NHL Player News

Cooley notched an assist and blocked two shots in Friday's 2-1 win over the Wild.

Cooley helped out on the first of Dylan Guenther's two goals, which tied the game at 1-1 in the first period. The helper gave Cooley seven assists over his last four outings. The second-line center has gotten on the scoresheet in 11 of the last 13 contests to provide steady offense. He's up to seven goals, 22 assists, 63 shots on net, 28 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating through 32 appearances. It doesn't look like Cooley will be a victim of the sophomore slump -- he's 15 points shy of matching his production from his rookie year, and he's elevated his play in nearly every area.

Keller notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 2-1 win over the Wild.

Keller has four goals and five assists over his last seven outings. Seven of those nine points have come on the power play, where Keller continues to play a large role on the first unit. The winger is up to 31 points (12 on the power play), 80 shots on net and a minus-1 rating through 32 contests overall. He's been right around a point-per-game pace over the last three years, so this level of offense is definitely sustainable.

Vrana scored a goal on his only shot in Friday's 3-1 win over the Hurricanes.

Vrana put Washington up 2-0 at 16:11 of the middle frame by ripping one past Pyotr Kochetkov's glove side. The marker snapped a four-game goal drought for Vrana. The 28-year-old is filling a third-line role, but he saw only 6:48 of ice time in Friday's win. Vrana has made the most of his opportunities, as he's provided five goals and four assists while averaging 9:59 of ice time through 19 appearances.

Protas found the back of the net on three shots and went plus-2 in 18:00 of ice time in Friday's 3-1 win over the Hurricanes.

Protas opened the scoring late in the first period by deflecting an Andrew Mangiapane shot past Pyotr Kochetkov. The goal snapped a three-game point drought for Protas. The 23-year-old is just two points shy of matching his career high that he set last season. The left-shot winger ranks third on the Caps in points, and he's up to 12 goals, 27 points, six PIM, 59 shots on goal and a plus-16 rating through 32 appearances. Protas is shooting at a 20.3 percent clip, though, so he could see some regression in that area over the course of the campaign.

Copp produced an assist, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Copp has two goals and three helpers over his last five contests. The center set up a Patrick Kane tally in the first period. Copp is at 14 points, 38 shots on net, 18 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 32 games. He spent much of the early part of the season on the third line, but a move into the top six recently has unlocked more offense in his game, so he may be of interest in deeper fantasy formats.

Rasmussen notched two assists, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Rasmussen has four points over his last three games, and this was his first multi-point effort of the campaign. He's bounced around the lineup a bit -- the 25-year-old played on the third line and had just 13:31 of ice time Friday. Rasmussen has found more success when he gets top-six looks, but that's not a guarantee, so he remains more of a deep-format option for fantasy. He's produced a total of 12 points, 34 shots on net, 55 hits, 23 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 31 appearances.

Veleno scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Veleno went from nothing on offense for well over a month to a three-game point streak in the span of a week. He has two goals and an assist during his recent bounce-back on offense. The 24-year-old forward has contributed just five points with 24 shots on net, 42 hits, 19 blocked shots, 11 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 28 appearances this season. Veleno will have to prove himself over a longer stretch, and that may still not be enough for him to earn fantasy interest since he's firmly in a bottom-six role.

Motte scored a goal in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

This was Motte's first point over eight appearances in December. He converted on a pass from Michael Rasmussen, who stole the puck to create the goal. The 29-year-old Motte is at just two goals with 24 shots on net, 26 hits, 17 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 19 outings this season. He plays in the bottom six, and given he's never had more than 19 points in a single season, he's not a particularly intriguing forward for fantasy.

Evans scored a shorthanded goal on two shots, added an assist, logged two hits and went plus-3 in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.

Evans was involved in both of the Canadiens' goals in the first period. He's collected a career-high three shorthanded points already this season as he continues to show his value as a penalty killer and defensive forward. The 28-year-old has two goals and five helpers over nine outings in December, giving him a total of six goals, 18 points, 26 shots on net, 45 hits and an even plus-minus rating through 32 appearances this season.

Bennett (illness) is expected to play in Friday's game versus the Blues, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Bennett missed one game due to the illness. He warmed up on the third line, so it's possible his minutes are managed during the contest, but he should still see power-play time. Bennett is tracking toward a career year with 13 goals and 27 points over 31 appearances this season.