NHL Player News

Harkins (upper body) will not be in the lineup to face Calgary on Thursday, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Harkins is currently mired in a 26-game goal drought during which he registered a mere 24 shots while chipping in five helpers. Given his lack of offensive upside, few fantasy managers figure to be impacted by the 28-year-old center's potential absence. Nathan Gaucher could step into a fourth-line role in Harkins' absence.

Thomas (upper body) will miss Thursday's tilt against San Jose, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Thomas was injured Tuesday against Washington when he was hit by Pierre-Luc Dubois, who received a match penalty for his misdeed. Thomas has 16 goals and 30 assists in 53 games this season, including nine points on the power play. He is day-to-day at this time and could return as early as Saturday in Toronto. Dalibor Dvorsky will move up to the top line, replacing Thomas.

Highmore scored twice in AHL Bridgeport's 3-2 win over Charlotte in Wednesday.

Highmore has picked up the pace with five goals and three assists over his last 11 contests. For the season, the 30-year-old forward has 13 goals, 34 points and 78 shots on net over 62 appearances with Bridgeport. He saw a one-day stint in the NHL in October but hasn't been in the mix for a call-up since.

Thompson notched two power-play assists and three shots on goal in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Thompson had gone seven games without a helper, and he had just two goals in that span. He set up Jason Zucker twice in Wednesday's contest, helping the Sabres add one standings point to their total for the year. Thompson has been a big part of the team's success with 36 goals, 38 helpers, 22 power-play points, 242 shots on net, 75 hits and a minus-5 rating over 72 appearances in a top-line role.

Mittelstadt scored a goal in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres.

Mittelstadt tied the game with 6:00 left in the third period, forcing overtime. This was the 27-year-old forward's 500th career game, and it came against the team that drafted him eighth overall in 2017. Mittelstadt had gone 11 games without a goal entering Wednesday, though he had six assists in that span. He's up to 14 goals, 37 points, 71 shots on net and a plus-8 rating over 62 appearances this season, mainly in a second-line role.

Zacha scored the game-winning goal, dished an assist, added three hits and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres.

Zacha helped out on Casey Mittelstadt's equalizer in the third period, which forced the extra session that allowed Zacha to net the game-winner. The 28-year-old Zacha has a trio of multi-point efforts over his last five games, and he's earned nine goals and seven helpers over 13 outings in March. For the season, the center is up to 24 goals (four game-winners), 54 points, 114 shots on net, 57 hits, 28 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 69 appearances.

Zibanejad scored twice on 10 shots and added two hits in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Zibanejad was a powerhouse in this contest, netting a power-play goal in the second period and an even-strength tally in the third. He's gotten on the scoresheet in nine of 13 games in March, earning eight goals and eight assists this month. Overall, the 32-year-old is up to 32 goals, 69 points (31 on the power play), 196 shots on net, 94 hits, 46 blocked shots and a minus-21 rating over 71 appearances. With a push, he could get back over the 80-point mark for the first time in three years.

Tavares scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Tavares has three goals and three assists during his active four-game point streak. The 35-year-old's tally stood as the game-winner Wednesday. He has earned 16 points over his last 18 contests and is in a good position to stay hot to close out the year as the Maple Leafs' top center. Tavares is up to 26 goals, 61 points, 177 shots on net, 63 hits, 28 PIM and a minus-25 rating over 73 appearances.

Joshua scored a goal, dished an assist, added two PIM and doled out six PIM in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Joshua has three goals and an assist over his last seven outings. He's added 16 PIM and 28 hits in that span, providing his trademark toughness while seeing bottom-six minutes. Joshua is up to 10 goals, 16 points, 48 shots on net, 180 hits, 43 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 50 appearances. He was limited to 14 points in 57 contests with the Canucks a year ago, so he's had a bit better of a fit with the Maple Leafs.

Stenberg scored a goal, added two hits and logged five PIM in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Capitals.

Stenberg fought Ryan Leonard in the second period. The 20-year-old Stenberg then had the last laugh with a third-period tally to stretch the Blues' lead to 2-0. The rookie forward hasn't found consistent offense in a bottom-six role yet, earning nine points, 22 shots on net, 42 hits and a plus-4 rating over 24 appearances. His fight was his first trip to the sin bin in the NHL.