NHL Player News

Mateychuk scored a goal and added two blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 5-1 loss to Carolina.

The defender stuffed in a rebound at the top of the crease midway through the second period. The 21-year-old Mateychuk has two goals in his last nine games, but those tallies have been bunched into his most recent four outings. He's starting to show how he can develop into a top-pairing defender. Mateychuk has 13 goals, 17 assists, a plus-14 rating, 79 shots, on goal 86 blocked shots and 25 assists while averaging 19:02 of ice time.

Vejmelka allowed two goals on 27 shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.

Vejmelka allowed the first two goals of the game, but he was able to settle in well after that. The Mammoth helped him bounce back, scoring six unanswered tallies to secure the win. Vejmelka has won four of his last six outings, giving up just 11 goals on 138 shots (.920 save percentage) in that span. For the season, he improved to 34-19-3 with a with a 2.68 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 58 appearances. The Mammoth are leading the Western Conference's wild-card race, but Vejmelka should still see plenty of playing time until their playoff spot is secured. He would have a favorable matchup if he starts Saturday in Vancouver to close out this three-game road trip.

Tavares scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Sharks.

Tavares' second-period tally denied Alex Nedeljkovic a chance at a shutout. While the Maple Leafs' campaign has fallen apart, culminating in Thursday's elimination from playoff contention, Tavares has been a steady contributor. He has six goals and four assists over his last seven outings and is up to a total of 29 goals, 65 points (16 on the power play), 183 shots on net, 66 hits and a minus-26 rating over 76 appearances. That puts him on the doorstep of the eighth 30-goal campaign of his career.

Merzlikins made 16 saves in a 5-1 loss to Carolina on Thursday.

It was Merzlikins' second consecutive loss, and he's now 3-3-2 in nine appearances since the Olympic break. He has allowed five goals twice in that span and four goals in another game. The 31-year-old has occasionally entered a timeshare with Jet Greaves in the crease this year, but Merzlikins has been the clear No. 2 netminder in recent weeks and has been difficult to rely on for fantasy purposes.

Stolarz stopped 21 of 24 shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Sharks. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Stolarz's three-game winning streak came to an end after the Maple Leafs' offense came up quiet in this contest. He was able to keep Macklin Celebrini and the top line quiet, but the Sharks got contributions from all of their other forward trios. Stolarz dropped to 10-10-3 with a 3.29 GAA and an .892 save percentage over 25 appearances this season. The Maple Leafs could opt to alternate Stolarz and Joseph Woll after being officially eliminated from playoff contention with Thursday's loss. The team's next game is Saturday in Los Angeles.

Goodrow logged an assist and four hits in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Goodrow was limited to one assist over his previous 16 games after his Feb. 28 goal versus the Oilers. The 33-year-old forward remains a regular on the Sharks' fourth line, providing grit and defensive skill with little scoring upside. He's at five goals, seven assists, 63 shots on net, 125 hits, 54 blocked shots, 71 PIM and a minus-14 rating over 74 appearances.

Gaudette scored an empty-net goal on three shots, blocked three shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Gaudette has three goals over the last six games. The 29-year-old forward is up to 17 goals, 25 points, 91 shots on net, 49 hits, 32 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 61 appearances this season. Gaudette has primarily featured in a bottom-six role in his first year with the Sharks, but he has a knack for scoring goals, giving him some value in deep fantasy formats.

Nikishin scored a shorthanded goal and added three hits Thursday in a 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

Nikishin's shorthanded goal was the first by a rookie defenseman in franchise history, including the Hartford Whalers era. He sits 13th in rookie scoring overall this season (11 goals, 19 assists). Nikishin has returned the top power-play role to Shayne Gostisbehere, but it's clear he has the ability to play maestro with the man advantage. Nikishin's future as a true top option could arrive very soon.

Graf scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Graf had gone eight games without a goal prior to Thursday. He snapped a seven-game point drought with a helper Wednesday versus the Ducks before netting his 20th goal of the campaign in Thursday's win. This was also Graf's fourth game-winner of the season. The versatile 23-year-old has 42 points, 108 shots on net, 75 hits, 47 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 73 appearances. With the Sharks nearly at full health at forward, expect Graf to see most of his time on the third line for the rest of the campaign.

Ostapchuk scored a goal, dished an assist, added four hits, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Ostapchuk snapped his 16-game point drought with a goal just 3:27 into the contest. He also helped out on Adam Gaudette's empty-netter. Ostapchuk's performance Thursday was the first multi-point game of his career. The 22-year-old is up to four goals, three assists, 39 shots on net, 121 hits, 26 blocked shots, 41 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 51 appearances in a fourth-line role this season.