NHL Player News

Staal scored a goal on four shots and blocked two shots in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Predators.

Staal's goal at 4:37 of the third period ended Juuse Saros' shutout bid, but the Hurricanes' comeback attempt fell flat. With five points over his last five games, Staal is carving out a nice chunk of offense, though it's possible he loses his momentum during the holiday break. The 36-year-old center has four goals, 14 points, 47 shots on net, 50 hits and a plus-8 rating through 34 appearances. His goal was his first since Nov. 20 versus the Flyers.

Novak earned an assist in Monday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Novak has generated five points over his last seven contests, though he's now gone five games without a goal. The 27-year-old forward is up to nine points, 50 shots on net, 12 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 28 appearances. Novak was listed as the third-line center Monday but saw a reduced role with the Predators dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen. The team has struggled to score this year, making depth players like Novak risky options for fantasy managers.

Sissons logged an assist in Monday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Sissons has had a terrible time generating offense this season. His helper Monday ended an 18-game dry spell, during which he had 17 shots on net, 19 hits and 19 blocked shots with a minus-5 rating. Sissons has been in a bottom-six role most of the time after failing to seize an opportunity to play on the second line. He has three points, 31 shots on net, 38 blocks, 41 hits and a minus-15 rating over 34 appearances.

Jankowski scored a goal on three shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Jankowski ended a five-game slump with his third-period tally, stretching the Predators' lead to 4-0. The 30-year-old forward has maintained a third-line role over the last month, earning six points across 15 games since rejoining the lineup on a regular basis Nov. 23. Jankowski is up to seven points, 33 shots on net and a minus-1 rating through 27 appearances. He plays in a third-line role and only sees power-play time occasionally, so he's not a great option for most fantasy formats.

Coyle registered a goal, an assist, a plus-3 rating and three shots during Monday's 4-1 win over the Capitals.

Coyle has points in consecutive games and paid instant dividends after being moved to the top line alongside Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm. With David Pastrnak (upper body) uncertain for Friday's action, the Bruins will need Coyle to keep distancing himself from an anemic start to the season that saw him produce just seven goals and nine points over the first 34 games.

McLeod notched an assist and two PIM in Monday's 7-1 win over the Islanders.

McLeod ended a four-game slump with the helper. The 25-year-old forward has four assists over his last eight outings, but he hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 16. The center has 16 points, 32 shots on net and a plus-2 rating over 35 appearances, featuring primarily in the Sabres' bottom six. Despite the recent slowdown on offense, he remains on pace to surpass the career-high 30 points he produced with the Oilers in the 2023-24 regular season.

Guentzel scored a goal on two shots in Monday's 4-0 win over the Panthers.

Guentzel scored for the first time since the end of his seven-game goal streak that ran from Nov. 30-Dec. 17. The winger was able to convert at 9:20 of the first period. He's been an excellent fit with the Lightning in his first season with the team, racking up 19 goals, 16 helpers, 91 shots on net, 29 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating through 32 appearances.

Kyrou logged an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 4-0 win over the Red Wings.

Kyrou has seven goals and two assists over 11 contests in December. The 26-year-old winger had gone two games without a point prior to Monday, just the third time all year he's had a multi-game drought. He's up to 29 points, 100 shots on net, 23 hits and a plus-6 rating through 36 outings overall.

Schenn provided an assist and went plus-2 in Monday's 4-0 win over the Red Wings.

Schenn has just one goal over 11 outings in December, but he's added five assists. The center has also brought an edge with 33 hits and 17 PIM this month. Overall, he's been in a top-six role for much of this season, producing five goals, 13 helpers, 71 shots on net, 89 hits, 30 PIM, 30 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 36 contests.

Texier scored a goal on five shots in Monday's 4-0 win over the Red Wings.

Texier was up on the first line at even strength Monday, logging 15:31 of ice time, his most since Oct. 31. The 25-year-old has been scratched more often than he's played since the start of November, suiting up for just 12 of 25 games in that span, though it appears he's turning things around. He has a goal and an assist over his last two contests and is now at five points, 30 shots on net and a minus-5 rating through 18 appearances this season.