NHL Player News

Kozak scored a goal, added two PIM and doled out three hits in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Ducks.

Kozak has gotten a chance to play as injuries have piled up among Buffalo's forwards. He has been in the lineup for three straight games while the team navigates the absences of Justin Danforth (upper body), Jiri Kulich (concussion) and Konsta Helenius (upper body), though Sam Carrick did return from a middle-body issue Thursday. The goal was Kozak's first point in five outings to go with two shots on net, seven hits and two PIM. He's unlikely to be much of a factor in fantasy from the fourth line.

Ostlund scored a power-play goal on five shots in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Ducks.

Ostlund has gotten on the scoresheet in three of the last four games, earning two goals and an assist in that span. The 22-year-old continues to center an effective second line for the Sabres. He has produced four goals, five assists, 30 shots on net and a plus-4 rating over 13 appearances. He's unlikely to lead the way on offense for Buffalo and adds little physicality, but Ostlund should maintain decent fantasy value in points-focused formats.

Quinn scored a power-play goal on four shots in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Ducks.

Quinn saw a four-game point streak snapped Tuesday in San Jose, but he bounced right back Thursday. The 25-year-old forward has five goals and three helpers over his last six contests. On the year, he's up to seven goals, five assists, 38 shots on net, 10 hits, 11 PIM and a plus-3 rating across 13 outings in a second-line role. He's earned four of his 12 points on the power play.

Benson scored a goal on three shots, dished two power-play assists, logged two hits, added two PIM and went plus-3 in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Ducks.

One of Benson's helpers came on the power play. The winger took some time to get going this season, but he's now scored in consecutive games, and he's gotten on the scoresheet in seven of his last eight outings. He's up to two goals, nine assists, 29 shots on net, 17 hits, 12 PIM and a plus-10 rating over 13 appearances. As long as he's playing in the top six and maintains a power-play role, Benson is poised to be a productive winger in fantasy, especially since he looks committed to upping his physical play this year.

Thompson scored three goals on four shots and added two power-play assists in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Ducks.

Thompson scored the last goal of a frenetic first period and tallied two goals in a 15-second span late in the second to earn the natural hat trick. He had as many points Thursday as he had in his previous seven games combined. Thompson can do this every now and then -- he is a three-time 40-goal scorer, after all. He has eight tallies, seven helpers, 55 shots, 10 hits and a plus-4 rating through 13 outings in a top-line role this season.

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.