NHL Player News
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Dominic James C | TB
Lightning's Dominic James: Pots goal in win
James scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Jets.
James scored at 14:58 of the first period to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. The 23-year-old continues to make a name for himself as a rookie, earning four points over his last six games. For the season, he has filled a versatile role, picking up five goals, seven assists, 43 shots on net, 51 hits and a plus-2 rating over 37 appearances.
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Frank Nazar C | CHI
Blackhawks' Frank Nazar: Logs pair of helpers
Nazar notched two assists and two PIM in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Penguins.
Nazar missed 15 games due to an upper-body injury, and he proceeded to go four contests without a point after his return. He was on the top line Thursday and helped out on goals by Connor Murphy and Connor Bedard. Nazar now has 23 points, 80 shots on net and a minus-7 rating through 38 appearances. He should be a top-six fixture for the remainder of the season, giving Nazar decent appeal in most fantasy formats, especially if he gains wing eligibility.
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Blake Lizotte C | PIT
Penguins' Blake Lizotte: Bags two apples in win
Lizotte notched two assists, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.
Lizotte has a pair of two-assist efforts over his last five games. The 28-year-old forward has found a steady role in the Penguins' bottom six and on the penalty kill. For the season, he's at 15 points, 42 shots on net, 36 hits, 23 blocked shots, 21 PIM and a plus-8 rating over 43 appearances. Lizotte doesn't have much fantasy appeal outside of deep formats.
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Noel Acciari C | PIT
Penguins' Noel Acciari: Garners two assists
Acciari notched two assists, four shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.
Acciari ended a five-game slump with the pair of helpers, both coming on Connor Dewar's goals. This was Acciari's first multi-point effort of the season. He's at 13 points in 39 appearances, one point better than what he did in 79 contests in 2024-25. The 34-year-old has added 49 shots on net, 43 hits, 31 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating while playing in a fourth-line role.
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Brock Nelson C | COL
Avalanche's Brock Nelson: Buries another goal
Nelson scored a goal, added two hits and went minus-2 in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.
Nelson has had a nose for the net in January with 12 goals and five assists over 13 outings. The 34-year-old center is up to a total of 28 goals, 47 points, 117 shots, 41 blocked shots, 26 hits and a plus-6 rating. Nelson has never had a 40-goal campaign -- his best was a 37-goal effort over 72 outings in 2021-22. He shot 21.6 percent that season and is at 23.9 in 2025-26, so a career high is possible as long as his luck doesn't fade.
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Joseph Veleno C | MON
Canadiens' Joe Veleno: Loses place in lineup
Veleno was a healthy scratch for the third straight game in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.
Jake Evans and Alexandre Texier recently returned from injuries, leaving no room for Veleno in the lineup. Over 46 outings this season, Veleno has just four points with 44 shots on net, 111 hits and 15 PIM. Even if he draws back in, he'll be limited to bottom-six usage.
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Zack Bolduc C | MON
Canadiens' Zachary Bolduc: Registers two assists
Bolduc recorded two assists, three shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.
Bolduc has five helpers over his last eight outings. The 22-year-old forward has gone 17 games without a goal, though he has just 20 shots on net in that span. He's in a middle-six role for now, but that lack of scoring production will make it difficult for him to maintain his ice time. Bolduc is now at 22 points, 76 shots on net, 109 hits, 30 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 54 appearances, so he can help fantasy managers in a variety of ways if his offense improves slightly.
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Oliver Kapanen C | MON
Canadiens' Oliver Kapanen: Deals pair of helpers
Kapanen notched two assists and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.
Kapanen set up Nick Suzuki's shorthanded tally in the first period and Juraj Slafkovsky's goal in the third. This performance ended a seven-game skid for Kapanen, though that slump didn't cost him his second-line role. The 22-year-old rookie is at 29 points (three shorthanded) through 54 appearances, which is tied for fifth in the rookie scoring race. He's added 95 shots on net, 53 blocked shots, 19 hits and a plus-2 rating as he continues to fill a two-way role for the Canadiens.
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Jake Evans C | MON
Canadiens' Jake Evans: Lights lamp again
Evans scored a goal and blocked two shots in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.
Evans has scored in consecutive contests. The 29-year-old forward continues to fill a bottom-six role, but he's moving toward more of a two-way contribution rather than pure defense. The veteran forward has seven goals, six assists, 42 shots on net, 47 hits, 30 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 40 appearances.
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Sam Steel C | DAL
Stars' Sam Steel: Supplies pair of assists
Steel notched two assists and two shots on goal in Thursday's 5-4 shootout win over the Golden Knights.
Steel has three helpers over his last two games. The 27-year-old forward has struggled with consistency at times this season, but he remains a versatile part of the Stars' offense. He's at 22 points, 61 shots on net, 55 hits, 23 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a minus-2 rating over 54 appearances. Steel is on track to surpass his career high of 28 points in 65 games from the 2022-23 campaign with the Wild.