NHL Player News

Oleksiak logged an assist and five blocked shots in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Sabres.

Oleksiak has contributed three assists, 43 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 18 appearances since the start of December. The 32-year-old defenseman is rarely a big source of offense, but he can handle a shutdown role while seeing top-four minutes for the Kraken. This season, Oleksiak has eight points, 34 shots on net, 96 blocks, 32 hits and a minus-7 rating while most frequently playing on a pairing with the more goal-dangerous Brandon Montour.

Evans scored a goal on two shots and went plus-3 in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Sabres.

Evans' goal got the Kraken on the board at 12:48 of the second period, cutting the Sabres' lead to 2-1. It was just the beginning for Seattle, as they rallied for six straight tallies to run away with the win. The goal was Evans' first point over five outings in January and his third point of the last 16 contests. He's at five goals, 19 points, 43 shots on net, 61 hits, 60 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 41 appearances. The 23-year-old should be a regular in the lineup, but he's stuck on the third pairing. Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour also block Evans for a spot on the power play.

Savard had three blocked shots in Saturday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Stars.

Savard returned to the lineup after missing four games due to an upper-body injury. He resumed a role on the third pair with Arber Xhekaj. Jayden Struble, who had filled in while Savard was unavailable, was a healthy scratch.

Kesselring logged an assist, three shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Islanders.

Kesselring had a shot attempt tipped home by Nick Schmaltz in the second period. The 24-year-old Kesselring has done well enough defensively to keep Utah's blue line steady amid multiple injury absences, but this was his first point since Dec. 12 versus the Avalanche. Over the 12-game drought, the defenseman went minus-1 with 21 shots on net, 15 hits and seven blocked shots. He's at 16 points, 76 shots, 54 hits, 33 blocks, 32 PIM and a plus-9 rating over 42 appearances this season, mainly in a top-four role.

Hutson had a power-play assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to Dallas.

Hutson worked a back-and-forth with Nick Suzuki, who set up Patrik Laine's tally. It was the fourth consecutive game on the scoresheet for the defenseman, who has five points during the streak and leads the team with 14 power-play assists.

Pulock notched an assist, three shots on goal, three hits and two blocked shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over Utah.

Pulock helped out on Mathew Barzal's game-winning tally with 1:25 left in the third period. With five points over his last six outings, Pulock has been rolling in a top-four role. He also has 18 blocked shots in that span as he continues to play a strong defensive game. The 30-year-old blueliner is up to 16 points, 60 shots on net, 54 hits, 94 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 42 contests overall.

Dahlin picked up an assist Saturday in a 6-2 loss to Seattle. It came on the power play.

He had five shots and two hits. Dahlin, who has 31 points in 35 games this season, extended his assist streak to five games (five assists) for the fifth time in his career. That passes John Van Boxmeer (four) for the second-most such streaks by a defenseman in Sabres history, behind leader Phil Housley (nine). Dahlin has gone 14 games without a goal. He does have six snipes and 99 shots in 35 games, and he will likely crack the double-digit goal mark. But Dahlin won't come close to his career mark of 20 snipes and 235 shots, both set last season. Still, he's cruising at close to a point-per-game, so we'll gladly put him over the boards every chance we can.

Mahura tallied two assists in a 6-2 win over the Sabres on Saturday.

It was a great night for the third-pairing defender, who came into the game with one assist in 30 appearances. Mahura's only other helper this season came in a win over the Canadiens on Oct. 29. We'd like to tell you that Mahura brought fantasy value in a secondary category, but he has just 44 hits and 23 blocks in 31 games. His last multi-point game came March 16, 2023, when he put up two assists. This was also his third career multi-point contest. He's definitely a guy who helps more on the ice than in the fantasy arena.

McAvoy produced an assist, two shots on goal, five hits and four blocked shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Panthers.

McAvoy set up Oliver Wahlstrom's third-period tally. The helper was McAvoy's fourth over six outings in January and his 10th assist over his last 16 contests. The defenseman is up to 20 points, 86 shots on net, 86 hits, 77 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through 45 games this season. While his scoring pace has been lower than in recent years, he remains on the Bruins' top pairing.

Edmundson (upper body) isn't expected to play Saturday versus Calgary, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Edmundson has four goals, 10 points, 60 hits and 57 blocks in 36 outings in 2024-25. It will be LA's second straight game without the 31-year-old defenseman. His next opportunity to return will come Monday in Edmonton.