NHL Player News
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Simon Nemec D | NJ
Devils' Simon Nemec: Pots goal in win
Nemec scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Blackhawks.
Nemec's goal tied the game at 2-2 in the second period. The 22-year-old defenseman has two goals and three assists over his last nine contests, though he's also gone minus-5 in that span. There are still some flaws in his game, but Nemec has done well to be a full-time NHL player this year. He's up to 11 goals, 26 points, 89 shots on net, 85 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over 59 outings.
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Dougie Hamilton D | NJ
Devils' Dougie Hamilton: Nets tying goal
Hamilton scored a goal on four shots, added four hits and blocked three shots in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Blackhawks.
Hamilton provided a third equalizer for the Devils at 14:32 of the third period, and Jack Hughes put them ahead just 19 seconds later. The 32-year-old Hamilton has played pretty well with 12 points and a plus-1 rating over 16 contests since the Olympic break. He's up to 11 goals, 33 points, 184 shots on net, 81 hits, 72 blocked shots, 44 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 68 appearances this season. It's the first time since 2022-23 that the blueliner has reached double-digit goals.
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Arber Xhekaj D | MON
Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj: Draws in Sunday
Xhekaj logged five hits in 5:11 of ice time in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Hurricanes.
Absences for Alexandre Texier (lower body), Josh Anderson (illness) and Kirby Dach (upper body) have left the Canadiens' forward group thin. On the second half of a back-to-back, they opted to dress Xhekaj as a seventh defenseman for his first appearance since March 15 versus the Ducks. Xhekaj's playing time is trending down while Jayden Struble appears to have locked down a third-pairing spot during the Canadiens' playoff push. Xhekaj is scoreless in his last 28 contests, racking up 94 hits and 53 PIM in that span. Overall, he has two points, 36 shots on net, 108 PIM, 154 hits and a minus-6 rating over 56 appearances this season.
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Lane Hutson D | MON
Canadiens' Lane Hutson: Registers pair of assists in win
Hutson logged two assists, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Hurricanes.
Hutson has earned four helpers over his last four games. He's gone 11 games without a power-play point, but he has nine assists and a plus-6 rating in that span, showing he can contribute at a high level at even strength. Hutson is up to 73 points (11 goals, 62 assists), 119 shots on net, 121 blocked shots and a plus-32 rating through 73 appearances on the year.
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Jordan Oesterle D | NSH
Predators' Jordan Oesterle: Nets two goals for Admirals
Oesterle scored twice in AHL Milwaukee's 3-2 overtime win over Grand Rapids on Sunday.
Oesterle's hot March continues -- he's netted nine goals and added two assists over his last 10 contests. That gives the defenseman 14 goals and 28 helpers through 63 appearances this season. While he's been a full-time AHL player in 2025-26, he could be the next man up if the Predators need defensive depth late in the campaign.
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Mason Lohrei D | BOS
Bruins' Mason Lohrei: Unavailable Sunday
Lohrei (upper body) won't play against Columbus on Sunday, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
Lohrei is day-to-day and logged only 11:47 of ice time in Saturday's 6-3 win over Minnesota. He has seven goals, 25 points, 67 shots on net and 86 blocked shots across 68 appearances this season. Henri Jokiharju will replace Lohrei in Sunday's lineup versus the Blue Jackets.
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Denton Mateychuk D | CLB
Blue Jackets' Denton Mateychuk: Opens scoring early in loss
Mateychuk scored a goal in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.
Mateychuk tallied just 31 seconds into the contest, snapping a five-game drought. The 21-year-old defenseman has shown his skills, especially as a finisher, with 12 goals and 29 points over 66 appearances. He's shooting 16.0 percent, which makes him a risky bet to replicate his efficiency in future seasons. Mateychuk has added 75 shots on net, 81 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating while mainly playing in the top four.
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Sam Dickinson D | SJ
Sharks' Sam Dickinson: Playing regularly, quiet on offense
Dickinson's point drought reached six games in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
Dickinson has played in every game since the Olympic break, but he has just three assists with a minus-4 rating over 16 outings in that span. He has added 23 shots on net, 21 hits and 19 blocked shots, setting the foundation for a career that should be full of well-rounded production as a future top-pairing option. The 2024 first-round pick has earned 12 points, 65 shots on net, 63 hits, 60 blocked shots, 18 PIM and a minus-6 rating over 61 appearances as a rookie this year.
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Artyom Levshunov D | CHI
Blackhawks' Artyom Levshunov: Has fracture in hand
Levshunov (hand) won't play Sunday against the Devils and has no timeline for his return, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Levshunov had been playing through the fracture in his left hand for a couple of games, but the team is shutting him down for now. The team doesn't know the timeline for his return quite yet. The 20-year-old has 24 points (two goals, 22 assists) in 68 games this season.
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Erik Karlsson D | PIT
Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Records three points in loss
Karlsson scored a goal and supplied two assists in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Stars.
Karlsson played a hand in all three goals scored by Pittsburgh in Saturday's contest, including his own goal to give the team a 2-1 lead early in the second period. With the trio of points, the 35-year-old blueliner is up to 13 goals, 47 assists, 161 shots on net and 58 blocks across 68 games this season. While he's taken a small step back defensively this season, the veteran defenseman is enjoying his best offensive season in Pittsburgh across his three years with the team. Karlsson has flipped the switch offensively since the Olympics with 25 points over his last 16 games, which leads all defensemen in that span by five points. He's on pace to reach 65 regular-season points for the seventh time in his 17-year career, giving him excellent fantasy value for the remainder of the campaign.