NHL Player News

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.

Svechnikov scored three goals, placed four shots on net and dished out four hits in Saturday's 4-1 win over New Jersey.

After a multi-point performance to begin the weekend, Svechnikov added three more points with Saturday's hat trick. He opened the scoring past the midway point in the second period before quickly scoring a second goal less than a minute after his first. Svechnikov secured the hat trick late in the third period, marking his fourth multi-point effort of the calendar year. Overall, the 25-year-old winger has 16 goals, 40 points, 137 shots on net and 83 hits through 49 games this season. After a trio of seasons in which his point total steadily declined, Svechnikov is on pace to clear 60 points for the first time since the 2021-22 regular season. His connection with Sebastian Aho on Carolina's top line has been evident since the holiday break, as Svechnikov has recorded four games with three points or more. The winger is set up to soar across the back half of the season, giving him strong value across nearly all fantasy formats moving forward.

Markstrom stopped 31 of 35 shots on goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Saturday's loss ended a solid run of play for Markstrom, who had three wins over his previous four games. The 35-year-old netminder now has a 12-11-1 record with a 3.37 GAA and an .879 save percentage through 25 appearances this season. Markstrom's on pace for the worst full-season numbers of his career. With New Jersey trending downward in the Metropolitan Division standings, the veteran netminder is a risky option across all fantasy formats unless the team can turn things around. Markstrom's next chance to bounce back is Monday in Calgary.

Andersen stopped 29 of 30 shots on net in Saturday's 4-1 win over New Jersey.

Andersen posted one of his best outings of the season Saturday, as he picked up his second win with 25-plus saves. Overall, the 36-year-old netminder has a 7-10-3 record with a 3.26 GAA and an .869 save percentage through 20 appearances this year. While Saturday's victory was just his second since Nov. 6, the winning performance against high volume was an encouraging outing. He remains a tough option to trust in fantasy, but Carolina's strong defensive system in front of him makes Andersen a viable streamer. His next chance to take the ice is Monday against the Sabres.

Kempe scored a power-play goal on two shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Kempe has three goals and two assists over 10 outings in January. He hasn't posted a multi-point effort since Dec. 18, when he scored twice against the Lightning, though a lack of scoring is far from an individual problem given the Kings' recent play. Kempe is up to 16 goals, 37 points (seven on the power play), 133 shots on net, 90 hits, 42 PIM and a plus-5 rating over 48 appearances.

Forsberg stopped 31 of 33 shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Goal support continues to be a problem -- the Kings have scored a total of eight goals over Forsberg's last four appearances. The 33-year-old netminder is 1-1-1 in that span with nine goals allowed on 88 shots. Forsberg is at a 7-6-4 record with a 2.60 GAA and a .903 save percentage over 18 appearances. The Kings' next game is Tuesday versus the Rangers, and it doesn't look like Darcy Kuemper has lost control of the No. 1 job yet despite some recent mediocre play, so expect Forsberg to remain in the backup role.