NHL Player News

Cirelli scored two goals in a 6-2 win over the Bruins on Saturday.

Cirelli's first goal stood as the winner. He tipped a shot by Ryan McDonagh past Jeremy Swayman in the second period. His second went into an empty net. Cirelli came out of the 4 Nations Face-off on a three-game, three-assist streak, but since then, he went seven games without a point before Saturday. Still, Cirelli has already established new career highs in goals (22) and points (47) in just 64 games, and he has tied his career-best six shorthanded points, all while keeping his face-off percentage in the black (50.9 percent). Cirelli is a strong all-round player, but the depth of his position suppresses his fantasy value. There are a lot of centers putting up similar primary numbers.

Dorofeyev scored a goal in a 4-3 shootout loss to Buffalo on Saturday.

Dorofeyev put a backhander past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the side of the net. He's on a three-game goal streak (three snipes), and he has five points across a four-game scoring streak. Most impressively, Dorofeyev has 27 goals (43 points) in 66 appearances this season, and he's done it while shooting at about the same rate (13.6) as his career average (14.0). There's a plethora of NHLers with 27 goals this season, and it's darn impressive that Dorofeyev's name is alongside Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Hughes, Dylan Larkin and Brady Tkachuk. He's always had this potential, and this feels real.

Howden scored a goal Saturday in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Sabres.

Howden opened the scoring at 12:07 of the first period when he directed a pass from Tanner Pearson at the back door past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He continues to pad his new career highs this season. Howden has 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points and 107 shots. His previous bests were nine goals, 23 points and 76 shots.

Eichel scored a goal in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to Buffalo.

It extended his point streak to eight games (11 points; two goals, nine assists). Eichel is the only Vegas player to have recorded three point streaks of eight games or more (12 contests last season; eight in 2022-23). Eichel has 21 goals and 59 assists for 80 points (204 shots) in 65 outings this season. That's just two points from his career high (2018-19) and squarely puts Eichel in the league's top-10 scorers.

McLeod scored a goal Saturday in a 4-3 shootout win over the Golden Knights.

McLeod took a stretch pass at the offensive blue line at the midpoint of the second period and carried it to the left circle before wiring it five-hole past Adin Hill. It was his first goal in 10 games. McLeod is on a three-game scoring streak (one goal, two helpers) and has five points in his last five contests. He continues to build on new career marks in goals (15), assists (21) and points (36). McLeod's 21.4 shooting percentage is well above his career average (13.9), so his goal pace will slow. But a 40-point season is well within reach.

Kulich (upper body) left Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over Vegas in the second period and did not return, Jourdon LaBarber of the Sabres' official site reports.

Kulich sustained the injury after taking a hard hit from Vegas forward Brett Howden. According to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, head coach Lindy Ruff thought Kulich was doing "pretty good" after Saturday's victory. However, the 20-year-old forward will be evaluated further before Monday's road matchup versus Boston. Kulich entered Saturday's action with 12 goals, 103 shots on net and 19 points in 48 appearances this season.

Blackwell went minus-2 in 11:21 of ice time in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Jets.

Blackwell has played in two straight games while Roope Hintz (face) is out. Prior to that, Blackwell was scratched for five straight contests. The 31-year-old's playing time outlook took a hit when the Stars acquired Mikko Rantanen -- Blackwell has mainly played as a right winger this year, and he became the odd man out after that trade. For the season, Blackwell has done alright in a limited role with 13 points, 56 shots on net, 75 hits and 21 blocked shots over 52 outings, but his place in the lineup is not guaranteed when the Stars are healthy up front.

Rasmussen scored a goal, had five shots on net, dished two hits and blocked two shots in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

Rasmussen lit the lamp in the third period, earning his first point since his return from a head injury. Overall, he is up to 10 goals, 17 points, 84 shots on net and 113 hits in 61 appearances this season. The 25-year-old center is currently on the fourth line and back to his role of bringing physicality to Detroit's bottom six. While his fantasy value has a low ceiling, Rasmussen could be a good add for banger leagues down the stretch if he can find the goal-scoring consistency he found last month.

Barron scored a goal and added two hits in Friday's 4-1 win over the Stars.

Barron scored the Jets' fourth goal, earning his first point in seven appearances since returning from an upper-body injury. The Jets added Brandon Tanev at the trade deadline, leading Barron to shift to center on the fourth line and bumping David Gustafsson out of the lineup. Barron has nine points, 72 shots on net, 97 hits, 34 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating across 59 appearances this season.

Kotkaniemi dished two assists and tallied two shots on goal in Friday's 4-2 win against Detroit.

Kotkaniemi had a productive second period by tallying the primary assist on goals by Taylor Hall and Jack Roslovic. With his helpers, the 24-year-old Kotkaniemi eclipsed the 30-point mark in 66 appearances this season. After a five-game drought of finding his name off the scoresheet, Kotkaniemi is slowly getting into a rhythm with four points in his past eight games. With the Hurricanes mixing up line combinations, Kotkaniemi is currently centering Carolina's second unit at even strength and on the power play. If he has a few more performances like Friday's, Kotkaniemi could have sneaky value for the fantasy playoffs.