NHL Player News

Vrana has played in just two of 11 contests for the Capitals in January after sitting out Thursday's 3-0 win over the Kraken.

The Capitals are 9-0-3 over their last 12 games, so it makes sense that head coach Spencer Carbery would stick with a winning lineup. Vrana has 11 points over 25 appearances this season, but there's no telling when his next chance to play will be. Ethen Frank has taken over Vrana's spot on the third line and doesn't appear likely to give it up any time soon.

Frank scored a goal on four shots in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Kraken.

Frank ended a three-game point drought with the second-period tally after he forced a turnover and scored on the rush. The 26-year-old winger had seen his ice time dip in recent contests, and while he's listed on the third line, that's typically the Capitals' least-used forward trio. Frank is at three goals, one assist, seven shots on net, five hits, four blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over his first seven NHL appearances.

Protas scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Kraken.

Protas reached the 20-goal and 40-point marks for the first time in his career when he opened the scoring at 4:36 of the second period. That tally was also his fifth game-winner of the season. The 24-year-old continues to see top-six minutes at even strength and has racked up 83 shots on net and a plus-27 rating over 48 appearances. Even with a near-complete lack of power-play time, Protas is generating enough offense to be rostered in most fantasy formats.

Rakell logged a power-play assist, four hits and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks.

Rakell was unavailable for Monday's game versus the Kings due to a personal matter. He was back Thursday and slotted onto the top line against his former team. Rakell has six goals and four assists over 10 outings in January, and he's up to 41 points, 123 shots on net, 81 hits, 53 blocked shots and a minus-17 rating through 49 contests this season.

Lundestrom logged an assist in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

Lundestrom missed only one game due to a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old was able to make a rare contribution on offense Thursday, helping out on Alex Killorn's empty-netter in the third period, ending a six-game point drought. Lundestrom is up to eight points, 37 shots on net, 41 blocked shots, 29 hits and a minus-1 rating over 45 appearances. He plays in a bottom-six role on a low-scoring team, so he's not likely to help most fantasy managers.

Fabbri provided an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

Fabbri has a pair of points over his last four contests, which is better than the eight-game point drought that he had to begin January. The 29-year-old winger set up Mason McTavish for the opening tally in this game. Fabbri is now at 12 points, 52 shots on net, 45 hits, 21 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 35 appearances in a middle-six role.

Strome provided an assist in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

Strome has three helpers over his last four contests, and he's up to 20 assists for the season. The center set up Frank Vatrano's tally in the third period. Strome is now at 27 points, 81 shots on net and a minus-4 rating through 48 appearances in a top-six role. He's been decent on offense and can chip in a little non-scoring production as well, but he won't stand out in any one area.

Zegras recorded an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

This was Zegras' second game back after recovering from surgery for a torn meniscus. He saw 17:29 of ice time Thursday, up from 15:48 in Tuesday's game against the Panthers. Zegras is up to 11 points, 52 shots on net and a minus-8 rating over 26 appearances. He'll look to build some momentum on offense moving forward while filling a top-six role.

McTavish scored two goals on four shots and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

This was McTavish's first multi-point effort since Dec. 29 versus the Oilers. He's been warming up lately with four goals and two assists over his last nine outings. The center also led the Ducks' forwards with 18:30 of ice time in this contests. He's at nine tallies, 22 points, 90 shots on net, 42 hits, 26 PIM and a minus-4 rating through 42 appearances this season.

Suter notched an assist and three shots on goal in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Oilers.

The helper snapped a 13-game point drought for Suter, who has maintained a top-six role despite the lack of offense. The 28-year-old finally broke through with a secondary assist on a Brock Boeser tally in the second period. Suter was good earlier in the year, but he's now at 20 points, 75 shots on net and a plus-4 rating over 46 contests. He could still push for a career year -- his previous best was 36 points in 2021-22 -- but he's unlikely to be anything more than a depth forward in fantasy.