NHL Player News

Thompson scored a power-play goal on seven shots and went minus-3 in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Penguins.

Thompson has racked up 10 goals and 12 assists over 18 contests since the start of January. That's a lot of momentum he'll be carrying over to Italy, where he'll suit up for Team USA in the Olympics. He's reached the 30-goal mark in four of the last five NHL campaigns, and he's at 59 points (17 on the power play), 204 shots on net, 54 hits and a minus-8 rating through 57 appearances for the Sabres this season.

Novak scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.

Novak has two goals and an assist over three games in February. The 28-year-old center stretched the Penguins' lead to 4-2 in the third period to fend off any comeback effort for the Sabres. Novak is up to 11 goals, 31 points, 85 shots on net, 22 PIM and a plus-3 rating through 56 appearances this season. He should continue to offer decent upside on offense in a second-line role.

Kindel scored two goals in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.

Kindel's unassisted tally in the second period stood as the game-winner, and he added a shorthanded empty-netter in the third. The latter goal was his first career shorthanded point. The 18-year-old center is up to 14 goals, 27 points, 109 shots on net, 44 blocked shots, 21 hits and a minus-3 rating through 53 appearances. He's surged into the Olympic break with six goals and an assist over his last six outings.

Cousins scored a goal on three shots and added five hits in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Flyers.

Cousins has two goals over his last five outings. The 32-year-old continues to see bottom-six minutes, though his ice time has gotten a boost since David Perron (groin) exited the lineup. For the season, Cousins has eight goals and 16 points, both of which are his highest marks since his 27-point campaign with the Panthers in 2022-23. He's added 52 shots on net, 116 hits, 61 PIM and a plus-8 rating over 56 contests this season.

Marchessault scored a goal in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals on Thursday.

Marchessault's overall numbers (10 goals, seven assists; 38 games) fail to impress. But there has been some warmth to this game during this cold January and February. Marchessault has seven points, including three goals, in his last eight games. He has 27 shots in that span.

Strome put up two assists in a 4-2 win over the Predators on Thursday.

Strome has five points (two goals, three assists) in his last five games (nine shots), and he has 14 points, including six goals, in his last 14 games (33 shots). And now that Pierre-Luc Dubois has returned after missing 47 games, Strome should feel the relief of having another big body down the middle.

Helenius was reassigned to AHL Rochester on Thursday.

Helenius will get steady playing time with Rochester while the NHL is on its Olympic break. The 19-year-old has four points in his first nine NHL contests. If the team is still hurting up front after the break, Helenius would seem to be a likely candidate to return to the big club.

Acciari (illness) is slated to miss Thursday's game in Buffalo, per Josh Yohe of The Athletic.

Acciari has six goals, 15 points, 46 hits and 31 blocks in 42 outings in 2025-26. Avery Hayes might be in line to make his NHL debut due to the absence of Acciari.

Rodrigues will miss Thursday's game in Tampa Bay due to an illness, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Rodrigues has 10 goals and 25 points in 56 outings in 2025-26. Luke Kunin is set to draw into the lineup due to Rodrigues' absence. This is Panthers' final game before the Olympic break, so Rodrigues' next opportunity to play for Florida will come Feb. 26 versus Toronto.

Point (lower body) has been ruled out of the upcoming Olympics for Team Canada, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports Thursday.

Point is on long-term injured reserve and hasn't played for the Lightning since Jan. 12 due to his lower-body injury. His status for the Olympics was up in the air, but he'll ultimately be held out and replaced by Seth Jarvis. His next opportunity to suit up for Tampa Bay will be Feb. 25 against Toronto, but it's not yet clear whether he'll be able to do so.