NHL Player News

Malenstyn scored a goal on two shots, added five PIM and doled out five hits in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Sharks.

Malenstyn snapped a five-game point drought with the tally. He also fought for the second game in a row. The 28-year-old plays exclusively on the fourth line, offering plenty of physicality for the Sabres in that role. He has six goals, 10 points, 56 shots on net, 225 hits, 64 blocked shots and 34 PIM through 64 appearances.

Tuch scored a goal and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Sharks.

Tuch skated in his 600th regular-season game, and he marked the occasion with a goal at 5:39 of the first period to put the Sabres ahead 2-0. The 29-year-old winger now has 195 goals in his career, so he could knock out another milestone before the end of the campaign. He has six goals and three assists during a seven-game point streak, giving him 28 tallies, 57 points, 155 shots on net, 74 blocked shots, 69 hits, 49 PIM and a plus-18 rating through 64 outings this season.

Fabbro scored an empty-net goal and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Lightning.

Fabbro missed a couple of games due to a lower-body injury, and this was his second contest back in the lineup. The 27-year-old was on the top pairing at even strength, though he remains without a power-play assignment. Fabbro has 10 points, 57 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 53 hits and a minus-13 rating over 56 appearances this season, making him a poor option for most fantasy formats.

Guhle notched an assist, two hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Guhle has two helpers over four games since the start of March. The 24-year-old blueliner is filling a top-four role for the Canadiens, providing shutdown defense and a hearty share of physical play. He has just six points this season, but he's added 22 shots on net, 48 hits, 39 blocked shots and 15 PIM across 23 appearances. If Guhle's performance slips, Alexandre Carrier can take on more minutes.

Evans scored an empty-net goal on four shots and added three hits in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Evans' point streak is up to five games (three goals, three assists) after his empty-netter Tuesday. The 29-year-old forward is at 10 goals, 19 points, 55 shots on net, 59 hits, 37 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating through 49 appearances this season. Evans has reached double-digit goals in three of the last five campaigns, and he's one point away from reaching 20 for the fourth time in that span.

Nichushkin scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.

Nichushkin briefly tied the game with his third-period tally. The winger has two goals and an assist over his last four contests. For the season, he's up to 14 goals, 38 points, 122 shots on net, 44 hits, 22 PIM and a plus-6 rating over 54 appearances in a top-six role. Nichushkin should continue to see prime minutes while Gabriel Landeskog (lower body) and Artturi Lehkonen (upper body) are out on a week-to-week basis.

Necas scored a power-play goal on four shots and went minus-2 in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.

Necas saw a six-game point streak snapped Sunday versus the Wild. The 27-year-old got right back to it with a first-period tally Tuesday, but the Avalanche weren't able to keep pace with the Oilers in this one. Necas set a career high with his 29th goal of the season. He's earned 77 points (17 on the power play), 155 shots on net, 67 hits, 30 PIM and a plus-42 rating through 60 appearances this season.

Blackwood stopped 20 of 24 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.

Blackwood was pulled from his last outing and wasn't able to get back in the win column this time. The 29-year-old couldn't slow down the Oilers' power play and top six, though he's far from the only goalie to struggle with that task. For the season, Blackwood is down to 18-7-1 with a 2.42 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 27 appearances. If he can't get his performance back on track soon, Scott Wedgewood could push for a larger share of playing time down the stretch. The Avalanche's next game is Thursday in Seattle.

Nurse logged an assist and two hits in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Avalanche.

Nurse has three helpers over seven contests since the Olympic break. The 31-year-old defenseman has had a down year on offense with 21 points through 65 contests. He's still bringing a decent amount of physicality with 92 hits, 138 blocked shots and 94 PIM.

Bouchard logged two power-play assists, four shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Avalanche.

Bouchard is rolling with an eight-game point streak, during which he has three goals and 12 assists. The defenseman was involved on goals by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid in this contest. Bouchard is up to 75 points, including 28 on the power play, through 65 outings this season. He's added 178 shots on net, 86 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating, and he continues to be one of the NHL's most reliable blueliners on offense.