NHL Player News

Ellis stopped 29 of 35 shots in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Ducks.

The Sabres led 7-3 at one point, but the Ducks made a push in the third period and nearly erased the deficit. Ellis was making his second start in a row, but the late fade didn't help his case for more playing time. He's posted a 3-1-0 record with a 3.11 GAA and an .880 save percentage over five outings this season. Expect to see Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back between the pipes on Saturday in Los Angeles to wrap up this road trip.

Skinner allowed five goals on 21 shots before he was replaced by Nico Daws to begin the third period of Thursday's 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay.

Playing in the Peg is a tough slog this season. The loss was the Jets' seventh sraight. Skinner has not won in regulation since October 13, a span where he has gone 0-2-3 with 16 goals allowed. You need to keep him on your bench until this rough patch clears.

O'Connor scored a goal on four shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.

O'Connor snapped a seven-game slump with the tally. He also saw 17:21 of ice time Thursday, his fourth-highest total of the season. The 28-year-old forward usually plays on a checking line, but he was given second-line duties in this contest. He has four points, 18 shots on net, 21 hits, 14 PIM, 10 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating over 15 appearances this season, giving him some appeal in banger leagues.

Ohgren scored a goal on three shots, doled out three hits and added two PIM in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.

Ohgren has scored in consecutive games and has three tallies over his last six outings. The 22-year-old winger is up to four goals, three assists, 18 shots on net, 13 hits, six blocked shots, six PIM and a minus-3 rating. While he's gaining some momentum on offense from the third line in recent contests, Ohgren will be tough to trust in fantasy as long as he remains without a power-play role.

Merilainen stopped 21 of 24 shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.

Merilainen gave up all three goals in a span of 2:50 during the third period, turning a 2-0 lead into the 3-2 deficit that held to the end of the game. That's not a great look, but this was the first time in his last four outings that he kept a team under four goals. Merilainen is at a 2-4-1 record with a 3.33 GAA and an .898 save percentage across 10 appearances this season. The Canucks return home to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Considering Merilainen has played in a season-high three straight games, Kevin Lankinen may be due for a start soon.

Pionk scored twice on four shots in Thursday's 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay. He added four hits and one block.

The goals came in his 600th NHL game. Pionk has nine points, including three goals, 27 hits and 28 shots in 13 games this season. He has stepped into the minutes and role of the sidelined Josh Morrissey (wrist), who will be off the ice for at least another week. Roll Pionk until Morrissey returns.

Marchment scored a goal on three shots and added a power-play assist in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Canucks.

Marchment helped out on a Will Smith goal to start the comeback before ending it himself with the go-ahead tally at 10:50 of the third period. This was Marchment's first multi-point effort of the season. The 31-year-old winger is filling a versatile role for the Sharks, shifting around the lines as necessary in an attempt to spark the offense. He has four goals, two assists, 26 shots on net, 19 hits, 10 PIM, seven blocked shots and a minus-9 rating across 14 appearances this season.

Smith scored twice, including once on the power play, in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Canucks.

Smith had the Sharks' first two goals, erasing a 2-0 deficit. This was his first multi-point effort since Opening Night versus the Panthers. Smith had been bumped down to the second line recently, but a reunion with Macklin Celebrini on the top line was the catalyst for this comeback win. Smith has six goals, four assists, 38 shots on net and a minus-7 rating across 14 appearances this season.

Askarov stopped 23 of 25 shots in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Canucks.

It took a third-period comeback, but the Sharks were able to reward Askarov for a good performance. He's allowed just seven goals on 139 shots over his last four outings, so he's really unfortunate to be 2-2-0 in that span. Askarov has a 4-5-0 record, 3.01 GAA and .900 save percentage across nine outings on the year. He should continue to see most of the starts, though Alex Nedeljkovic has done a decent job over five appearances in the backup role. The Sharks' next game is a matinee at home versus the banged-up Senators on Saturday.

Vasilevskiy made 17 saves in a 6-4 win over the Jets on Thursday.

Vasilevskiy bent but didn't break in the third period when the Jets made a game of it, notching three unanswered goals. He was coming off his worst outing of the season last Friday against the Avs, so this game was a step in the right direction. Vasilevskiy is 3-1-0 in his last four games, but he has allowed nine snipes in his last two contests. He'll stabilize soon enough -- he's world class.