NHL Player News

Kuraly scored a goal and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.

Kuraly was bumped up to the third line Thursday since Sean Monahan (wrist) and Cole Sillinger (illness) were unavailable. The promotion helped Kuraly ended a seven-game point drought and 14-game goal drought with the opening tally at 11:58 of the first period. Kuraly is now at four goals, 10 points, 35 shots on net, 96 hits, 25 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 42 appearances. Once Sillinger returns, Kuraly is likely to slip back to his usual fourth-line role.

Johnson scored a goal and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.

Johnson ended a six-game goal drought and got on the scoresheet for the third game in a row. His tally capped off a four-goal second period that put the Blue Jackets in the driver's seat. The 22-year-old forward is up to 11 goals, 24 points, 54 shots on net and a minus-6 rating through 28 outings this season. Johnson continues to play in a second-line role as a winger, and it's unclear if the Blue Jackets want to move him to his natural center position during the absence of Sean Monahan (wrist).

Eyssimont scored a goal and added five hits in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Bruins.

Eyssimont's tally at 19:10 of the second period ended up being the game-winner. It was his first point in 10 appearances and his first goal since Nov. 30 versus the Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old has been a regular in the Lightning's bottom six, but he's struggled with six points, 68 shots on net, 52 hits, 28 PIM and a minus-3 rating over 37 appearances. That level of offense is too low to help most fantasy managers, and a lack of outstanding non-scoring production isn't useful either.

Pageau recorded an assist and two hits in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Pageau has three goals and two assists over his last eight outings. The 32-year-old's foray into the top six earlier in the season is over, and he's back in his familiar third-line center spot. For the season, he has 21 points, 72 shots on net, 87 hits, 25 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating over 39 appearances. He's on pace to reach the 40-point mark for the fourth time in his career.

Palmieri notched an assist in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Palmieri ended a four-game point drought with the helper. A top-six shuffle has separated Palmieri from center Brock Nelson, and it appears the former's production has taken a hit for that. Overall, Palmieri has 12 goals, 15 helpers, 83 shots on net, 26 hits and a minus-7 rating through 41 appearances. That puts him on pace to match last year's 54-point regular season, though the winger has been a little more assist-heavy this year after earning 30 goals and 24 assists in 2023-24.

Barzal logged an assist, three shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Barzal has earned an assist in four straight contests and five of the last six games. The 27-year-old's offense has sparked back to life on a line with Anders Lee and Brock Nelson amid a reshuffling of the Islanders' top six. Barzal has a total of 11 points, 53 shots, 19 hits, 14 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 20 appearances this season. As long as he stays healthy in the second half, he should be a productive forward who may fly under the radar after he missed six weeks.

Cizikas scored an empty-net goal and added four hits in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Cizikas has three goals over his last six games after a stretch of no points in 23 contests. The Islanders have dealt with a couple of injuries up front, and Cizikas is likely to play on the wing at least as long as Hudson Fasching (upper body) and Simon Holmstrom (upper body) are out. Cizikas has just four goals, one assist, 36 shots on net, 91 hits and 29 blocked shots over 41 appearances, so he's unlikely to be under consideration for most fantasy managers.

Horvat scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Horvat stretched the Islanders' lead to 3-0 in the second period. The center has racked up five goals and three assists over his last eight outings while playing in a second-line role. Horvat is up to 13 goals, 30 points, 117 shots on net, 46 hits and a plus-12 rating through 40 appearances this season. He's on pace to reach the 60-point mark for the third year in a row and the fourth time in his career.

Nelson scored a goal, dished an assist, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Nelson had been limited to four assists during a 17-game goal drought. He picked up a helper on an Anders Lee goal in the first period before putting his slump to rest with a second-period tally of his own. Despite his recent struggles, Nelson has actually moved up in the lineup to the top line between Lee and Mathew Barzal. For the season, Nelson is at 11 goals, 23 points, 101 shots on net and a minus-1 rating over 41 appearances. A large part of his struggles can be blamed on the Islanders' abysmal power-play performance -- they're converting at just 10.9 percent this season, and Nelson has just one power-play point after registering at least 14 in each of the last three campaigns.

Matthews scored a goal Thursday in a 6-3 loss to Carolina.

Matthews has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) on an eight-game point streak. But he was also minus-6 on the night -- Jordan Staal lined up against him and smothered him while tapping the keg for three goals himself. Still, Matthews produces enough offensively that most fantasy players won't be too worried about his plus/minus.