 46 blocked shots across 65 games this season. He's soaring alongside Jason Robertson on the Stars' top line, making Johnston an elite fantasy player moving forward.

Steel scored a goal and recorded an assist in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Oilers.

Steel secured his third multi-point outing in March on Dallas' first two goals Thursday, including the one he scored 13:09 into the contest. The pair of points brought the 28-year-old forward up to 11 goals, 31 points, 76 shots on net, 70 hits and 25 blocked shots across 65 games this season. He has soared since Jan. 27 with four goals, 12 points, 22 shots on net and 17 hits across his last 13 games. His recent performances make him a virtual lock to play middle-six minutes for the remainder of the season, which is another reason he is a great waiver-wire addition for the time being.

Hughes scored a goal on five shots and supplied a power-play assist in Thursday's 5-4 loss to Calgary.

Hughes scored his goal near the midway point in Thursday's third period to bring New Jersey within two goals before picking up the secondary helper on the tally scored by his brother, Luke Hughes. Overall, the elder of the two Hughes in New Jersey is up to 16 goals, 31 assists and 155 shots on net across 44 games this season. The OT hero for the United States at the Olympics has carried over his momentum to New Jersey, as he has 11 points in his last eight games. Barring injury, Hughes is on track to secure his fourth consecutive campaign with 60 points or more, giving him strong fantasy value to finish out the regular season.

Backlund scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 5-4 win over New Jersey.

Backlund netted the eventual game-winning goal early in Thursday's third period to place the Flames up 5-2. With his tally, the 36-year-old center is up to 14 goals, 37 points and 155 shots on net through 65 games this season. Following the departure of Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline, Backlund now holds the keys to Calgary's top six. He has two points in his last three games and could provide decent value in deep fantasy leagues for the remainder of the regular season.

Sharangovich tallied a goal and put two shots on net in Thursday's 5-4 win over New Jersey.

Sharangovich scored late in Thursday's second period to place the Flames in front by two tallies. With the twine finder, he is up to 14 goals, 24 points, 115 shots on net and 27 blocked shots across 61 games this season. The 27-year-old winger is off to a hot start in March with three goals, an assist and nine shots on net across seven games. He's just two seasons removed from a 31-goal campaign and could prove to be a solid goal-scorer for the Flames down the stretch. He currently holds solid streaming value in deep fantasy leagues for the time being.

Beecher tallied two goals, including one while shorthanded, fired four shots on net and recorded three blocked shots in Thursday's 5-4 win over New Jersey.

Beecher posted his best offensive outing of the season with two goals in the first 21 minutes of Thursday's contest. The second of the two tallies came at a man disadvantage and placed the Flames up by two goals early in the second period. With the pair of goals, the 24-year-old center has three goals, six points, 31 shots on net, 20 hits and 26 blocked shots across 31 games between the Bruins and Flames this season. In six contests following the Olympic break, he has three points, 10 shots on goal and eight blocked shots. He should continue to serve as Calgary's fourth-line center for the remainder of the season.

Groulx scored a shorthanded goal and added three hits in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Ducks.

Groulx was a second-round pick of Anaheim in 2018, but he never established himself with that club. He was able to get on the scoresheet for the first time as a Maple Leaf with a shortie in Thursday's contest, which stood as the game-winner. Groulx had just five points in 65 career NHL games with the Ducks, but he has shown a scoring touch with AHL Toronto this year, logging 50 points in 54 outings.

Kindel scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights.

Kindel has two goals and two assists over seven outings in March. He's been under the 15-minute mark in ice time for three straight contests, so it looks like he's lost out on the opportunity to gain playing time while the Penguins' forward group is thinned out by injuries. The team's spot in the playoff race is likely playing a part in that, as the Penguins won't want to put too much pressure on the 18-year-old. He's earned 16 goals, 31 points, 129 shots on net, 49 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating over 62 appearances. Those aren't Calder-worthy numbers, but Kindel's bright future is apparent already.

Rakell scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights.

Rakell has two goals and three assists during his active four-game point streak. He was able to get the Penguins on the board in the second period, but the 32-year-old couldn't carry the team's offense in this tough matchup. Rakell has 13 goals, 30 points, 121 shots on net, 59 hits, 35 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 44 appearances this season. He'll continue to function as the top-line center while the Penguins wait for Evgeni Malkin (suspension) to return Monday.

Sissons scored a goal, added two hits and blocked three shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Penguins.

This was the 100th goal of Sissons' career, coming in his 740th game. He snapped a seven-game point drought with the tally. The 32-year-old forward is filling a bottom-six role as a key part of the Golden Knights' defensive structure, so he won't always get involved on offense that much. Sissons has five goals, nine points, 57 shots on net, 74 hits, 35 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating over 50 appearances this season. That puts him on pace for his worst campaign since he had back-to-back 15-point efforts in the abbreviated 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.