NHL Player News

Novak picked up two assists Thursday in a 6-3 victory over the Flyers.

The second-line forward picked up his first points in five games. Novak has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last 14 games and 23 (eight goals, 15 assists) in 46 games this season. He doesn't deliver hits, blocks or PIM, so his fantasy value is limited.

Crosby had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over Philadelphia on Thursday.

Both points came on the power play. Crosby now has 25 goals and 26 assists in 46 games. It's his 19th season with at least 50 points, which ties him with Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky for the sixth-most in NHL history behind Ron Francis (22), Gordie Howe (22), Jaromir Jagr (20), Mark Messier (20) and Ray Bourque (20). He's also on pace for 44 goals, which would tie him with Gordie Howe (1968-69) and Ovie (2024-25) for the most by a player 38 years or older.

Strome scored a goal in a 3-2 loss to San Jose on Thursday.

Strome's tally was a power-play marker. Alex Ovechkin's shot missed the net and caromed off the back wall right to Strome, who backhanded it from the right post. It extended his point streak to three games and three points (one goal, two assists; eight shots). Strome is on pace for a mid-60s finish this season, which would give him that kind of total in three of his last four seasons. At some point, you are who you are, and Strome's 82-point 2024-25 may simply be an outlier.

Schmaltz scored a goal, added an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Stars.

Schmaltz opened the scoring late in the second period and also set up John Marino's game-winner in the third. The 29-year-old Schmaltz has five goals and five assists over eight outings in January. For the season, the first-line forward has earned 17 goals, 43 points, 115 shots on net, 31 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating over 48 appearances. He's elevated his play this year and is on track to reach the 70-point mark for the first time.

Ostapchuk scored a goal Thursday in a 3-2 win over the Capitals. He also laid down four hits.

Ostapchuk is a guy who makes a bigger impact in the hit category than anything else, but he has sniped three times in his last eight games. Overall, he has three goals, one assist and 63 hits in 24 games this season. Ostapchuk is averaging under 10 minutes a game while centering the Sharks' fourth line.

Sharangovich scored a power-play goal on two shots, added an assist and logged two PIM in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Blackhawks.

Sharangovich made sure the Blackhawks' 1-0 lead didn't last long, answering Nick Foligno's goal just 36 seconds later. This ended a six-game goal drought for Sharangovich. The 27-year-old has seven points over his last 10 outings, and he's up to nine goals, 18 points, 78 shots on net and a minus-12 rating over 43 appearances.

Backlund scored a shorthanded goal on three shots, added a power-play assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Blackhawks.

Backlund earned his second multi-point effort in a row. All three of his power-play points this season have come over the last two games, and he's also up to three shorthanded points with his goal, which was the game-winner. The 36-year-old center has racked up 12 goals, 31 points, 116 shots on net and a plus-15 rating through 47 appearances, including 15 points over his last 13 outings. He needs one more point to match his 76-game total from 2024-25.

Suzuki had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss to Buffalo on Thursday.

Both points came on the power play, a place where he has tallied 25 of his 52 points, including nine goals. Suzuki excels at both ends of the ice, wears the C and puts up a lot of points. That makes him regular candidate for the Selke Trophy. Suzuki is in a three-way tie with Wyatt Johnston of the Stars and Kirill Kaprizov of the Wild for 13th overall in league scoring with 52 points (48 games). But more impressively, he's fourth overall in the NHL in power-play production with 25 points behind Connor McDavid (36), Leon Draisaitl (31) and Mikko Rantanen (26).

Thompson had a hat trick and two assists in a 5-3 win over Montreal on Thursday.

Thompson's second goal was the 200th of his career; it stood as the winner. He's on a six-game, 12-point scoring streak that includes five goals, seven assists and 16 shots. Overall, Thompson has 25 goals, 24 assists and 159 shots in 46 games, and that puts him on pace for a 45-goal season. But most importantly, Thompson has put up points in 15 of his last 18 games (11 goals, 12 assists), and that has helped key the Sabres to an amazing 15-3-0 run since early December.

Lafferty (illness) won't play Thursday versus the Flames, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Lafferty's illness was revealed Wednesday, and he will miss a game. The 30-year-old has been far from a lock to be in the lineup even when healthy, so it's not yet clear when he might make his next appearance.