NHL Player News

Balinskis tallied a power-play goal, put two shots on net and recorded three blocks in Saturday's 5-2 win over Washington.

Balinskis found the back of the net on a power play just over 15 minutes into the second period for a goal that would stand as Saturday's game-winner. He's up to three goals, 10 points, 35 shots on net, 48 hits and 30 blocks through 38 games this season. While his numbers are low amidst a fluctuating role this season, the 29-year-old blueliner has stepped up lately in the absence of Seth Jones (upper body). Balinskis is on a three-game point streak and has four blocks in that span. While he has the hot hand and is playing second-pairing minutes, the Latvian defenseman holds decent streaming value in deep leagues.

Hughes produced a goal and an assist in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Sabres.

After helping to set up a Ryan Hartman tally in the first period, Hughes potted his own late in the second to tie the game at 4-4. The star blueliner needed a couple weeks to adjust to the trade that sent him to the Wild, but he's caught fire in January, delivering one goal and 10 assists in eight games, including three helpers with the man advantage.

Zuccarello scored the overtime winner on the power play and added an even-strength assist in Saturday's 5-4 win over Buffalo.

It was his second GWG of the season, and both have come in OT in the last five games. Zuccarello has been making an impact since returning from an upper-body injury in late December, collecting four goals and 11 points in 14 contests.

Bennett scored a goal, registered two assists, fired five shots on net, served two PIM and dished out two hits in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Capitals.

Bennett's strong stretch of play continued Saturday as he recorded two primary assists to go with his game-tying goal midway through the second period. Following his trio of points, the 29-year-old center now has 17 goals, 21 assists, 122 shots on net, 94 hits and 21 blocks through 47 appearances this season. Since Jan. 8, he has three multi-point performances across five contests. His sluggish start to the season is miles behind him as Bennett has excelled on the second line over the past six weeks. He remains a solid option in all fantasy formats and has an added boost in leagues that value category coverage.

Greer scored a goal, recorded an assist, put two shots on net and had two hits in Saturday's 5-2 win over Washington.

Greer tallied his third goal in as many games to open the scoring in Saturday's contest. He also picked up a secondary helper on Carter Verhaeghe's empty-net goal in the final minute of the game. Overall, the 29-year-old Greer is up to 10 goals, 19 points, 59 shots on net and 117 hits across 47 games this season. His 19 points mark a new career high, passing his previous best of 17 points from the 2024-25 regular season in a significantly shorter portion of time. While his offensive hot streak lasts, the physical winger holds solid all-around fantasy value for streaming in deep leagues.

Thompson stopped 26 of 29 shots on goal in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Panthers.

Florida's last two goals were scored into an empty net. With the loss, the 28-year-old goaltender now has a 17-14-4 record, a 2.38 GAA and a .914 save percentage across 35 games this season. Since the start of the calendar year, Thompson has been dealt a tough hand, with a 2-4-1 record despite holding a .912 save percentage. Thompson is approaching a new career high in games played, which raises questions about how he'll perform down the stretch. However, he has a steady Capitals defense in front of him, which bodes well for his fantasy value. His next chance to bounce back is Monday in Colorado, marking the start of Washington's six-game road trip.

Tarasov turned aside 22 of 24 shots on net in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Capitals.

Tarasov posted his second consecutive win Saturday in an effort highlighted by clean first and third periods. He now holds a 6-6-2 record, a 2.76 GAA and a .905 save percentage across 15 appearances this season. While his 4-2-1 record over his last seven starts has been impressive, his volume of appearances remains low behind Sergei Bobrovsky, who has seen 13 starts in that same timeframe. However, Tarasov could play his way into fantasy relevance as an option for spot starts if he continues to find the win column consistently. The 26-year-old netminder is just two wins shy of matching his career high from two seasons ago, giving him a positive fantasy outlook moving forward.

Meier scored a power-play goal, placed seven shots on net and had two hits in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Carolina.

Meier's power-play goal early in the third period was the lone bright spot of Saturday's contest for the Devils, who have dropped to seventh in the Metropolitan Division standings. His twine finder ended a six-game streak without a point and has the 29-year-old winger up to 13 goals, 26 points and 149 shots on net through 43 games this season. Despite New Jersey's recent struggles, Meier maintains solid value in fantasy due to his high shot volume, as he has recorded seven shots on goal in five of his last 13 games. He has added 77 hits and 31 blocks, which makes Meier worth rostering in most standard leagues moving forward.

Aho distributed three assists and recorded two hits in Saturday's 4-1 win over New Jersey.

Aho was the primary helper on all three of Andrei Svechnikov's goals in Saturday's lopsided win. With the trio of apples, Aho is up to 33 assists, 50 points, 113 shots on net and 43 hits through 49 appearances this season. The 28-year-old center has orchestrated Carolina's offense this season, ranking in the top 25 across the NHL in points. He has seven assists in his last four games and has excelled in a top-line role flanked by Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis. The Hurricanes became the first team in the Eastern Conference to win 30 games this season and have shown no signs of slowing down, which gives Aho great fantasy value moving forward.

Blake scored a goal and fired six shots on net in Saturday's 4-1 win over New Jersey.

Blake found the back of the net midway through Saturday's final period to put the Hurricanes up by two goals. Overall, the 22-year-old winger has 15 goals, 29 points and 105 shots on net across 49 appearances this season. Blake is emerging as an option who can provide steady offense over stretches for Carolina. After multiple four-game point streaks throughout the course of the season, he has three goals and five points in his last six games. With the Canes winning six of their last eight games, Blake is a solid streaming option in standard fantasy formats while the team remains hot.