Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Nets game-winner in overtime
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Karlsson scored a goal on three shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Golden Knights.
Karlsson has been pretty good since his time with Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, earning three goals and six assists over 10 outings since the NHL resumed play. The 34-year-old defenseman came up clutch Tuesday, tallying from the top of the left circle 49 seconds into overtime to spoil the Golden Knights' comeback attempt. Karlsson is now at nine goals, 47 points, 163 shots on net, 81 blocked shots and a minus-20 rating through 67 appearances this season, giving him an excellent chance to top both 10 goals and 50 points for the third year in a row.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Adds another helper
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Karlsson dished an assist and blocked two shots in Sunday's 3-1 win over Minnesota.
Karlsson's helper was on Sidney Crosby's first goal of the game in the third period. Overall, the 34-year-old Karlsson has 38 assists, 46 points, 160 shots on net and 80 blocks in 66 games this season. He is currently tied for 11th among blueliners in assists and ranks second for Pittsburgh. Karlsson has great value on the fantasy blue line for the rest of the season, and he should finish near his point total of 56 from a year ago.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Banks pair of apples Sunday
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Karlsson earned two assists, one with man advantage, in Sunday's 6-5 overtime loss to Toronto.
Karlsson set up Sidney Crosby on the power play and helped out on Bryan Rust's 21st goal of the campaign in the defeat. Karlsson has two multi-point performances in his last three games and has been held off the scoresheet on only one occasion over his last 11 outings. The right-shot blueliner has eight goals, 45 points, 18 PIM, 154 shots on goal and a minus-21 rating while averaging 23:17 of ice time through 63 contests in 2024-25. Karlsson has been subject to trade speculation, though his $11.5 million cap hit and no-movement clause would certainly complicate any potential deal.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Three-point performance Thursday
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Karlsson notched two goals, an assist, four shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Flyers.
Karlsson didn't record a point in the 6-1 loss to the Flyers on Tuesday, but that has been the only game in which he hasn't cracked the scoresheet dating back to the beginning of February. The 34-year-old veteran blueliner has 11 points across nine outings in February, totaling four goals, seven helpers, 24 shots, three hits and 12 blocked shots in that span.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: On a roll in February
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Karlsson accounted for an even-strength assist, two blocked shots, one takeaway and a minus-3 rating in a team-high 27:54 of ice time Sunday in a 5-3 loss to the Rangers.
Karlsson helped out Ryan Shea's first goal of 2024-25 early in the final frame. Karlsson has yet to be held off the scoresheet through six games in February, having provided a goal and six helpers during that stretch. The right-shot blueliner's point streak is up to seven games overall. Karlsson is on pace to match the 56 points he produced over 82 regular-season games in 2023-24. The 34-year-old continues to lead Pittsburgh on the back end with six markers and 34 helpers through 59 outings.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Extends point streak
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Karlsson registered an assist, two shots and a minus-2 rating during Saturday's 8-3 loss to the Capitals.
Karlsson has two goals and five helpers during his six-game point spree. The 34-year-old could improve his minus-16 rating, but his point production has cemented him as a dependable fantasy rearguard. He has six goals and 39 points through 58 appearances this season.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Nets goal for Tre Kronor
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Karlsson scored a goal for Sweden in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal.
Karlsson put Sweden up 3-2 in the second on a 3-on-2 rush. He had three shots and one block. Karlsson was one of the best Swedish players on the ice, ultimately earning the game's third star for his work.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Collects goal Saturday
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Karlsson tallied a goal, took four shots on net and blocked three shots in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Karlsson netted Pittsburgh's second goal just over four minutes into the second period. The 34-year-old blueliner has six goals, 40 points, 143 shots on target and 73 blocks in 57 appearances this season. While his goal total is slowly rising toward his total of 11 from a year ago, Karlsson ranks 11th among defenders with 32 assists. He is set to play for Team Sweden during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Two apples in win
Rotowire
Karlsson provided two assists and had three shots on goal in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Predators.
Karlsson provided helpers on the first two goals of the game for Pittsburgh and ultimately eclipsed the 30-assist mark on the season. He has back-to-back games with at least one point for the first time since early January. The 34-year-old defenseman is up to five goals, 35 points and 136 shots on net through 54 games this season. The Norris Trophy winner from two seasons ago is unlikely to match his 101-point outburst from his award-worthy campaign. However, repeating his offensive output of 56 points from a season ago is in the cards. View Karlsson as a solid play on the fantasy blue line moving forward.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Nets equalizer Wednesday
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Karlsson scored a goal on five shots and added two hits in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over Utah.
Karlsson's tally tied the game at 2-2 in the third period. The defenseman was able to avoid going pointless during the Penguins' seven-game road trip, and he added 18 shots on net, four hits and four blocked shots in that span. He's now at five goals, 33 points, 133 shots on net, 64 blocked shots and a minus-15 rating over 53 appearances this season. He's on pace for roughly 50 points this season -- it would be his third in a row at that mark if he's able to attain it.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Two-point effort Tuesday
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Karlsson collected two assists, one on the power play, in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.
The veteran blueliner also added four shots on net, three blocked shots and two PIM to his ledger. Karlsson is having his most productive stretch of the season, and over the last 10 games he's delivered four multi-point performances while racking up two goals and 11 points with 28 shots, 17 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a plus-2 rating
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Goal, assist in overtime loss
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Karlsson scored a goal on two shots, dished an assist and blocked two shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes.
Karlsson set up a Michael Bunting goal in the first period and tied the game at 3-3 with his own tally in the third. This was Karlsson's third multi-point effort over his last nine games, a span in which he's collected two goals and seven assists. For the season, the star defenseman has 28 points, 100 shots on net, 54 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 41 outings. Despite a dip in goal-scoring, he's on pace to exactly match his 56-point output from 2023-24.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Slides helper in loss
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Karlsson logged an assist, two shots on goal, two hits, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.
Karlsson continues to pick up points in December -- he has a goal and eight assists over 11 outings this month. The defenseman is up to 25 points, 87 shots on net, 46 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating through 37 contests this season. Karlsson's solid play on offense will help him retain fantasy value, but he won't make outsized contributions in the defensive stats.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Warm front approaching
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Karlsson put up two assists in a 7-3 win over Philadelphia on Monday.
Karlsson has five points, including four assists, in his last four games. And he has 13 points, including 12 assists, and 31 shots in his last 14 games. Karlsson is warming up and is now on a pace that would match his 56-point total from last season. That will help you, even if he struggles defensively.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Two points in win
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Karlsson scored a goal and added an assist in a 5-4 overtime win over Nashville on Thursday.
Karlsson now has three goals and 19 assists in 34 games. Yes, managers and fans have been frustrated with Karlsson, in large part because of they still see him as the 101-point guy he was in San Jose in 2022-23. Four words: lightning in a bottle. Still, he's on pace for mid-50s in points, much like he delivered last season. Fantasy managers don't care about his defensive gaffes, but the Pens could reduce his playing time to protect him a bit and reduce frustration overall. His average ice time this season is 22:43, down from his 25:18 average.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Sets up overtime winner
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Karlsson notched an assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.
Karlsson has four assists over his last six outings. His helper Tuesday was clutch, as he set up Rickard Rakell's game-winning goal at 1:44 of overtime. Karlsson now has 20 points, 79 shots on net, 41 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 33 appearances in a top-four role.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Picks up power-play helper
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Karlsson posted a power-play assist, three shots on goal and two PIM in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
Karlsson has a helper in each of the last two games, and a total of seven assists across his last seven outings. The defenseman helped out on Michael Bunting's game-winning goal in the third period. Karlsson is up to 18 points (seven on the power play) with 69 shots on net, 37 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 29 outings. The offense is good enough for a blueliner, so fantasy managers can overlook the less impressive parts of his game.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Gathers assist in loss
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Karlsson recorded an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers.
Karlsson had gone two games without a point prior to Friday. He has seven assists over his last nine outings for a solid run of production. For the season, the defenseman has 17 points (six on the power play), 66 shots on net, 36 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating over 28 appearances.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Registers helper in win
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Karlsson provided an assist, fired three shots on goal and went plus-2 in Friday's 2-1 win over the Bruins.
Karlsson has five helpers over his last three games. This was also the first time he finished with a positive plus-minus rating since Nov. 5, though he was even in five of 10 games in that span. The defenseman has provided decent offense with 16 points and 62 shots on net over 25 appearances, but a minus-11 rating is a concern. He's also added six power-play points and 29 blocked shots in a top-four role.
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Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Three apples Wednesday
Rotowire
Karlsson accounted for three assists, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in 19:46 of ice time Wednesday in a 5-4 win over Vancouver.
All three of Karlsson's helpers were of the secondary variety, and one came on the man advantage. After registering just one point between Nov. 11-22 over six appearances, Karlsson has collected four total assists in back-to-back games. The Swedish blueliner is third on the team in points, and he's up to two goals, 13 assists and a minus-13 rating through 24 contests.
