NHL Player News

Norris scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Wild.

Norris found the twine midway through the third period to give the Senators a 2-1 lead before Claude Giroux closed things out with an empty-netter. This was Norris' 14th goal of the season, and it was the second time he scored in his last four games. However, he's been trending in the wrong direction lately after an impressive start to the campaign. Over his previous 10 contests, Norris has earned just five points, though three of them have come on the power play and one other was a shorthanded goal.

Horvat scored a goal in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Penguins.

Horvat continues to find ways to produce for the Islanders, and he's yet to record back-to-back games without a point throughout the entire month of December. The 29-year-old has five points across his last four games (two goals, three helpers) and is up to 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 11 games this month.

Malkin scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Islanders.

Malkin found the back of the net in the early stages of the third period when the Penguins had the man advantage, and his goal gave Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead. Malkin is up to eight goals this season, but there's no question the 38-year-old playmaker is going through his most productive stretch since October. He's cracked the scoresheet in five of his last six outings, tallying two goals and four helpers in that span.

Matthews (upper body) was a partial participant in Monday's practice session but has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Islanders, Dave McCarthy of NHL.com reports.

Matthews has been sidelined since sustaining an upper-body injury against Buffalo on Dec. 20, but he's been getting some ice time during practice in recent days. While he'll be unavailable for a fifth consecutive game Tuesday, he appears to be trending in the right direction. His next opportunity to return will be Thursday in a rematch against the Islanders.

Crosby recorded a power-play assist in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Islanders.

With this helper in the early stages of the second period, the star playmaker reached 1,034 NHL assists, passing Mario Lemieux for the most in Penguins history. It also extended what has been a very productive month for Crosby, who has notched 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in 12 games this month.

Gaunce was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Monday.

Gaunce was a healthy scratch in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Ottawa. He hasn't earned a point in four NHL appearances this season while posting three shots on goal and five hits.

Drury (hand) was placed on injured reserve Monday.

Drury underwent hand surgery in mid-December that is expected to sideline him for at least a month, so his placement on injured reserve isn't particularly surprising. Tyson Jost should continue to have a spot in the Hurricanes' lineup while Drury is sidelined.

McDavid collected a pair of power-play assists in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Ducks.

McDavid set up Leon Draisaitl's 25th and 26th goals of the season. McDavid's point streak is at 11 games, and he's generated a multi-point effort in six of those contests. The generational talent has been held off the scoresheet on just one occasion over his last 17 games. The three-time Hart Trophy winner is up to 15 goals, 37 assists and a plus-9 rating through 33 appearances this season.

Dowd scored a goal in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Red Wings.

Dowd has scored in back-to-back contests after going eight games without a point. The 34-year-old center is up to 10 goals in just 36 outings this season -- he's now reached double-digit tallies in five straight campaigns, and his career high of 13 is very much within reach. The fourth-liner has 13 points, 49 shots on net, 68 hits, 35 blocked shots, 36 PIM and a plus-10 rating.

Poehling produced an assist in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Kings.

Poehling has a helper in two of the last three contests, and he has four points over his last seven games. The fourth-line center continues to stick in the lineup for his defensive skills. He's at 12 points, 47 blocked shots, 25 shots on net and a minus-1 rating through 34 appearances this season. Poehling's lack of offense makes him a non-factor for most fantasy formats.