NHL Player News
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Peyton Krebs C | BUF
Sabres' Peyton Krebs: Lights lamp Saturday
Krebs scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.
Krebs snapped a three-game slump with the first-period tally. The 23-year-old continues to play in a fourth-line role, though he was able to avoid getting lost in the shuffle when head coach Lindy Ruff shortened the bench in the third period. Krebs is up to three goals, four assists, 15 shots on net, 15 PIM, 29 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 20 appearances. He's not really a standout in any one area, so he has limited usefulness in fantasy.
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Dylan Cozens C | BUF
Sabres' Dylan Cozens: Tallies in win
Cozens scored a goal on eight shots and added three hits in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.
Cozens had one of his best games of the year, ending a four-game point drought. The 23-year-old center tied the game at 2-2 in the third period, laying the foundation for the Sabres' rally to their third straight win. He's up to four goals, eight points, 61 shots on net, 46 hits, 14 blocked shots, 16 PIM and a minus-5 rating through 21 appearances. Cozens is shooting just 6.6 percent this year while increasing his shot volume from 2023-24, but that should improve.
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Max Sasson C | VAN
Canucks' Max Sasson: Point in NHL debut
Sasson picked up an assist in his NHL debut Saturday, a 4-3 win over the Senators.
He lured the defense toward him, pulled up and found Teddy Blueger trailing. Sasson played 7:49 and finished plus-1. And he earned the requisite shaving cream bomb from teammates in a TV interview after the game. Sasson is a bottom-six guy with a motor that never quits. His fantasy game is limited, but his enthusiasm is great to watch.
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Robert Thomas C | STL
Blues' Robert Thomas: Slides power-play helper
Thomas provided a power-play assist and two PIM in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Islanders.
Thomas has returned to his playmaking roots, earning an assist in each of his first three games since returning from a broken ankle. The 25-year-old is up to one goal, eight assists (three on the power play), 19 shots on net, 11 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 10 appearances this season. He's been able to replicate his improved shooting volume from 2023-24, so the goals should eventually follow, even though he's lit the lamp once so far this campaign.
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Brock Nelson C | NYI
Islanders' Brock Nelson: In on all three goals in win
Nelson scored a power-play goal on four shots, added two assists and went plus-2 in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blues.
Nelson's second-period tally was the game-winner, and he also set up linemate Kyle Palmieri's two goals. This was Nelson's first multi-point effort since Oct. 25, and his third such game of the campaign. The 33-year-old center is up to eight tallies, five assists, 64 shots on net and a plus-5 rating over 21 appearances in a second-line role. He's right on track for a fourth straight 30-goal campaign, though a drop in his assist totals could see him struggle to reach the 50-point mark without a turnaround. That said, his goal was his first power-play point of the year, so he's due for some improvement in that area.
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Kyle Palmieri C | NYI
Islanders' Kyle Palmieri: Opens and closes scoring Saturday
Palmieri scored two goals on four shots, including one into an empty net, in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blues.
Palmieri stepped up after the Islanders suffered consecutive 2-1 defeats, which were both games where he was held off the scoresheet. He tallied late in the first period and again in the final minute of the third for his fifth multi-point effort and first multi-goal game of the season. Palmieri is up to nine tallies, 18 points, 53 shots on net and a plus-4 rating through 21 contests overall while holding steady in a second-line role.
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Sean Monahan C | CLB
Blue Jackets' Sean Monahan: Sets up equalizer
Monahan notched an assist, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Hurricanes.
Monahan set up Kirill Marchenko's goal to tie the game with 1:06 left in regulation. In the shootout, Monahan had the lone tally to complete the Blue Jackets' comeback for the team's third straight win. The center has a goal and eight assists over his last five contests. He's up to seven goals, 13 helpers, 58 shots on net and a plus-8 rating through 20 appearances in a top-line role.
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Kent Johnson C | CLB
Blue Jackets' Kent Johnson: Two assists in shootout win
Johnson provided two assists, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Hurricanes.
Johnson's first helper was on a Dmitri Voronkov power-play tally, and he also assisted on Kirill Marchenko's game-tying goal in the third period. With two goals and two assists over two contests since his return from a shoulder injury, Johnson is locked in. What's better is that he's seeing time in all situations. The 22-year-old is up to nine points (four on the power play, two shorthanded), 10 shots on net and a minus-1 rating through six appearances. He's got the skill to take the Blue Jackets' offense to the next level.
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Elias Pettersson C | VAN
Canucks' Elias Pettersson: Four-game, six-point scoring streak
Pettersson had two helpers Saturday in a 4-3 victory over the Senators.
Ten of Pettersson's 15 points have come in his last seven games; it includes four goals and six assists. And he's on a four-game, six-point scoring streak (two goals, four assists). Pettersson still has a long way to go, but it looks like he's put his early-season malaise behind him. He needs to pick up his shot pace, though. With 40 shots in 19 games, Pettersson is on pace for just 170 shots, a significant drop from 207 last year and 257 the one before that. He's converting at about the same rate as he always has, which means he might fail to hit 30 goals for the first time in four seasons.
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Jack Eichel C | LV
Golden Knights' Jack Eichel: Another multi-point game
Eichel scored a goal on three shots and had two assists in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Canadiens.
Eichel helped Vegas to blow open the game, recording assists on two of the five goals the Golden Knights scored during the second period. He later put the nail in the coffin with his seventh goal of the season with just under two minutes left. This was Eichel's 10th multi-point effort, in which he has 21 of his 32 points. He became the fastest player in Vegas history to reach 30 points. For the season, Eichel has seven goals, 25 assists, nine hits, 17 blocks, four PIM and a plus-10 rating.