Fantasy Hockey

Hischier logged an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Hischier had previously been credited with two assists earlier in the game, but those were removed. The one that stuck was when he set up Jesper Bratt for the game-winning goal in the final minute of the third period. Hischier has two goals and four assists over five games since returning from an upper-body injury that cost him 11 contests. The center is up to eight points, 24 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating through 12 outings overall.

McLeod scored a goal and added three hits in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

McLeod's goal gave the Devils a 4-1 lead in the first period. The 25-year-old forward has chipped in a little more offense lately with two goals and two assists over his last four games. He's up to 10 points, 42 shots on net, 40 hits and a plus-2 rating through 23 appearances. McLeod is likely to remain in a bottom-six role as long as the Devils have their full complement of centers.

Hughes scored a goal on six shots and added two assists in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Hughes even finished with the most points of any member of his family in the game -- teammate Luke Hughes had one goal while the Canucks' Quinn Hughes racked up two assists. The 22-year-old center has four goals and seven assists over his last five games. This was Hughes' 10th multi-point effort of the season. He's up to 10 goals, 23 assists, 87 shots on net and a plus-1 rating through 18 appearances in a top-six role.

Kadri notched an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Kadri continues to be fairly steady with two goals and five assists over his last eight games. The 33-year-old helped out on Connor Zary's third-period tally, which briefly generated hope for a Flames comeback. Kadri is up to 16 points, 71 shots on net, 20 hits, 15 PIM and a minus-10 rating through 25 appearances in a second-line role this season.

Zary scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Zary's effectiveness on offense has waned over the last couple of weeks. He went eight games without a goal, picking up four assists in that span, which is still solid work for a rookie thrust into a top-six role. The 22-year-old has four goals, seven helpers, 21 shots on net, six PIM and a plus-3 rating through 15 contests overall.

Backlund scored a goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Backlund got a piece of a MacKenzie Weegar shot and redirected it past Filip Gustavsson for the Flames' first goal. With four goals and an assist over the last six games, Backlund has been steady from his third-line role lately. He's up to 13 points, 61 shots on net, 16 hits, 11 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 25 outings overall. That's pretty close to his usual season-long pace, and he typically gets better as the campaign progresses.

Bastian posted an assist and three hits in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Bastian snapped his seven-game point drought when he set up a Michael McLeod tally in the first period. The 25-year-old Bastian has been limited to fourth-line minutes for much of the campaign, and he hasn't scored enough to warrant a promotion in the lineup. He's at three points with 26 shots on net, 39 hits, four PIM and a minus-9 rating over 22 contests.

Lazar posted an assist in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Lazar has earned three points over his last four games despite filling a bottom-six role in that span. He played up the lineup at times when the Devils were missing forwards due to injuries. The 28-year-old has eight points, 22 shots on net, 47 hits, 19 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 21 appearances. His career high in points is 20, set back in 2015-16, a mark he could challenge this season if he remains a regular in the lineup.

Haula scored a goal on three shots, added four PIM and doled out two hits in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Haula missed three games with a lower-body injury and saw just 15:21 of ice time in his return. The 32-year-old forward had to fill in as a top-six center when the Devils were shorthanded down the middle, but with the team near full strength up front, Haula is likely to be on the wing. The veteran has seven goals, six assists, 38 shots on net, 18 PIM, 20 hits and a plus-1 rating through 19 appearances. Given the quality of the Devils' top six, Haula is still an interesting depth option for fantasy managers.

Bratt scored a pair of goals on five shots in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Bratt scored the first goal at 3:40 of the first period and added another tally with just 34 seconds left in regulation. That second goal stood as the game-winner and got Bratt to the 10-goal mark on the year. The winger has nine points over his last 10 contests, and he's up to 28 points, 59 shots on net, 19 hits and a minus-4 rating over 23 appearances this season. With the Devils' forward group near full health, Bratt should continue to benefit from playing on Nico Hischier's wing.

Johansson registered an assist, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Johansson snapped his 10-game point drought when he set up a Joel Eriksson Ek tally in the third period. During the dry spell, Johansson had 14 shots on net, 10 hits and a minus-7 rating. Johansson is a solid middle-six forward at the best of times, but he's been streaky so far in 2023-24. The 33-year-old has nine points, 36 shots on net, 15 hits and a minus-3 rating through 23 outings.

Zuccarello posted an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Zuccarello helped out on Kirill Kaprizov's second-period tally. The assist was Zuccarello's 600th career point, a milestone he achieved in game No. 789. The veteran winger got there on a heater with three goals and 11 assists during his active 10-game point streak. For the season, he's produced 27 points (13 on the power play), 65 shots on net and a minus-1 rating over 23 appearances. Zuccarello and Kaprizov continue to work as a formidable top-line winger duo, with Marco Rossi currently down the middle between them.

Siegenthaler posted an assist, four hits and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Siegenthaler's 26:55 of ice time Tuesday was more than four minutes higher than any other game this season. The 26-year-old rarely chips in much offense, but his defensive presence will be needed with Dougie Hamilton (pectoral) out of the lineup. Siegenthaler has five assists, 26 shots on net, 27 hits, 40 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 23 appearances.

Bahl notched a pair of assists, four hits and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Bahl earned his first multi-point effort of the season by helping out on goals from Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. The 23-year-old Bahl has played in more of a bottom-four role lately, but he may pick up some extra minutes while Dougie Hamilton (pectoral) is out. Bahl has five assists, 21 shots on net, 48 hits, 21 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 23 appearances. His usage is likely to remain defensive in nature.

Hughes scored a power-play goal in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Hughes' tally, set up by his older brother Jack Hughes, gave the Devils a 5-2 lead in the second period. Over the last five games, the 20-year-old Hughes has three goals and two assists, with three of those five points coming on the power play. It appears he has the edge for power-play time while Dougie Hamilton (pectoral) is out, but Simon Nemec has already seen substantial defensive assignments in his first two contests. Hughes is up to 15 points (eight on the power play), 36 shots on net, 12 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through 23 appearances this season.

Solovyov posted an assist and three shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Solovyov had some forgettable moments in the contest, but he also picked up his first NHL point by setting up Connor Zary's third-period tally. This was Solovyov's third contest of the season. He has a chance to play on the third pairing with Nikita Zadorov traded to Vancouver, though Solovyov may have to battle with Dennis Gilbert and Jordan Oesterle to stay in the lineup.

Andersson notched an assist, three blocked shots and two PIM in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Andersson has a helper in each of the last two contests after a three-game drought. The 27-year-old blueliner had the secondary assist on Mikael Backlund's second-period tally. Andersson still hasn't reclaimed his power-play role after being bumped off the first unit last week, but his offense is nonetheless heading in the right direction. For the year, he's at 13 points, 48 shots on net, 46 blocked shots, 21 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 21 outings.

Weegar posted an assist, three shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

The helper extended Weegar's point streak to four games (two goals, two assists). He's gotten in the scoresheet in eight of the last 10 contests, but he hasn't posted a multi-point effort since Nov. 1. The 29-year-old has arguably been the Flames' steadiest blueliner so far, racking up 14 points, 65 shots on net, 38 hits, 56 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 25 appearances.

Demko surrendered six goals on 32 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Devils.

Demko gave up four goals in the first period, but head coach Rick Tocchet kept the 27-year-old between the pipes for the full contest. This was the fifth time in 10 games Demko has allowed four or more goals. The American netminder is now at 12-7-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .918 save percentage through 19 starts. The Canucks have a slightly easier matchup versus the Wild on Thursday, though Demko's wildly inconsistent play of late makes it tough to trust him.

Vanecek stopped 28 of 33 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Canucks.

Vanecek came away with the win, but not before he blew a three-goal lead in the third period. Jesper Bratt played hero with his second goal of the game with 34 seconds left in regulation. Vanecek has given up four or more goals in five of his last eight outings, yet he's still managed to go 3-3-0 in that span. The 27-year-old goalie is at a 9-5-0 record with a 3.60 GAA and an .877 save percentage through 16 appearances. He's still got the edge over Akira Schmid for playing time, which could afford Vanecek a favorable matchup in Thursday's game versus the Kraken.

Wolf stopped 11 of 13 shots in relief of Dan Vladar in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Wolf entered early in the second period as a 1-0 deficit at the intermission quickly snowballed into a 3-0 hole just 1:30 into the frame. Wolf was not on the hook for the loss, but he's now allowed six goals on 51 shots over two NHL appearances this season. Wolf and Vladar are set to compete for the starting job in Calgary while Jacob Markstrom recovers from a broken finger sustained Monday in practice. With Vladar already struggling this season, Wolf may only need a couple of good games to see a bump in playing time.

Vladar allowed three goals on 16 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Vladar kept the deficit to one goal through the first period, but he gave up a pair of early tallies in the second before receiving the hook. Dustin Wolf stopped 11 of 13 shots in relief. Both Vladar and Wolf have a chance to compete for the No. 1 spot in goal with Jacob Markstrom (finger) deemed week-to-week after getting hurt in Monday's practice. Vladar is at a 4-3-1 record with a 3.45 GAA and an .877 save percentage through eight games, so he'll need to turn things around quickly to avoid getting passed by the rookie Wolf on the depth chart. The Flames host the Hurricanes on Thursday.

Gustavsson allowed two goals on 30 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Gustavsson earned his third straight win, and he's now gone eight games without allowing more than three goals. The 25-year-old started the year with one shutout and then a five-game stretch of allowing four-plus goals, so this turnaround is a big positive. Gustavsson is at 5-6-2 with a 3.35 GAA and an .894 save percentage through 14 starts. The Wild's next two games are in a back-to-back -- they face the Canucks on Thursday and the Oilers on Friday. Expect Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury to split those starts.

Gibson stopped 28 of 31 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Gibson gave up a goal in each period as the Avalanche's top line controlled the game. The 30-year-old Gibson ended a seven-game winless skid with a shootout victory over the Avalanche on Saturday, but he couldn't best them in their own barn. He's now at 5-11-0 with a 2.82 GAA and a .906 save percentage through 18 games this season. The Ducks visit the Blackhawks on Thursday, which would be a more favorable matchup if Gibson gets the start.