NHL Player News

Schaefer scored a power-play goal on three shots, blocked two shots and went minus-2 in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Schaefer is now one goal away from tying Brian Leetch's record of 23 for the most goals by a rookie defenseman. The 18-year-old Schaefer briefly tied this contest at 3-3 in the third period before the Canadiens took over. The Olympic break appears to have refreshed the phenom, who has six goals and six helpers over 12 contests since the NHL schedule resumed. He's at 22 goals, 51 points, 176 shots on net, 96 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 70 appearances. Schaefer's 22 goals put him just one behind Jakob Chychrun for the lead in goals among NHL blueliners this season.

Rittich allowed a goal on four shots in relief of Ilya Sorokin in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Rittich played 8:11 during the third period, taking over after Sorokin gave up six goals. Rittich was responsible for the third goal of Cole Caufield's hat trick, but the 33-year-old netminder will avoid any damage on his record. For the season, Rittich is 14-9-3 with a 2.69 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 27 appearances. The Islanders host the Blue Jackets on Sunday, and it's not yet clear if head coach Patrick Roy will go back to Sorokin or give Rittich a chance in that contest.

Sorokin allowed six goals on 32 shots in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Sorokin was pulled midway through the third period after giving up three of the goals in that frame. This was his fourth loss in his last seven outings, and he's given up at least three goals in five of those games. For the season, Sorokin is down to 25-17-2 with a 2.59 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 45 appearances. The Islanders are back home against the Blue Jackets on Sunday, so Sorokin may have been pulled to let him get a few minutes of rest in preparation for another start.

Struble has just one helper in seven games since the Olympic break after his sixth straight scoreless outing in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Islanders.

Struble is seeing a bit more playing time than Arber Xhekaj, but both blueliners have received limited opportunities on the third pairing. Struble has nine assists, 14 shots on net, 85 hits, 18 blocked shots and 40 PIM over 46 appearances. He's not as overtly physical as Xhekaj, so Struble is a fine depth defenseman on the ice but not much of a factor in fantasy.

Gallagher notched an assist, two shots on goal and two PIM in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Islanders.

Gallagher has two helpers over four contests since he sat out as a healthy scratch March 14 versus the Sharks. The 33-year-old winger has been confined to bottom-six minutes this season, which has limited his offense. He's now at 22 points, 110 shots on net, 89 hits, 37 PIM and a plus-1 rating across 68 appearances, so he could still generate some fantasy value in deep formats.

Suzuki notched four assists, three shots on goal, two hits, 10 PIM and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Islanders.

Three of the four helpers came on the power play. The top-line trio of Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield led the charge in this contest, combining for five goals and 13 points. Suzuki has three goals and eight assists during a six-game point streak, and he's up to 85 points (39 on the power play), 152 shots on net, 54 hits, 54 blocked shots, 24 PIM and a plus-27 rating through 69 appearances. Suzuki is well on his way to reaching the 90-point mark for the first time, and the century mark isn't out of the question given his high level of consistent production.

Newhook scored a goal on three shots in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Islanders.

Newhook's goal tied the game at 2-2 in the second period. He's scored twice over his last four outings, giving him 10 goals and 20 points through 29 appearances this season. The 25-year-old has added 39 shots on net, 36 hits and a plus-8 rating. Newhook is filling a second-line role at even strength and seeing some power-play time. A fractured ankle cost Newhook over three months earlier in the season, but he's shown no rust since his return.

Guhle scored a goal on three shots, dished two assists, went plus-3, added 14 PIM, doled out two hits and blocked four shots in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Islanders.

Guhle was all over this game, and it was his goal that stood as the game-winner. He had earned just five assists over 23 outings since returning from a groin injury in early January. The 24-year-old defenseman is better known for his physical play, but he can chip in offense as well. He's at two goals, 10 points, 31 shots on net, 60 hits, 47 blocked shots, 31 PIM and an even plus-minus rating over 29 appearances this season.

Slafkovsky scored twice on four shots and added two assists in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Canadiens.

Slafkovsky's first goal and assist each came on the power play, and he added a pair of even-strength points in the third period to help the Canadiens build up their lead. The 21-year-old has gotten on the scoresheet in nine of 10 games in March, earning six goals and nine helpers this month. He's up to 27 goals, 61 points, 151 shots on net, 93 hits, 66 blocked shots, 44 PIM and a plus-5 rating over 69 outings. Slafkovsky's still got a few weeks to add onto his numbers in what's become his breakout year with a strong second half.

Caufield had a hat trick, including two power-play goals, and added two assists in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Islanders.

Caufield scored three times over the last 21 minutes of the game. He also set up both of Juraj Slafkovsky's goals, one of which came with a man advantage. Caufield has been superb since he was passed over for Team USA's Olympic roster, racking up 11 goals and six assists over 11 contests since the tournament. Saturday's effort gave Caufield a career year with 74 points (43 goals, 31 helpers) through 68 appearances, and he's earned 25 power-play points, 208 shots on net and a plus-21 rating as well.