NHL Player News

Protas notched a pair of assists and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Predators.

Protas is starting to warm up -- he's earned three points over his last two games. The 25-year-old forward also has seven shots on net in that span. Protas is filling a middle-six role as a primarily defensive forward. He once again lacks a power-play spot, which could make his offense more streaky. Over 12 outings, he has a goal, four assists, 16 shots on net, seven hits, eight blocked shots and a plus-2 rating.

Jenner scored a goal and added a pair of hits in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Predators.

Jenner had gone a season-high three games without a point prior to Thursday. The veteran forward has been a decent source of scoring depth for the Capitals in a fourth-line role, and he's also firmed up his place in the lineup with his usual defensive work. He has five goals, one assist, 26 shots on net, 17 hits, 12 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 12 appearances.

Tuch scored a goal, added two hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Predators.

Tuch has reached the 10-goal mark in just 12 games to begin the season. He's surged lately with five tallies over his last three contests, including the game-winner in Thursday's contest. The veteran winger has added two assists, 33 shots on net, 15 hits, 10 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating. Tuch's seeing top-six usage and should continue to provide all-around production in fantasy, though he is still searching for his first power-play point.

Hutson scored twice and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Predators.

Hutson showed the value in his shot in this contest. He picked a corner on his first goal and then tallied again in the second period to put the Capitals ahead 3-2. This was his first career multi-goal game and the first multi-point effort of his campaign. Hutson has four goals, three helpers, 25 shots on net, 12 hits, eight blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-4 rating across 12 appearances this season.

Cirelli had a goal and two assists in Thursday's 6-4 win over Winnipeg.

His first helper was Cirelli's 200th in the NHL. He has four goals, four assists, eight hits, seven blocks and 17 shots in 12 games, which puts him on a mid-50s point pace. Add on Cirelli's face-off success (116 FW) so far, and you have an solid mid-level fantasy play in deep formats.

Lindgren stopped 24 of 27 shots in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Predators.

Lindgren earned his third straight win with this performance. He's given up at least three goals in each of his victories this season, but this was a good result on the second half of a back-to-back. He also has a hard-luck loss on his ledger. Lindgren should continue to see backup duties behind Logan Thompson, who returned from a brief absence Wednesday versus the Flyers. The Capitals' next game is a big test when they host the Wild on Sunday.

Hagel had a goal and two assists in a 6-4 win over the Jets on Thursday.

Hagel netted the winner in the last minute of the second period. He has been the model of consistency this season. Hagel has 16 points, including eight goals, in 12 games, and his 55 shots make him on a pace to fire 345 over the season. That's a total that would obliterate his career mark of 228. Hagel has put up points in nine of his 12 games, but just three of his points have come with the man advantage. The Bolts have the 26th best power play (16.3 percent) this season, so there's real opportunity for improvement for both the team and Hagel in that category.

Holmberg had one goal and three assists in a 6-4 win over Winnipeg on Thursday.

It was the first time Holmberg delivered four points in his NHL career. He entered the game with three goals and three assists in 11 games. Holmberg skated with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, who praised the winger after the game. "He kind of plays exactly like us," said Hagel. "He's like a Swiss Army knife. You can almost compare him and Tony a little bit. He's always had that offensive skill. We ask him to do whatever and he's going to do it." Holmberg caught lightning in a bottle Thursday, but at the same time, skating with Hagel and Cirelli is the kind of pinch-me deployment that could deliver more points sooner rather than later. He has two goals, three assists and five shots in his last two contests.

Knight made 27 saves in a 4-1 loss to Detroit on Thursday. He allowed three goals.

This loss was not on Knight -- his team coughed up yet another hairball. They opened the scoring and then pretty much stopped skating and engaging. Knight's .897 save percentage is above the NHL average of .892; he's seen the most shots (340) this season, and that trend isn't likely to change. Still, his GSAx of 2.3 means Knight is stopping more pucks that an average goalie, which means he's actively stealing goals from opponents. Knight is performing well above the environment he plays in.

Bedard netted a goal Thursday in a 4-1 loss to Detroit.

Bedard deflected a point shot that hit John Gibson in the pads, and then he knocked the rebound in five-hole. The young superstar is on a modest four-game, four-point (two goals, two assists) streak. Bedard can't carry this team alone, though -- the Blackhawks sit second-last in the NHL with a 4-9-0 record in 13 games.