NHL Player News

Stenlund (undisclosed) is considered a game-time decision for Wednesday's matchup against Ottawa, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports.

Stenlund hasn't missed a game this season, but it's not yet clear whether he'll be able to suit up against the Senators. He didn't participate in Wednesday's morning skate, and Kailer Yamamoto will likely return to the lineup if Stenlund is unavailable.

McLeod scored a shorthanded goal in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Canucks.

McLeod has two goals and three helpers over his last seven outings. The 26-year-old has continued his strong penalty-killing work this year -- three of his eight goals have come while shorthanded. He's at a total of 23 points, 52 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 41 outings while occupying a middle-six role.

Thompson scored a goal, added four PIM, logged two hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Canucks.

Thompson scored just 2:01 into the game, giving the Sabres a strong start. The 28-year-old forward has three goals and three assists over his last five contests, and he's been pretty consistent with nine tallies and seven helpers over his last 13 outings. For the season, Thompson is up to 21 goals, 38 points, 144 shots on net, 44 hits, 24 blocked shots, 23 PIM and a minus-9 rating across 41 appearances in a top-line role.

Blackwell has posted just one assist over 13 games since the start of December after being held scoreless in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

Blackwell hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 20 versus the Canucks. The 32-year-old forward was starting to slip into a part-time role in late December, but injuries to Jamie Benn (upper body) and Adam Erne (undisclosed) may provide Blackwell with short-term stability in the lineup. Overall, Blackwell has seven points, 30 shots on net, 56 hits, 18 blocked shots and 14 PIM over 38 appearances in a bottom-six role.

Miller (upper body) could return versus Buffalo on Thursday, barring any setbacks, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports.

Miller is still on injured reserve, so his return isn't official yet. However, if he does play, it would help offset the potential loss of Alexis Lafreniere, who is questionable for Thursday's matchup due to an illness. Miller has 10 goals and 22 points in 35 appearances in 2025-26.

Hryckowian signed a two-year, $1.9 million contract extension with the Stars on Wednesday.

Hryckowian secured his extension, which is a one-way deal, after breaking into a middle-six role with the Stars through solid all-around play. Through 42 games this season, the 24-year-old forward has six goals, seven assists, 42 shots on net, 66 hits and 19 blocks. Hryckowian signed an entry-level deal with the Stars in March of 2024 as an undrafted prospect but has quickly carved out a role at the NHL level. The 24-year-old will likely have opportunities to contribute for the Stars as the season progresses, and he'll remain under contract with the team through the 2027-28 campaign.

Zegras scored two goals, one on the power play, in Tuesday's 5-2 win over Anaheim.

The former Duck, and the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, erased an early 1-0 deficit with two tallies in the first period. He beat Lukas Dostal with a pair of one-timers from almost the same spot to the netminder's left. It was Zegras' fourth multi-goal performance of the season. He's having a breakout campaign with the Flyers, racking up 17 goals and 41 points through 41 contests.

Protas (lower body) was placed on injured reserve by the Capitals on Wednesday, retroactive to Jan. 1.

Protas has already missed Washington's last two games due to his lower-body injury, so his placement on injured reserve shouldn't have a significant impact on his return timetable. He'll be unavailable for at least Wednesday's matchup against Dallas. However, he was on the ice for the Capitals' morning skate, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, indicating that he could return to game action sooner rather than later. Washington recalled Brett Leason from AHL Hershey in a corresponding move to provide additional depth in Protas' absence.

Johnston scored a power-play goal, put two shots on net and dished out two hits in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

Despite the three-goal loss, Johnston ended the game on a high note for the Stars with his power-play twine finder with less than two minutes remaining. With the late score, he now has 23 goals, 49 points, 105 shots on net and 33 blocks through 43 games this season. Since Nov. 25, he has 28 points in 21 appearances. He has an outside shot at reaching the 100-point threshold this season. To do so, he would need 51 points in the remaining 39 games, which would be a true test of his rising stardom in the NHL. Regardless, he projects as an elite player in fantasy for the foreseeable future.

Perfetti scored a goal in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Perfetti scored a goal for the first time since Nov. 29, when he found the back of the net in a 5-2 victory over the Predators. With only four points (one goal, three assists) since the beginning of December, Perfetti shouldn't have a lot of fantasy upside despite holding a top-six role in a Jets team that has lost 10 games in a row.