NHL Player News

Nedeljkovic turned aside 22 shots in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

The Sharks were down 2-1 heading into the third period, but Nedeljkovic shut the door on the home side and gave his offense a chance to mount a comeback. In the process, the veteran netminder snapped a winless stretch in which he had gone 0-4-1 in five outings with a brutal 4.40 GAA and .818 save percentage. With Yaroslav Askarov (upper body) sidelined again, however, Nedeljkovic will be San Jose's top option between the pipes in the short term as the team pushes for a playoff spot.

Schaefer notched two assists, one on the power play, in Saturday's 5-2 win over Florida.

The teenage phenom helped set up tallies by Brayden Schenn and Simon Holmstrom as part of a five-goal second period for the Islanders. Schaefer has piled up four goals and 15 points in 14 March contests, and his 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) through 74 games on the season has tied the franchise scoring mark for a rookie defenseman, set by Stefan Persson in 1977-78.

Gatcomb produced a goal and an assist in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Panthers.

The 26-year-old fourth-liner snapped a 12-game point drought and a 36-game goal drought with the performance, as he had a hand in the Islanders' first and last tallies during a five-goal second period. Gatcomb has just two goals and six points in 42 contests on the season, but he has dished 175 hits -- tying him for 25th in the NHL despite the fact that he didn't become a regular part of the Isles' lineup until December.

Schenn scored a goal and added two assists, one on the power play, in Saturday's 5-2 win over Florida.

The Islanders were down 2-0 after the first period, but Schenn led the charge in an immediate response as New York potted five goals in the second frame. It was the veteran center's first multi-point performance since joining the Isles at the trade deadline, and in 11 games for his new club, he has produced three goals and seven points with 22 shots on net, 19 hits, 17 PIM, 12 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating.

Sorokin stopped 19 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Panthers.

Matthew Tkachuk got two pucks by him in the first period, but Sorokin shut the door on Florida the rest of the way as New York's offense came to life. The veteran netminder is benefitting from some stingy defensive work in front of him -- Sorokin has faced 30-plus shots only once in his last nine outings, going 5-4-0 with a 2.36 GAA and .910 save percentage over that span.

Skinner turned away 20 of 24 shots on net in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Stars.

Skinner kept the Stars off the scoresheet in the first period before the visitors responded with a four-goal second period, which ultimately proved to be the difference Saturday. With the loss, he now has a 21-15-9 record, a 2.91 GAA and an .888 save percentage across 45 appearances this season. After a strong stretch of play leading into the Olympic break, the 27-year-old netminder has struggled since with a 2-3-4 record, a 3.35 GAA and an .883 save percentage across his last nine appearances. His next chance to bounce back is Monday's road clash against the Islanders.

Tkachuk scored two goals in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders.

Both tallies came in the first period as the Panthers grabbed a 2-0 lead, but it didn't last long as the Isles responded with five goals in the second frame. Tkachuk is putting the finishing touches on an impressive March that has seen the 28-year-old winger rack up seven goals and 17 points in 13 games.

Tarasov made 35 saves in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders.

Florida grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period on a pair of Matthew Tkachuk tallies, but the second frame was dominated by New York as Tarasov got beaten five times on a massive 35 shots. The 27-year-old netminder has lost four straight starts and eight of his last nine dating back to Jan. 29, going 1-8-0 over the latter stretch with a 4.19 GAA and .880 save percentage.

Oettinger stopped nine of 12 shots on goal in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Penguins.

Oettinger's recent struggles continued Saturday as he allowed three goals on just 12 shots, but he ultimately earned the win behind Dallas' strong offensive effort. The 27-year-old netminder has a 3.96 GAA and an .800 save percentage over his last three appearances, but this rough patch was preceded by a stellar 12-0-2 stretch. Overall, he has a 30-11-6 record, a 2.63 GAA and an .899 save percentage across 48 appearances this season.

Hughes supplied two assists, put three shots on net and posted four blocked shots in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Bruins.

Hughes slid the primary helper on each of Minnesota's two goals in the third period to help bring the team within one goal. Overall, he now has 66 assists, 72 points, 176 shots on net and 77 blocked shots across 68 games this season. The superstar defenseman has been consistent in March with a goal and 13 assists over the last 14 games. He is currently tied with Edmonton's Evan Bouchard for the most assists from a blueliner this season. While Hughes' goal total has taken a step back from the past two seasons, he remains in the running to be nominated for this year's Norris Trophy.