NHL Player News
-
Justin Dowling C | NYR
Rangers' Justin Dowling: Demoted to AHL
Dowling was reassigned to AHL Hartford on Saturday.
Dowling was a healthy scratch Thursday after failing to pick up a point in two January games, his first two this season in the NHL. Dowling had five goals and 11 assists in 24 AHL games before his recall.
-
Oskar Sundqvist C | STL
Blues' Oskar Sundqvist: Strikes from long range in loss
Sundqvist scored a goal on five shots and added two hits in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Mammoth.
Sundqvist has three points over his last three outings, though he was scratched last Saturday despite coming off a two-point game. The 31-year-old's playing time is mostly secure on the fourth line since he can kill penalties, but a rough December has cost him some power-play time. Sundqvist is at 13 points, 29 shots on net, 42 hits, 18 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating through 35 appearances.
-
Nick Schmaltz C | UTA
Mammoth's Nick Schmaltz: Pops off for three points
Schmaltz scored twice on five shots, added an assist and went plus-3 in Friday's 4-2 win over the Blues.
Schmaltz has racked up four goals and three assists over five outings in January. The 29-year-old forward's second goal Friday came on the power play, his first tally with the man advantage since Oct. 23, also against the Blues. For the season, he's up to 16 goals, 40 points (nine on the power play), 112 shots on net, 29 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating over 45 appearances in a top-six role.
-
Quinton Byfield C | LA
Kings' Quinton Byfield: Scores in loss
Byfield scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Jets.
Byfield prevented an Eric Comrie shutout midway through the second period, but the Kings weren't able to build on his goal. With three goals and three helpers over the last seven contests, Byfield has dug his way out of a December slump. He's now at seven goals, 25 points, 93 shots on net, 30 hits, 24 blocked shots and 20 PIM through 42 appearances in a top-six role this season.
-
Cole Perfetti C | WPG
Jets' Cole Perfetti: Gathers two assists in win
Perfetti notched two assists and three shots on goal in Friday's 5-1 win over the Kings.
Perfetti has four points over five games in January, which is already better than his production from December. That suggests the 24-year-old may be getting on track following a slow start to the campaign. He's now at 11 points, 52 shots on net, 24 hits and a minus-11 rating over 29 appearances, though he remains firmly in a middle-six role with power-play time.
-
Gabriel Vilardi C | WPG
Jets' Gabriel Vilardi: Adds pair of helpers in win
Vilardi recorded two assists, including one on the power play, in Friday's 5-1 win over the Kings.
Vilardi has a goal and five helpers over five contests in January. His power-play assist Friday was his first contribution with the man advantage since Dec. 21 versus the Mammoth. Vilardi has remained fairly steady on offense despite the Jets' overall struggles, though his production for fantasy mostly comes from points and shots. The 26-year-old is now at 39 points (11 on the power play), 86 shots on net and a minus-1 rating across 43 appearances.
-
Vladislav Namestnikov C | WPG
Jets' Vladislav Namestnikov: Ends lengthy slump
Namestnikov scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 5-1 win over the Kings.
Namestnikov had gone 29 games without a goal and 17 contests without a point prior to Friday. That earned him a trip to the press box as a healthy scratch Thursday versus the Oilers, but he returned to replace Morgan Barron (undisclosed) in the lineup for this game. Namestnikov has typically been pretty dependable in his Jets tenure, but his offense has faltered amid the team's struggles this year. He's at seven goals, two assists, 54 shots on net, 53 hits, 26 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a minus-7 rating over 42 appearances. He'll likely have to rebuild trust in a bottom-six role for a while.
-
Jonathan Toews C | WPG
Jets' Jonathan Toews: Tallies in win
Toews scored a goal and added two hits in Friday's 5-1 win over the Kings.
Toews had gone nearly two months without a goal -- his last one was versus the Canucks on Nov. 11. The center was cold for much of the 26 contests in between, but he's picked up the pace with five points over his last eight outings. For the season, Toews has 14 points, 59 shots on net, 22 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a minus-13 rating across 43 appearances.
-
Mark Scheifele C | WPG
Jets' Mark Scheifele: Nets last two goals of win
Scheifele scored a pair of goals, including one on the power play, in Friday's 5-1 win over the Kings.
Scheifele ended a three-game goal drought by scoring twice in the second period. The 32-year-old center has four goals and three assists over five outings in January, with all of his production coming in a trio of multi-point efforts. He's up to 22 goals, 52 points (10 on the power play), 94 shots on net and a plus-7 rating across 43 outings overall.
-
Alex Barre-Boulet C | COL
Avalanche's Alex Barre-Boulet: Three more assists Friday
Barre-Boulet notched three assists in AHL Colorado's 5-4 shootout loss to San Diego on Friday.
Barre-Boulet has logged four multi-point efforts during his nine-game point streak. He has a total of four goals and 12 assists in that span. For the season, the 28-year-old forward is up to 10 goals and 22 helpers through 31 outings. Given his recent success, it wouldn't be shocking for the Avalanche to give him a look at the NHL level while the big club is dealing with multiple forward injuries.