NHL Player News

Pionk scored a goal on three shots, added three hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.

Pionk has three goals and an assist over his last five games. The 31-year-old defenseman continues to fill in as Winnipeg's top blueliner, and it's led to enhanced all-around production lately. He has a total of four goals, seven assists, 42 shots on net, 40 hits, 21 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 17 appearances. Pionk's multi-category skills make him a reliable depth defensemen in fantasy.

Juulsen produced an assist and three hits in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Predators.

This was Juulsen's second helper of the season. The 29-year-old defenseman has added four shots on net, 28 hits, 16 blocked shots, four PIM and a plus-1 rating. The 29-year-old is set for steady playing time while Josh Manson (ankle) is out for the better part of the next two months. Juulsen's appeal is highest in banger leagues, as he won't be a steady source of offense in the long run.

Kelly scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Predators.

Kelly's second period tally ultimately forced overtime. The 27-year-old has scored twice over his last five games, but his offense has largely been inconsistent this season. He's up to three goals, four assists, 18 shots on net, 20 hits, 13 blocked shots, nine PIM and a plus-2 rating over 17 appearances on the year.

Schwartz scored a goal in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Predators.

Schwartz has four goals and two assists over his last seven outings. The 34-year-old has had two good stretches this season, though a cold spell in between them has highlighted the risks involved in his current middle-six role with the Avalanche. He's produced a total of seven goals, five assists, 32 shots on net, 11 hits and a minus-1 rating over 17 appearances this season.

Blackwood stopped 22 of 25 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Predators.

Blackwood had won his last four starts. He made a relief appearance in Columbus on Tuesday and struggled, allowing three goals on 15 shots, and his winning run snapped Thursday. The 29-year-old netminder has still largely avoided truly awful games for much of the season -- he hasn't allowed more than three goals in any of his last nine games. He's at an 8-3-1 record with a 2.81 GAA and an .893 save percentage over 13 games (12 starts). With Scott Wedgewood struggling early in the season, Blackwood has a clear path to a true starter's workload. The Avalanche are set to host the Red Wings on Saturday.

O'Reilly notched two assists (one on the power play), fired two shots on goal and blocked three shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche.

O'Reilly saw a five-game point streak snapped in Tuesday's win over the Hurricanes. He bounced back with his third multi-point effort of the season to help the Predators notch a third straight win. The veteran center is up to seven goals, 10 assists, 29 shots on net, 20 blocked shots, 10 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 16 appearances in a top-line role.

Pinchuk scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche.

Pinchuk's first NHL was a beauty, a spinning backhand that got over Mackenzie Blackwood in the first period. The 24-year-old Pinchuk has played the last two games due to the absence of Jonathan Marchessault (lower body). Pinchuk has two points, seven shots and a minus-1 rating over seven appearances to begin his NHL career. If he can build some confidence and momentum, he'll be able to stick around on Nashville's third line.

Colton scored a goal on two shots and blocked four shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche.

Colton's recent run of offense was sparked with a helper against his former team in a 6-2 win Oct. 25. He's earned three goals and two assists over his last six games, and that includes his opening tally in his return to Denver on Thursday. The 30-year-old is up to seven points, 23 shots on net, 38 hits, 14 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 16 outings while primarily filling a bottom-six role.

Stamkos scored a power-play goal on three shots, added two PIM and logged two hits in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche.

Stamkos' tally came in overtime to give the Predators a third straight win, all against fairly tough opponents. The 36-year-old has scored twice over those games. He's up to nine goals, 17 points, 39 shots on net, 10 hits, six PIM and a minus-5 rating across 16 appearances. Stamkos should remain productive as long as he's in a top-six role, which is unlikely to change any time soon.

Annunen stopped 30 of 32 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche.

This was a third straight win for Annunen, and his second in that span over his former team. The 26-year-old has allowed 14 goals on 110 shots over his four outings this season, but he's played well enough from a results standpoint to afford the Predators a chance to give Juuse Saros some extra rest. Annunen's next start is likely to come on the road, either Tuesday versus the Kings or Wednesday against the Ducks.