NHL Player News

Celebrini scored his 19th goal of the season in San Jose's 6-2 win over Buffalo on Tuesday.

Celebrini beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the right circle inside the far post to push the lead to 4-2 at 7:58 of the third frame. He's tied with Matvei Michkov for the NHL rookie goal lead (19), and they're tied for second overall in points (45). Perhaps more impressively, Celebrini's rookie stat line -- 45 points including 19 goals, 168 shots, 16 PPP, 39 blocks and 25 hits in 50 games -- is remarkably similar to Connor Bedard's sophomore season. The young Hawk has 49 points, including 16 goals, 141 shots, 23 PPP, 31 blocks and 32 hits in 61 games. We're not saying Celebrini is more valuable than Bedard, but we're not saying he isn't, either.

Strome scored a goal in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers.

The Ducks' third line stole the headlines, but Strome was able to chip in an insurance tally at 13:22 of the second period. The center has three goals and three assists over his last five games, but his streak of having multiple shots ended at nine contests. The 31-year-old is up to 10 tallies, 36 points, 108 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating across 60 appearances. He's on pace for his best year as a Duck, though his career high of 59 points from 2019-20 with the Rangers is likely out of reach.

Carlsson scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers.

Carlsson provided a quick response to Leon Draisaitl's opening goal in the first period, and he also assisted on an Alex Killorn marker in the third. This was Carlsson's fourth multi-point effort in his last nine games, a span in which he has five goals and six assists. The confidence has started to flow for the 20-year-old center, who is up to 14 goals, 27 points, 70 shots and a plus-3 rating across 54 appearances. The Ducks have been surprisingly competitive and are playing some of their best hockey of the year, so Carlsson makes for a good add in redraft formats down the stretch.

McTavish scored twice and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers.

The Ducks assembled a young line of McTavish, Sam Colangelo and Cutter Gauthier, and the trio popped off for three goals and four assists in a span of 4:59 in the first period. McTavish has three goals and three assists over his last five outings as he continues to find his footing on offense. He's up to 16 goals, 33 points, 115 shots on net, 51 hits and an even plus-minus rating across 54 outings this season.

Hischier scored a goal and added an assist, both on the power play, in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Stars.

Hischier is up to two goals and four assists over six games since he returned from an upper-body injury. The star center has 26 goals, 49 points (21 on the power play), 151 shots on net, 52 blocked shots and a plus-16 rating through 57 appearances. He'll have to shoulder a heavier load while Jack Hughes (undisclosed) is out of the lineup.

Necas was dealing with nausea during Tuesday's game versus the Penguins, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Necas got worse during the game, leading to his minutes getting cut in the second and third periods. While it's encouraging he was still able to partially play through it, fantasy managers will want to check in on his status for Thursday's game versus the Sharks.

Johnston scored a goal on two shots and added a power-play assist in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Devils.

Johnston opened the scoring at 1:39 of the first period and also set up a Roope Hintz power-play goal in the second. Johnston's point streak is up to seven games (seven goals, five assists), and he has at least one power-play point in six of those outings. For the season, the 21-year-old has continued to grow on offense. He's up to 22 tallies, 57 points (20 on the power play), 165 shots on net and a plus-7 rating through 61 contests overall. At that pace, he could approach the 75-point mark by the end of the campaign.

Smith had a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win over Buffalo on Tuesday night.

Smith's goal extended the Sharks' lead to 5-2 at 12:49 of the third period when he scored blocker side from the left circle on a 3-on-1 rush. The 19-year-old has put up three, two-point games (three goals, three assists) in his last four appearances. Smith is a distant fourth on the rookie scoring list with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists), but his upside is immense.

Dries was reassigned to AHL Grand Rapids on Tuesday.

Dries' demotion could be a good sign for Michael Rasmussen's (upper body) return Thursday versus Utah. It's also possible Dries getting sent down will be a paper move or will lead to another forward getting recalled. The 30-year-old did not play during his eight-day stint with the big club.

Kupari (undisclosed) left Tuesday's game versus the Islanders in the third period, and there was no update on his status following the contest, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Kupari got tangled up with Hudson Fasching and went down awkwardly, which included his head hitting the boards. The Jets have not revealed the nature of Kupari's injury, but based on the hit, it could be a number of things. If he can't play Thursday in Philadelphia, David Gustafsson will likely rejoin the lineup.