NHL Player News

DeSmith stopped 28 of 30 shots in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Flyers.

DeSmith did his part, but the Stars' top players were held silent while the Flyers got goals from Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras. The 34-year-old DeSmith has lost four straight outings, allowing 11 goals on 100 shots during that 0-3-1 span. For the season, he's down to 14-7-6 with a 2.38 GAA and a .909 save percentage even with the recent fade. Jake Oettinger will likely get the nod in Boston on Tuesday to close out the road trip, but DeSmith could pick up some playing time late in the campaign if the Stars get locked into the No. 2 spot in the Central Division, which is looking likely.

Konecny scored a power-play goal on five shots and added two hits in Sunday's 2-1 overtime win over the Stars.

Konecny's last four points have all come with the man advantage over a five-game span. The 29-year-old forward is on the Flyers' top unit, but prior to this stretch, he went 10 contests without a power-play point. The winger has 26 goals, 63 points (14 on the power play), 154 shots on net, 92 hits, 55 PIM, 36 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 69 appearances this season.

Zegras scored a goal on two shots, blocked two shots and added two PIM in Sunday's 2-1 overtime win over the Stars.

Zegras extended his point streak to five games and snapped an eight-game goal drought with his marker at 3:27 of overtime. It was his fourth game-winner of the season, and he's matched his career high of 23 goals, which he achieved in both his second and third NHL campaigns. The 25-year-old forward is up to 59 points, 156 shots on net, 37 hits, 23 blocked shots, 52 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 73 outings this year.

Ersson stopped 17 of 18 shots in Sunday's 2-1 overtime win over the Stars.

Ersson has won his last five decisions, allowing just eight goals on 118 shots over six contests in that span. The 26-year-old netminder was able to limit the damage to an Arttu Hyry shorthanded goal in Sunday's contest. Ersson is up to 13-10-5 with a 3.11 GAA and an .870 save percentage over 30 appearances this season, but he's been rock-solid when called upon since the Olympic break. Dan Vladar will likely be between the pipes Tuesday versus the Capitals, but the Flyers have a back-to-back later in the week that should allow Ersson to make another start in short order.

Frondell logged two assists and three shots on goal in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Devils.

Frondell has four helpers over his first four NHL games. His second assist Sunday was his first career power-play point. The 18-year-old got a look at center in this contest, but he went just 2-for-9 at the dot. He'll have time to either develop down the middle or focus on a shift to the wing in the next few years as the Blackhawks work to build a winning roster through a draft-and-develop pathway.

Mikheyev scored a goal on two shots in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Devils.

Mikheyev has scored three times over the last seven contests despite the Blackhawks scoring just 14 times in that span. The 31-year-old winger provides a veteran presence in the middle six and continues to handle plenty of tough assignments as a steady defensive forward. Mikheyev is up to 15 goals, 29 points, 110 shots on net and a minus-5 rating over 69 appearances this season.

Nazar scored twice on seven shots, added two hits and went minus-2 in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Devils.

Nazar scored at even strength in the first period and on the power play in the third. He gave the Blackhawks a one-goal lead each time, but neither advantage lasted. The 22-year-old has logged six multi-point efforts in March, but he's also been held off the scoresheet seven times over 15 contests this month, showing some inconsistency from a middle-six role. Overall, the center has a career-high 14 goals to go with 24 assists, 10 power-play points, 123 shots on net, 40 blocked shots, 31 hits and a minus-15 rating across 58 appearances.

Knight allowed four goals on 39 shots in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Devils. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Knight is 0-2-1 with 12 goals allowed on 114 shots over his last three games. He's faced at least 30 shots in seven of his eight outings in March, and that heavy volume behind a young and shaky defense isn't leading to good results. Knight is down to 18-21-10 with a 2.71 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 49 appearances this season. The Blackhawks' next game is at home Tuesday versus the Jets before they head out west for another road trip.

Hischier logged two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Blackhawks.

Hischier had a hand in Simon Nemec's second-period tally and also set up Jack Hughes on the empty-netter to seal the win. With five goals and seven assists over his last eight outings, a span that includes four multi-point efforts, Hischier is rolling on offense late in the campaign. The Swiss center is up to 58 points (26 goals, 32 assists), 193 shots on net, 59 blocked shots, 54 hits and a minus-6 rating across 73 appearances this season.

Nemec scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Blackhawks.

Nemec's goal tied the game at 2-2 in the second period. The 22-year-old defenseman has two goals and three assists over his last nine contests, though he's also gone minus-5 in that span. There are still some flaws in his game, but Nemec has done well to be a full-time NHL player this year. He's up to 11 goals, 26 points, 89 shots on net, 85 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over 59 outings.