NHL Player News

Barron notched an assist and four hits in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights.

Barron's offense has slowed down lately -- he has two points over six outings in April, but he had just one assist over 15 games in March. The 23-year-old is still seeing significant playing time due to numerous injuries on the Predators' blue line. Barron is at 11 points, 72 shots on net, 79 hits, 79 blocked shots and a minus-20 rating over 60 appearances between Nashville and Montreal this season.

Oesterle scored a goal and blocked two shots in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights.

Oesterle has two goals over six outings in April while seeing steady ice time for the Predators. He's up to three goals, eight points, 34 shots on net, 26 hits, 55 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 35 appearances between Nashville and Boston this season. The Predators probably won't get any blueliners back before the end of the season, and Oesterle should end the year with a place in the lineup.

Del Gaizo scored a goal, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights.

Del Gaizo looks set to close the campaign in the NHL, as the Predators have no extra blueliners available. The 25-year-old defenseman ended an eight-game point drought Saturday, scoring for the first time since March 1 versus the Islanders. He's at nine points, 72 shots on net, 69 hits, 51 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 44 outings with the big club in 2024-25. Del Gaizo cleared waivers in late March and is eligible to play in the AHL playoffs with Milwaukee after being involved in a paper move to the minors on trade deadline day.

Whitecloud logged an assist and blocked two shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Predators.

Whitecloud set up Noah Hanifin's game-winning goal with 1:55 left in the third period. As long as Alex Pietrangelo (undisclosed) and Nicolas Hague (illness) are out, Whitecloud will see a larger role on defense. That won't necessarily lead to more offense -- his assist Saturday ended a nine-game point drought. The 28-year-old is at 13 points, 72 shots on net, 115 hits, 102 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating across 73 appearances.

McNabb logged an assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Predators.

McNabb has a goal and two assists during his three-game point streak. That follows a stretch in which he went eight contests without a point. As a shutdown defenseman, McNabb doesn't have to be active offensively to make an impact, though it's a bonus when he is. The 34-year-old is at 20 points, a mark he's reached in two straight years and three times in his career. He's added 90 shots on net, 164 blocked shots, 130 hits and a plus-40 rating in 2024-25. McNabb also joined Ryan McDonagh and Aliaksei Protas (foot) as the only players in the league to own plus-40 ratings or better this campaign.

Theodore logged an assist in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Predators.

Theodore ended a three-game dry spell on offense when he helped out on Nicolas Roy's tally in the second period. The 29-year-old Theodore set the Golden Knights franchise record for points by a defenseman in a single season -- he's up to 55 points (seven goals, 48 assists) in 2024-25. He's added 124 shots on net, 80 blocked shots and a plus-15 rating, and he could have taken his offense even higher if he hadn't missed a month of NHL action due to an arm injury.

Hanifin scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Predators.

Hanifin's tally at 18:05 of the third period broke a 3-3 tie and stood as the game-winner. It also snapped a seven-game point drought for the defenseman, and it was his first goal since March 11 versus the Penguins. The 28-year-old has 10 goals, 39 points, 145 shots on net, 106 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 80 appearances. He hasn't missed a contest this season, so it's possible Hanifin is a candidate for rest now that the Golden Knights have secured the top seed in the Pacific Division.

DeAngelo logged two assists, four shots on goal and four hits in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers.

DeAngelo earned his first multi-point effort since March 20 versus the Canadiens. He has just three assists over six outings in April, though two of those helpers have come on the power play. The 29-year-old defenseman is up to 19 points, 69 shots on net, 39 blocked shots, 17 hits and a minus-7 rating over 32 appearances. He's still in a top-four role, and the Islanders have three games left after Saturday, so there's plenty of time for him to help fantasy managers make a final push.

Dumba notched an assist and three shots on goal in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Utah.

Dumba has chipped in three helpers over his last seven contests. He received top billing on defense Saturday with both of Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell out of the lineup for maintenance reasons. They were likely just resting ahead of the postseason -- when Harley and Lindell return to the lineup, Dumba will move back down to a bottom-four role. He's produced 10 points, 53 shots on net, 60 PIM, 66 hits and 60 blocked shots over 61 appearances in his first year with the Stars.

Smith scored a shorthanded goal on three shots and added two hits in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Utah.

Smith put the Stars ahead 2-1 with his shortie early in the second period, though Sean Durzi offered a quick response for Utah before the power play ended. The goal was Smith's first in 30 games with the Stars this year, to go with four assists, 26 shots on net, 38 hits, 21 blocked shots, 31 PIM and a minus-8 rating. The 36-year-old has been in a reserve role most of the time, but he got to play while the Stars held Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell out for maintenance reasons, likely in an effort to give their top healthy blueliners some rest before the playoffs. Smith could be a regular in the lineup to close out the regular season, but he'll probably be a scratch for most of the postseason unless injuries arise.