NHL Player News

Johnston scored a goal on four shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Sabres.

Johnston has scored in three straight games, and he has three goals and five assists over his last seven outings. His tally Tuesday was the game-winner. Johnston is up to nine goals, 25 points, 102 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 36 appearances. He's currently playing on a remodeled second line for the Stars, with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene as linemates. That trio collectively plays an excellent two-way game, and while that might not lead to elite offense, Johnston should remain productive.

Barron posted an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Barron has a helper in each of the last two games and three points over his last five outings. The fourth-liner is getting more involved, but there's no telling how long his newfound offense will last since he continues to struggle to see 10 minutes of ice time per game. Overall, Barron has three goals, three assists, 46 shots on net, 65 hits and a plus-4 rating over 39 appearances.

Eriksson Ek had two assists Tuesday in a 5-3 win over Nashville.

Both came on the power play. Eriksson Ek had missed most of December with a lower-body injury, and this was his second game back. Prior to the injury, Eriksson Ek had really struggled. He had just one goal and six assists in 14 November games, and he hasn't notched a goal since Nov. 1. However, Eriksson Ek's vision was on full display Tuesday, especially on Mats Zuccarello's goal -- he held the puck and saucered a pass to the far post for the driving winger to tap in. Get him back in if he's still on your bench.

Kupari scored a goal and added two hits in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Kupari ended a 13-game point drought, a span in which he had just eight shots on net while also being scratched three times. He could get a run of playing time while Mason Appleton (lower body) is out on a week-to-week basis. Still, Kupari is unlikely to see anything more than fourth-line minutes. He has three goals, one assist, 34 shots on net, 36 hits and a minus-2 rating over 35 outings this season.

Vilardi scored a goal on three shots and went minus-3 in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Vilardi has four goals over his last three games. This was his first even-strength tally since Dec. 10 against the Bruins. Vilardi had a stellar December with nine goals and nine assists over 15 contests and recorded at least a point in 10 of those games. He's looked like a perfect fit on the Jets' top line with 18 goals, 17 assists, 78 shots on net and a plus-1 rating over 39 appearances in 2024-25.

Jost sustained an undisclosed injury in the third period of Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Jost was hurt late in the game and didn't return, and there was no update on his status after the contest. He had four PIM, one shot on goal and one blocked shot in 8:04 of ice time. His injury leaves the Hurricanes with 11 healthy forwards, so the team will likely need to make a roster move if Jost can't play Thursday against the Panthers.

MacKinnon registered an assist, six shots on goal, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Jets.

MacKinnon was limited to a single point, but he's gotten on the scoresheet in five straight games, earning a goal and 10 assists in that span. The center set up Mikko Rantanen for an empty-netter to give the Avalanche some breathing room. MacKinnon is up to 61 points (14 goals, 47 helpers) with 148 shots, 35 blocks, 25 PIM and a plus-11 rating through 38 appearances. The reigning MVP is playing at that level again in 2024-25, though he is behind the pace he had during a 140-point regular season in 2023-24.

Mittelstadt scored a goal and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Jets.

Mittelstadt's go-ahead goal was his first tally since Nov. 18, a span of 18 games without scoring. The 26-year-old had just five assists in that span, and the slump looked to have cost him a second-line spot. He still had 14:51 of ice time Tuesday, but that was partly because Valeri Nichushkin (lower body) left the contest in the second period. Mittelstadt is now at eight goals, 24 points, 51 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and a minus-15 rating over 38 appearances, but he's tough to trust if he ends up in the bottom six on a regular basis.

Colton scored an empty-net goal on four shots and added four hits in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Jets.

Colton ended a five-game point drought with the late tally. The 28-year-old has been centering the second line recently, holding that spot because of Casey Mittelstadt's deep slump. The Avalanche may end up shuffling their top six if Valeri Nichushkin (lower body) misses time after exiting Tuesday's game, but Colton should remain part of that group, either at center or wing. The 28-year-old has 11 goals, one assist, 55 shots on net, 53 hits and a minus-3 rating over 21 appearances in 2024-25.

Rossi scored two goals and added an assist Tuesday in a 5-3 win over the Predators.

Rossi also had seven shots, fired five high-danger scoring chances and went 12-for-15 on faceoffs. He has 32 points, including 13 goals, in 38 games this season, which puts him on pace for 69 points. That's a big jump for Rossi, who put up 40 points in 82 games last season. He is really stepping things up with Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) and Jared Spurgeon (lower body) on the shelf.