NHL Player News

Johansson made 20 saves on 21 shots in relief during a 6-2 loss to the Sabres on Saturday.

The Lightning had no compete and little focus Saturday, so netminding was an adventure behind them. Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed five goals on 14 shots, and head coach Jon Cooper yanked him to prove a point. Johansson was solid, but it won't earn him more time in the net. Tampa Bay is four points ahead of Buffalo and five ahead of Montreal for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, which will result in more playing time for Vasilevskiy.

Lankinen stopped 20 of 24 shots in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Kraken. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Lankinen has lost his last six decisions, giving up 26 goals on 130 shots (.800 save percentage) over seven outings in that span. The 30-year-old netminder is now 7-20-4 with a 3.69 GAA and an .874 save percentage over 33 appearances this season. The Canucks are the worst team in the league and eight points back of the next-closest team, so there's no reason for fantasy managers to invest in the crease in Vancouver. That's especially true for the next two games, when the Canucks host the Stars on Monday and the Hurricanes on Wednesday for a pair of tough matchups.

Oleksiak notched an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

Oleksiak has been limited to four points over 22 outings in January and February. The 33-year-old defenseman is playing regularly as a shutdown blueliner in a bottom-four role. He's earned 10 points, 52 shots on net, 77 hits, 82 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 57 appearances this season. Oleksiak is slated for unrestricted free agency this summer, but the Kraken may be hesitant to part with him before the trade deadline since they're in the middle of the playoff race.

Vasilevsky gave up five goals on 14 shots before being pulled at 1:54 of the second period in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Sabres.

Vasilevksiy was far from perfect, but his team was nonexistent and contributed to him getting the hook. Head coach Jon Cooper was critical of his team's effort following the contest. This loss wasn't on Vasilevskiy, and he'll probably be able to rebound with ease, especially since his teammates should be better in front of him.

Schwartz logged an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

Schwartz snapped a four-game point drought with the helper, which also included one absence due to a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old winger is up to 20 points, 72 shots on net, 38 blocked shots, 28 hits and a plus-9 rating over 39 appearances this season. He's filling a middle-six role with power-play time, giving him a little appeal in some fantasy formats if he can find consistent offense.

Dunn scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

This was Dunn's 600th career game, and he celebrated the milestone with a tally at 7:36 of the first period. He's earned four points over his last six outings. The 29-year-old defenseman is up to nine goals, 35 points, 124 shots on net, 59 blocked shots, 38 PIM and a minus-18 rating over 58 appearances this season. He missed the 40-point mark by one in 2024-25, when he was limited to 62 games, but he should get back over that threshold this year if he can stay healthy down the stretch.

Hedman scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Sabres.

Remarkably, it was Hedman's first goal of the season. Granted, it was just his 24th game of the year, but he has reached double-digit goal totals in each of the last two regular seasons. It was also Hedman's first multi-point game since Oct. 25 against Anaheim. His scoring pace could ramp up down the stretch if he has put his injury woes behind him.

Beniers scored a power-play goal on four shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

Beniers snapped a five-game point drought with the goal. It was initially credited to Jordan Eberle, but a scoring change was made when it was ruled the puck clipped off Beniers' skate. Beniers has reached the 15-goal mark this season, a threshold he's achieved in each of his four full campaigns. He's at 38 points (11 on the power play), 112 shots on net, 49 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over 59 appearances in a top-line role.

Luukkonen made 36 saves in a 6-2 win over the Lightning on Saturday.

Luukkonen has won both of his appearances following the Olympic break while allowing only three goals on 66 shots. His record improves to 13-7-2 with a 2.62 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Alex Lyon allowed just two goals in a win over the Panthers on Friday night, which could help the Sabres alternate netminders down the stretch.

Stephenson scored a goal on two shots, added two assists and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

Stephenson was involved in both of the Kraken's goals in the first period, and he also helped out on a Matty Beniers power-play tally in the third. The 31-year-old Stephenson has multi-point efforts in three of his last six games, and he snapped an 11-game goal drought Saturday. The center is at 14 goals, 39 points (15 on the power play), 73 shots on net, 41 blocked shots and a minus-17 rating through 57 appearances. Stephenson is on pace to top the 50-point mark for the fifth year in a row.