NHL Player News

Schmaltz logged a pair of power-play assists and earned a minus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Kings.

Schmaltz picked up his first points in February, assisting on the first two goals of Barrett Hayton's hat trick. Power-play production has been the norm for Schmaltz. He earned six of his 12 points in January with the man advantage. The 28-year-old forward is in a top-line role with a spot on the first power-play unit. For the season, he has 43 points (18 on the power play), 120 shots on net, 31 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating across 57 appearances.

Hayton had a hat trick consisting of two power-play goals and an even-strength tally in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Kings.

Hayton will enter the Utah trivia books, as he is the first player with a hat trick in franchise history -- the Hockey Club didn't inherit the Coyotes' history and is officially considered an expansion franchise. Hayton was perhaps an unlikely candidate for the feat, considering he entered Saturday on an eight-game goal drought and has yet to hit the 20-goal mark in any season of his career. The 24-year-old center is on a career-best pace with 15 goals, 32 points, 102 shots on net and a plus-4 rating across 57 appearances this season.

Kopitar notched a power-play assist in Saturday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Kopitar set up a Kevin Fiala tally in the second period. With three points over his last four games, Kopitar's offense appears to be getting back on track after some rough patches in January. The 37-year-old center has occasionally seen reduced minutes -- he was at 17:20 of ice time Saturday, eighth among Los Angeles forwards. For the season, he's at 46 points (14 on the power play), 71 shots on net, 41 blocked shots and a plus-11 rating through 54 outings.

Danault recorded two assists, two shots on goal, three hits and three blocked shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Danault helped out on third-period tallies by Trevor Lewis and Mikey Anderson. With seven points over five contests in February, this is Danault's best month since November, and it's even more impressive given the two-week gap in the schedule for the 4 Nations Face-Off. While he hasn't been outstanding, Danault has earned 30 points (five goals, 25 helpers) with 80 shots on net, 59 hits, 52 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 53 games this season. If his uptick in offense is here to stay, he needs to be on most fantasy rosters -- he's reached the 50-point mark three times in his career and could achieve that total in 2024-25 with a strong finish.

Lewis scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Saturday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Lewis, a native of Salt Lake City, scored in his hometown in his first regular-season game there. It ended a 22-game point drought, and it was his first tally since his two-goal effort versus the Wild on Nov. 5. The Kings have often opted to dress just 11 forwards, but that has been a way for their top players to get more time -- a fourth-liner like Lewis remains fairly limited in terms of minutes. He has eight points, 37 shots on net, 71 hits and a minus-1 rating over 42 appearances this season. Still, a hometown goal will have sentimental value for the 38-year-old.

Kampf scored a goal Saturday in a 6-3 win over Carolina.

Kampf scored the Maple Leafs' third goal of the game on the team's third shot of the game. It was his first goal in his last nine games. Overall, Kampf has four goals and four assists in 43 games. His fantasy value is best described as limited.

Steeves scored a goal in Toronto's 6-3 win over Carolina on Saturday.

It was Steeves' first NHL goal, and it was a beauty. John Tavares got the puck at the left dot and set up Steeves for a one-timer from the right circle., beating Pyotr Kochetkov on the Leafs' first shot of the game. Steeves leads the AHL with 29 goals in 40 games with the Marlies. He could stick with the big club to provide some much-needed depth scoring.

Tavares scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Hurricanes.

Tavares put the Maple Leafs up 4-0 at the 15:06 mark of the first period after taking a pass from William Nylander in the slot and beating Pyotr Kochetkov after the netminder dropped his stick. Tavares continues to deliver strong offense for the Leafs and fantasy managers at 34. He has 22 goals, 25 assists and 134 shots in 49 games, including five points (two goals, three assists) across his last five contests.

Matthews scored a goal Saturday in a 6-3 win over the Hurricanes.

Matthews' goal extended his point streak to five games (one goal, seven assists). The goal was his 21st of the season, but more impressively, it was his 389th NHL goal (603 games). That moves him into a tie with Leafs' great, Darryl Sittler (844 games), for second all-time in franchise history. Mats Sundin leads the Leafs all-time with 420 (981 games).

Dvorak registered an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Senators.

The Canadiens spread the ice time around in this contest, with Dvorak seeing 16:29, tops among the team's forwards. The 29-year-old has three goals and three assists over his last 12 outings while continuing to most frequently center the third line. Dvorak is up to 18 points, 72 shots on net, 50 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating over 57 appearances. If he can pick up the pace on offense, his defensive work could make him an option for fantasy managers in deep formats.