NHL Player News

Harkins scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning.

Harkins has played in three of the last four games and could see an uptick in playing time while Frank Vatrano (shoulder) is sidelined. The 28-year-old Harkins can be expected to stay on the fourth line, giving him minimal fantasy upside. He's scored three goals on 13 shots with 55 hits, 12 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating across 18 outings this season.

McTavish scored a power-play goal on three shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning.

McTavish has three goals and two assists over his last six outings. That stretch helped him end December on a high note after a quiet stretch earlier in the month. Overall, the 22-year-old center has 10 goals, 25 points (six on the power play), 82 shots on net, 42 hits, 34 PIM, 21 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating across 40 appearances this season.

Point scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Ducks.

Point has two goals and two assists over his last five games. It's not quite the heater he was on earlier in December, but he's getting back to being steady on offense after a poor November ended with an undisclosed injury that cost him seven contests. For the season, Point is at seven goals, 15 assists, 69 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 32 appearances, putting him at risk of finishing under a point-per-game pace for the first time since 2021-22.

Schwindt returned to practice Thursday for the first time since breaking his arm against the Canucks on Nov. 17, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Schwindt was wearing a non-contact jersey and is still not close to returning to action. He had two goals in 10 games with the Panthers before his injury.

Trocheck scored a goal, added two PIM and logged two hits in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Capitals.

Trocheck's goal tied the game at 1-1 late in the first period. He ended December on a high note with four goals and three assists over his last seven contests, though he still hasn't had a point streak longer than three games since late November. The 32-year-old center is at nine goals, 22 points, 48 shots on net, 96 hits, 22 blocked shots, 16 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 28 appearances, making him a decent all-around option in fantasy.

Protas scored a goal and added an assist in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.

Protas closed out 2025 with three multi-point efforts over his last four games. He has five goals and five assists over his last seven outings and has gotten back to the high-quality even-strength play that made him a breakout player in 2024-25. He's at 15 goals, 30 points, 86 shots on net and a plus-22 rating across 40 appearances through Wednesday's action.

Laba (upper body) is poised to miss the Winter Classic against the Panthers on Friday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

With Laba unavailable and Conor Sheary (lower body) placed on LTIR, the Rangers brought up a trio of forwards from AHL Hartford. The Rangers haven't provided a specific recovery timeline for Laba, but the fact that he's not going on injured reserve should be an indication that he's facing a short-term absence.

Dowling will be recalled from AHL Hartford on Thursday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Dowling, along with Brett Berard and Anton Blidh, will join the Rangers ahead of Friday's Winter Classic matchup with Florida. If Dowling gets into the lineup, it will mark his Rangers debut after he played in 52 regular-season games for the Devils last year.

Matthews (lower body) will return to action Thursday versus Winnipeg, per Dave McCarthy of NHL.com.

Matthews missed one game with the injury. He will center Matthew Knies and Max Domi on the top line, as well as the first power play. Matthews has slumped this season with 15 goals and 12 assists in 33 appearances, his first season since his rookie campaign in 2016-17, in which he has averaged less than a point a game.

Jarvis (upper body) returned to practice Thursday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Jarvis suffered the injury Dec. 19 and has missed the last five games. He was in a non-contact jersey at morning skate and will miss his sixth straight game Thursday versus Montreal. Jarvis has 19 goals and 10 assists in 34 games this season and could return to action next week, possibly Tuesday against Dallas.