NHL Player News
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Jake Christiansen D | CLB
Blue Jackets' Jake Christiansen: Nets first goal of season
Christiansen scored a goal and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers.
Christiansen ended an eight-game point drought with the third-period tally, which briefly gave the Blue Jackets a 4-3 lead. The 25-year-old defenseman has seen steady bottom-fourth usage this season but has little to show for it on the stat sheet. He's racked up seven points (one goal, six assists), 39 shots on net, 32 blocked shots, 24 hits, 11 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 34 outings this season.
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Cam York D | PHI
Flyers' Cam York: Nabs helper Saturday
York logged an assist, three shots on goal, two hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Blue Jackets.
York was scratched for Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Kings, but the Flyers' defense proved to be worse without him. He has three points over eight outings in December, though he's still on shaky ground for his defensive play. The 23-year-old blueliner has six points, a minus-1 rating, 26 shots on net, 40 blocked shots and 12 PIM through 20 contests this season. York saw 23:34 of ice time Saturday, so he looks to have regained a little trust from head coach John Tortorella.
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Isaiah George D | NYI
Islanders' Isaiah George: First NHL goal in hometown
George scored a goal Saturday in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
The Oakville, Ontario native got his first NHL goal and was the game-winner in Saturday's contest. George took a pass from Anthony Duclair and wired it glove-side of Joseph Woll from the top of the left circle. The 20-year-old George has three assists, four points, 13 shots on net and 27 blocks in 20 NHL appearances this season.
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Alexandre Carrier D | MON
Canadiens' Alexandre Carrier: Logs first point with Habs
Carrier had an assist, one shot on net, one block and one hit in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Red Wings.
Carrier picked up the secondary assist on Jake Evans' game-winning goal in the first period. It was Carrier's first point since Montreal acquired him from the Predators on Wednesday. He's lined up on the second pair with Kaiden Guhle in his two outings with the Canadiens.
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Josh Morrissey D | WPG
Jets' Josh Morrissey: Records power-play assist
Morrissey notched a power-play assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Wild.
Morrissey had been held off the scoresheet in the prior two games. Before that, he logged eight points in a seven-game span, which included five power-play assists. The 29-year-old defenseman is up to three goals, 28 helpers, 15 power-play points, 73 shots on net, 54 blocked shots, 26 hits, 18 PIM and a plus-9 rating through 35 outings in his usual roles on the top pairing and first power-play unit.
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Lane Hutson D | MON
Canadiens' Lane Hutson: Stays hot in win
Hutson recorded a power-play assist and at even-strength helper in Saturday's 5-1 win Detroit.
Hutson's pair of assists were recorded in the first period. He's on a four-game point streak in which he's recorded a goal and six points. Going back a bit further, Hutson has 14 points over his last 12 outings. He leads Montreal in assists (24) and power-play helpers (12).
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Neal Pionk D | WPG
Jets' Neal Pionk: Goal, assist in win
Pionk scored a power-play goal, dished an assist and added three hits in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Wild.
Pionk stretched the Jets' lead to 3-0 with his second-period goal. He also set up Vladislav Namestnikov's insurance tally in the third. The 29-year-old Pionk has six points over 11 outings in December, but two of those games have been multi-point efforts. It hasn't helped his consistency, but the defenseman is still tracking toward a career year. He's at five goals, 26 points, 60 shots on net, 57 blocked shots, 49 hits, 24 PIM and a plus-4 rating over 35 appearances.
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Jan Rutta D | SJ
Sharks' Jan Rutta: Two points in last two games
Rutta scored a goal in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers on Saturday.
It was his first goal of the season. Rutta beat Calvin Pickard with a snap shot from the high slot, while Yaroslav Askarov was on the San Jose bench for an extra attacker during a delayed penalty. Rutta has five points in 36 games this season, but two of those (one goal, one assist) have come in the last two games. His on-ice value is tied to shot blocking -- he has 52 this season -- but that doesn't help enough in fantasy. There are better low-offense shot blockers on the wire for your specialist spot.
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Ben Chiarot D | DET
Red Wings' Ben Chiarot: Sustains upper-body injury
Chiarot suffered an upper-body injury during Saturday's 5-1 loss to Montreal, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
Chiarot was limited to 13:48 of ice time and missed the third period due to the injury. No update arrived on his status during the post-game press conference, so it's unclear if he'll be an option for Monday's tilt against St. Louis. If Chiarot can't play, Albert Johansson would probably draw into the lineup.
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Rasmus Dahlin D | BUF
Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin: Absence was planned
Dahlin's absence from Saturday's 3-1 loss to Boston was planned, according to coach Lindy Ruff. The 24-year-old defenseman returned from a back injury Friday.
Dahlin logged 27:33 of ice time in Friday's 6-3 loss to Toronto, but Ruff didn't want him to play on consecutive days so soon after returning from injury. Dahlin missed seven straight games from Dec. 5-17. He'll presumably be back in the lineup for Monday's tilt against the Islanders, which might result in Jacob Bryson, who logged 13:56 of ice time versus the Bruins, being a healthy scratch.