Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Garners helper in return
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Balinskis registered an assist and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Devils.
Balinskis missed one game due to an undisclosed injury. The defenseman resumed a top-four role and helped out on an Anton Lundell tally. Balinskis has 15 points (six on the power play), 63 hits, 62 shots on net, 38 blocked shots, 28 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 51 appearances this season. He carries some upside in deep fantasy formats for his all-around production.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Big night on power play
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Balinskis scored a goal and added an assist, both on the power play, in Wednesday's 5-4 shootout win over the Bruins.
Both points came early in the second period, as Balinskis tied the game at 2-2 just 30 seconds into the frame before having a hand in a Matthew Tkachuk tally a little over two minutes later. Balinskis has been getting a look on Florida's top power-play unit, and he's taken advantage with two goals and four points over the last four games -- all of it coming with the man advantage.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Scores GWG on power play
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Balinskis tallied a power-play goal, put two shots on net and recorded three blocks in Saturday's 5-2 win over Washington.
Balinskis found the back of the net on a power play just over 15 minutes into the second period for a goal that would stand as Saturday's game-winner. He's up to three goals, 10 points, 35 shots on net, 48 hits and 30 blocks through 38 games this season. While his numbers are low amidst a fluctuating role this season, the 29-year-old blueliner has stepped up lately in the absence of Seth Jones (upper body). Balinskis is on a three-game point streak and has four blocks in that span. While he has the hot hand and is playing second-pairing minutes, the Latvian defenseman holds decent streaming value in deep leagues.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Nets lone goal in loss
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Balinskis scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 9-1 loss to the Hurricanes.
Balinskis signed a two-year contract extension earlier in the day, and he celebrated with just his second goal of the season. The 29-year-old defenseman is in line for power-play time while Seth Jones (upper body) is out. Balinskis has nine points, 33 shots on net, 47 hits, 27 blocked shots and 24 PIM over 37 appearances this season, mainly in a bottom-four role.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Inks two-year extension
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Balinskis signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract extension with the Panthers on Friday.
Balinskis has made 36 appearances for the Panthers over the first half of the regular season, racking up a goal, seven assists, 47 hits, 26 blocked shots and 24 PIM while averaging 14:38 of ice time. He also recorded 18 points across 76 appearances with Florida last year and will now remain under contract with the team through the 2027-28 season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Snags power-play assist
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Balinskis registered a power-play assist and went plus-2 in Monday's 4-3 win over the Sabres.
Balinskis ended a 12-game point drought when he set up Sam Reinhart's goal 2:35 into the game. The 29-year-old Balinskis doesn't typically get much power-play time, though he has picked up some recently since Seth Jones (upper body) exited the lineup. For the season, Balinskis has eight points, 31 shots on net, 47 hits, 26 blocked shots and 24 PIM across 36 appearances in a bottom-four role.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Two helpers against Tampa
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Balinskis notched two assists in Monday's 5-2 win over the Lightning.
It's the second multi-point performance of the season for Balinskis, with the other coming Nov. 24 against the Predators. The 29-year-old KHL veteran is in his third NHL season and continues to supply solid minutes from the Panthers' third pairing, delivering a goal and seven points in 23 games with 34 hits, 19 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating. Gustav Forsling (undisclosed) was injured blocking a shot Monday, and if he's forced to miss any time, Balinskis could see his role expand in the short term.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Rare goal in win
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Balinskis scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.
Balinskis got on the scoresheet for the first time in six games with the opening tally in Sunday's win. The 29-year-old defenseman's first goal of the season gives him five points, 18 shots on net, 29 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 19 appearances this season. Balinskis remains in competition with Jeff Petry and Donovan Sebrango for time on the third pairing.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Dishes pair of assists
Rotowire
Balinskis notched two assists, three hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 8-3 win over the Predators.
Balinskis has earned all four of his helpers on the year over the last four games. The 29-year-old defenseman's momentum should help him stay in the lineup over Donovan Sebrango for a while. Balinskis has added eight shots on net, 20 hits, 11 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in 13 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Pockets helper Monday
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Balinskis notched an assist, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 8-5 win over the Canucks.
Balinskis has struggled to secure regular playing time this season -- he had been a healthy scratch for the previous seven games. Donovan Sebrango was scratched Monday, and Balinskis put forth a solid performance in 12:55 of ice time, which could help him stay in the lineup for a bit. Over 10 outings, Balinskis has one assist, five shots on net, 11 hits, eight blocked shots and four PIM.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Snaps slump Thursday
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Balinskis posted two assists in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Balinskis ended a 15-game point drought with a helper on Mackie Samoskevich's second-period goal. Later in the frame, Balinskis set up a Brad Marchand tally as well. It's been an interesting second season for Balinskis, who has mostly been a third-pairing defenseman for the Panthers. He's managed 17 points, 88 shots on net, 79 hits, 52 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating. He's not currently part of the power-play mix but has averaged 59 seconds per game with the man advantage in 2024-25 after getting a couple of looks in that role earlier.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Tallies opening goal
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Balinskis scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Oilers.
Balinskis started the scoring in this rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals, ending his own eight-game point drought in the process. The 28-year-old defenseman didn't play in the postseason last year, but he could have a chance to this spring in the likely event the Panthers qualify. There's always a chance they make a trade to bolster their defensive depth as well -- which would likely threaten Balinskis and Nate Schmidt's roles on the third pairing. For the season, Balinskis has 15 points, 71 shots on net, 56 hits, 39 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 57 outings.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Pockets helper Sunday
Rotowire
Balinskis notched an assist and blocked two shots in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights.
Balinskis has four points over his last nine outings, but his ice time has fluctuated quite a bit in that stretch. The 28-year-old blueliner is likely to be in a third-pairing role full-time moving forward as long as Aaron Ekblad avoids further injury concerns. Balinskis is at 14 points, 62 shots on net, 44 hits, 36 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through 48 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Earns assist Saturday
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Balinskis collected one assist, a shot on goal and one hit in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Boston.
Balinskis didn't have a point in four straight games entering Saturday's action. He has contributed one goal, 10 helpers, 27 blocked shots and 33 hits through 40 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Two helpers against Blueshirts
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Balinskis picked up two assists in Monday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.
The 28-year-old blueliner helped set up tallies by Mackie Samoskevich in the first period and Jesper Boqvist in the second. It was Balinskis' first multi-point effort since Nov. 7, snapping a slump that had seen him record just one point (a goal) in his prior 10 appearances. On the season, he's produced a goal and 10 points in 35 contests with 48 shots on net, 27 hits, 22 blocked shots, 17 PIM and a minus-6 rating.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: First goal of season Friday
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Balinskis scored a goal in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Blues.
Balinskis has one goal and seven assists through 31 appearances this season, surpassing the three points (one goal, two assists) he had across 26 regular-season appearances in the 2023-24 campaign. Balinskis won't have much fantasy upside outside formats that stay away from his physicality. He has 42 shots, 25 hits and 18 blocked shots while posting a minus-5 rating.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Dishes two helpers in win
Rotowire
Balinskis notched two assists, four shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Predators.
Balinskis has three helpers over his last two games, and two of those assists have come on the power play. The 28-year-old defenseman is quarterbacking the first power-play unit, so he's worth at least a speculative add in most fantasy formats. He's up to four helpers this season, surpassing his point total (three) from 26 regular-season outings in 2023-24. Balinskis has added 13 shots on net, 13 hits, six blocked shots, nine PIM and a minus-1 rating over 14 contests in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Collects assist in win
Rotowire
Balinskis notched an assist in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Finland.
Balinskis hadn't gotten on the scoresheet since Opening Night. The defenseman is seeing consistent power-play usage, but it hasn't helped his offense. The 28-year-old is up to two assists, nine shots on net, 11 hits, six blocked shots, seven PIM and a minus-1 rating through 13 appearances. He had just three points in 26 regular-season outings in 2023-24, his first year in the NHL, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to have a sudden uptick in scoring.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Summoned from AHL
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Balinskis was called up from AHL Charlotte on Wednesday.
Balinskis has three goals and 21 points in 37 contests with Charlotte in 2023-24. He also has collected a goal and three points in 22 outings with the Panthers. He's back with Florida after Aaron Ekblad exited Tuesday's contest against Montreal because of an undisclosed injury.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Called up from minors
Rotowire
Balinskis was promoted to the NHL roster Thursday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Balinskis figures to serve as an emergency depth defenseman due to the absence of Aaron Ekblad (lower body) and Dmitry Kulikov (suspension). If the 27-year-old Balinskis were to get into the lineup against Nashville on Thursday, it would likely come at the expense of Tobias Bjornfot.
