NHL Player News

Lafferty was in the lineup for the fourth straight game in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Panthers.

Lafferty's playing time has been on the upswing, thanks in part to an illness going through the Sabres right now that has hit the forwards hard. The 30-year-old winger has had a rough campaign with just five points, 34 shots on net, 67 hits and a minus-10 rating over 44 appearances. Considering he had his two best seasons over the previous two years, this has been a disappointment, especially since he has been stuck in a part-time role. Lafferty is not likely to produce enough in any area to warrant a spot on fantasy rosters.

Coyle notched an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Maple Leafs.

Coyle's run with his hometown Bruins came to an abrupt end Friday, with a deadline-day deal swapping him to the Avalanche for Casey Mittelstadt. Coyle's first game with Colorado saw him line up as the third-line center, and he set up a Jonathan Drouin tally in the third period. For the season, Coyle has racked up 23 points, 92 shots on net, 94 hits, 51 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating over 65 appearances. His ice time took a hit -- he skated 11:44 on Saturday compared to an average of 17:38 per game with the Bruins, and if that continues, he may struggle to make a consistent impact on offense with his new team.

Wennberg notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Islanders.

Wennberg is up to seven assists over his last six games. Two of those helpers have come on the power play, and he also has a plus-4 rating in that span. For the season, Wennberg is at eight goals, 30 points, 64 shots on net, 58 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating through 60 appearances. He's a reliable defensive center, and his contributions on offense are frequently heavy to the playmaking side of the spectrum -- he finished with more goals than assists just once in his first 10 NHL campaigns, and he won't buck that trend this year.

Celebrini logged two power-play assists, 10 shots on goal and two blocked shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Islanders.

Celebrini was all over the place in this game, accounting for a quarter of the Sharks' shots. The 18-year-old didn't cash in on any of his own chances, but he assisted on goals by Will Smith and Nikolai Kovalenko. Celebrini is up to six points over five contests in March, and he has a total of 20 goals, 28 assists, 19 power-play points, 186 shots on net and a minus-26 rating through 53 appearances this season.

Smith scored a power-play goal on three shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Islanders.

Smith has gotten on the scoresheet in six of the last seven games, earning four goals and five assists in that span. He's also earned five power-play points during that stretch of play. The 19-year-old is up to 32 points (12 goals, 20 helpers) through 57 contests this season. He's compiled nine power-play points, 89 shots on net and a minus-12 rating while filling a top-six role in recent weeks.

Pageau scored a goal, dished two assists, went plus-2 and blocked three shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

With Brock Nelson traded away to the Avalanche, Pageau got the first chance to fill his vacated spot as the second-line center. The initial returns were positive, though the quality of the opponent is a factor. Pageau scored in the first period and helped out on goals by Anders Lee and Adam Boqvist (on the power play) in the third. With six points over his last five games, Pageau is ready for more ice time, though he'll still be an important defensive center first and foremost. He's at 12 goals, 21 assists, four power-play points, 99 shots on net, 123 hits, 40 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating over 59 appearances this season.

Granlund put up an assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Oilers.

Granlund still hasn't scored as a Star yet, but he has eight assists over 12 appearances with the team. The 33-year-old forward is poised to see a slightly smaller role now that fellow Finn Mikko Rantanen is on the team -- look for Granlund to be firmly in the middle six and on the second power-play unit. Over 64 outings between the Stars and Sharks, Granlund has 53 points, 142 shots on net, 47 blocked shots, 43 hits and a minus-6 rating.

Duchene notched a power-play assist in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Oilers.

Duchene was a part of the Stars' failed comeback push, setting up a Mikko Rantanen tally in the third period. With the arrival of Rantanen, Duchene was initially bumped down to the second power-play unit, though Roope Hintz's upper-body injury opened the door for Duchene to at least temporarily rejoin the first unit. With four points over four outings in March, Duchene's offense remains strong, though it may take a slight hit if the Stars begin to lean on their new top line more. The 34-year-old center is at 25 goals, 39 helpers, 23 power-play points, 114 shots on net and a plus-9 rating through 63 appearances this season.

Johnston scored a power-play goal and went minus-2 in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Oilers.

Johnston, fresh off of signing a five-year, $42 million contract with the Stars on Friday, tallied just 5:48 into this contest. The Oilers took over after that, but it's a positive sign that Johnston and Mikko Rantanen were able to connect on the power play in their first game together after the Stars committed a total of $138 million to the two players on their new contracts. During his nine-game point streak, Johnston has nine goals and six assists, and he's up to 24 tallies, 60 points (21 on the power play), 170 shots on net and a plus-6 rating through 63 outings this season.

Nugent-Hopkins notched an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Stars.

Nugent-Hopkins has a helper in back-to-back games after going four contests without a point. The 31-year-old made a touch pass to set up Connor McDavid for some one-on-one wizardry on the Oilers' fourth goal of the game. Nugent-Hopkins is now at 39 points, 119 shots on net, 39 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating across 62 appearances this season as a regular in the top six.