NHL Player News

Kulich scored a goal on three shots, dished two assists and added two hits in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Canucks.

Kulich has played on the top line in back-to-back contests since returning from a lower-body injury. It didn't lead to any offense for him Monday in Seattle, but he clicked with Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka in Tuesday's contest. This was Kulich's second three-point game in his career, and it ended a five-game slump. He's at eight goals, four helpers, 73 shots on net, 26 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 33 appearances. Kulich is worth considering in fantasy as long as he's in a prominent spot in the lineup, but he's far from an established scorer in his rookie year.

Draisaitl scored a goal on four shots and added an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Capitals.

Draisaitl opened the scoring 3:02 into the game, extending his league lead with his 34th goal of the season. He also set up Corey Perry's one-timer tally in the third period. This was Draisaitl's fifth multi-point effort during his seven-game point streak, during which he has five goals and seven helpers. Overall, he's second in the league with 71 points while adding 149 shots on net, a plus-27 rating and 18 power-play points through 47 appearances. He'll have to carry the offense solo for another couple of games while Connor McDavid finishes serving his suspension.

Eller recorded an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Oilers.

Eller had a shot attempt ping off the post but straight to Pierre-Luc Dubois, who made no mistake on the second attempt. The helper ended Eller's four-game slump. The 35-year-old center has struggled to put up consistent offense, but that's not unusual for a depth player who tends to focus more on defense. Overall, Eller has 16 points, 58 shots on net, 37 hits and a minus-4 rating over 45 contests between the Capitals and the Penguins this season.

McMichael posted an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Oilers.

McMichael helped out on Matt Roy's second-period go-ahead goal. While he hasn't scored in eight contests, McMichael has warmed up again with three assists over his last two games. The 24-year-old is at 17 goals, 18 helpers, 105 shots on net, 24 hits, 20 PIM and a plus-10 rating through 47 appearances. He's already secured a career year, and while his offense has slowed recently, he remains in a top-six role that could allow him to pick up the pace again at any time.

Protas provided an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Oilers.

Protas reached the 20-assist mark when he set up a Tom Wilson goal in the first period that tied the game at 1-1. The 24-year-old Protas has looked good in a top-six role this season even without seeing much power-play time. He's up to 39 points, 81 shots on net, 22 blocked shots and a plus-26 rating over 47 appearances.

Johnston notched an assist in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Johnston set up Thomas Harley's tally in the third period. The helper extended Johnston's point streak to five games (one goal, six assists). The 21-year-old also stayed on the top line Tuesday even with Roope Hintz (upper body) returning to the lineup, though they had similar ice time. For the season, Johnston has 37 points, 121 shots on net, a plus-5 rating, 29 hits and 24 blocked shots over 47 appearances.

Necas logged two assists and two hits in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Stars.

Necas helped out on both of Jesperi Kotkaniemi's tallies in the low-scoring win. After a rough December, Necas' play has returned to a decent level in January -- he has two goals and seven helpers over nine contests this month. For the season, the 26-year-old winger is at 16 goals, 38 helpers, 109 shots on net, 39 hits and a plus-3 rating across 48 appearances in a top-six role.

Kotkaniemi scored two goals on three shots in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Stars.

Kotkaniemi has scored three times over his last two games. The 24-year-old forward has yet to post a point streak longer than three contests this season -- that lack of consistency makes it tough to believe that he'll be able to sustain his recent success. Overall, he's at nine goals, 22 points, 77 shots on net, 45 hits, 30 PIM and a plus-6 rating through 48 appearances.

Norris (undisclosed) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Rangers for precautionary reasons, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Norris briefly left Tuesday's contest in the first period but was able to return prior to the intermission. The 25-year-old center's precautionary exit lends some hope that he won't miss too much time with the injury, though it's unclear what exactly he is dealing with.

Sturm (lower body) won't play against Nashville on Tuesday, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Carl Grundstrom was going to be a healthy scratch in Tuesday's matchup, but he will play due to Sturm's absence. The 29-year-old Sturm has provided five goals, 11 points, 30 shots on net, 17 blocked shots and 53 hits through 41 appearances this season.