NHL Player News
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Isac Lundestrom C | CLB
Blue Jackets' Isac Lundestrom: Won't play Sunday
Lundestrom (lower body) won't suit up for Sunday's contest against the Islanders, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Lundestrom suffered a lower-body injury in the first practice out of the holiday break Saturday, and it's serious enough to keep him out of Sunday's contest. It remains to be seen if he'll be available for the team's next contest Monday in Ottawa. The 26-year-old has one goal and four assists in 35 games on the season, mostly in a bottom-six, penalty-killing role.
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Mathieu Olivier C | CLB
Blue Jackets' Mathieu Olivier: Ready to rock
Olivier (upper body) will be activated from injured reserve ahead of his return to the lineup against the Islanders on Sunday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Based on Saturday's practice, Olivier will occupy a third-line role in his return from a 13-game absence. He has accounted for three goals, nine points, 29 shots on net, 19 blocked shots, 71 hits and 44 PIM across 23 appearances this season.
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Brayden Schenn C | NYI
Blues' Brayden Schenn: Opens scoring on power play
Schenn scored a power-play goal and recorded two shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 win over Nashville.
Schenn put the Blues on the board first with a power-play goal midway through the opening period. Following his twine finder Saturday, he has seven goals, 15 points, 53 shots on net and 87 hits across 39 appearances this season. The 34-year-old's goal Saturday was his first since Dec. 7, snapping an eight-game streak without lighting the lamp. While he has been inefficient inside the Blues' top six, he still holds solid fantasy value in deep leagues due to his hit totals. He still has over half the season to turn things around offensively, but at his current pace, Schenn is at risk of recording less than 40 points in a season for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign.
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Mark Scheifele C | WPG
Jets' Mark Scheifele: Tallies two points in loss
Scheifele scored a goal, tallied an assist, fired five shots on net and had two hits in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild.
Scheifele had a hand in consecutive goals scored by the Jets across two minutes near the end of the second period, with the latter of the pair being the goal he scored to take a 3-2 lead. Overall, the 32-year-old center is up to 18 goals, 27 assists and 77 shots on net through 36 games this season. He's tied with Kyle Connor for the team lead with 45 points, which is also tied for ninth among all skaters. Scheifele has maintained a strong balance to his game, ranking in the top 20 for goals, assists and shooting percentage among players who have made 20 or more appearances. He's well on his way to another 80-plus point regular season, which would be the fourth of his career and second in a row.
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Gabriel Vilardi C | WPG
Jets' Gabriel Vilardi: Records two assists Saturday
Vilardi had two assists, placed two shots on net, recorded two blocks and served two PIM in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota.
Vilardi picked up two secondary helpers across the first two periods on the goals scored by Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor. With the pair of apples, Vilardi is up to 17 assists, 33 points and 77 shots on goal through 36 games this season. Since Nov. 21, he has been incredibly steady with 10 goals and 19 points, which includes six multi-point efforts, over his last 17 games. During that span, he has a 31.3 shooting percentage, which is the third highest among all skaters who have played in at least 15 games. This fact, combined with his return to solid playmaking with three assists over the last two games, makes him a strong fantasy option in nearly all leagues and gives him an added boost in those that place a premium on offensive stats.
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Nick Cousins C | OTT
Senators' Nick Cousins: Puts away goal in loss
Cousins scored a goal on two shots and added four hits in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Cousins has two goals over his last six games. While he's chipped in semi-regularly, his fourth-line role makes him a no-go in standard fantasy formats. Cousins is at six goals, three assists, 29 shots on net, 78 hits and 33 PIM over 36 appearances this season, and his 20.7 shooting percentage is bound to regress eventually.
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Anze Kopitar C | LA
Kings' Anze Kopitar: Earns trio of helpers
Kopitar notched three assists and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Ducks.
Kopitar had secondary helpers on all three goals of Alex Laferriere's hat trick. This was Kopitar's first multi-point effort since Nov. 20 versus the Sharks. The 38-year-old center is up to six goals, 14 assists, 48 shots on net, 28 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 33 appearances this season. He remains in a top-six role, but he's likely set for one of the lower-scoring campaigns of his prolific career.
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Justin Hryckowian C | DAL
Stars' Justin Hryckowian: Riding five-game point streak
Hryckowian scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Blackhawks.
Hryckowian is on a five-game point streak (three goals, two assists). The 24-year-old has earned his place as a bottom-six regular for the Stars this season, though his fantasy utility remains limited even during his current successful run. He's at a total of six goals, 13 points, 40 shots on net, 59 hits, 17 blocked shots, 17 PIM and a minus-2 rating over 38 appearances this season.
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Sam Lafferty C | CHI
Blackhawks' Sam Lafferty: Slumping in part-time role
Lafferty has failed to record a point in his last 11 appearances after going scoreless with two shots on net and two hits in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Stars.
Lafferty has been scratched nine times during his slump, though he has played in six of the Blackhawks' last 10 games. The 30-year-old has mostly filled a fourth-line role when he plays, which limits his scoring potential. He's at one goal, five shots on net, 16 hits, 14 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 16 outings this season. Lafferty is a non-factor in fantasy as long as his usage remains limited.
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Jason Dickinson C | EDM
Blackhawks' Jason Dickinson: Scores in Saturday's shootout win
Dickinson scored a goal, added four hits and went plus-3 in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Stars.
Dickinson has scored twice over the last five contests. The 30-year-old is filling in as the top-line center for now while Connor Bedard (upper body) and Frank Nazar (upper body) are out. Dickinson is more of a defensive center, as evidenced by his seven points in 24 outings this season. He's added 32 shots on net, 28 hits, 16 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating, but his offense could get a boost while he's in a more prominent role.