NHL Player News

Johnson scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Red Wings.

Johnson ended a 10-game point drought with the tally. The 23-year-old has seen second-line usage during the slump, though his ice time has often fluctuated. Fantasy managers counting on a repeat of his 57-point breakout from last year have been greatly disappointed -- he has just six points through 26 outings in 2025-26. He's added 46 shots on net, 14 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating, which is not a particularly useful level of production.

Gatcomb registered an assist and four hits in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Avalanche.

This was Gatcomb's first helper in his second NHL game of the season. He's also produced 11 hits. The 26-year-old has spent a large part of the campaign with AHL Bridgeport after losing his roster spot in October. He will likely fill a part-time role as long as he remains with the big club.

Cozens scored a power-play goal on three shots, added three hits and went minus-2 in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers.

Cozens ended his five-game point drought with the tally. He was consistent for most of October, but his offense over the last month or so has been streaky. For the season, the 24-year-old center is at nine goals, 17 points (10 on the power play), 59 shots on net, 84 hits, 20 PIM and a minus-12 rating through 27 contests. Cozens is in a top-six role and on the first power-play unit, which puts him in a position to succeed.

Zibanejad scored a goal on five shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Senators.

Zibanejad's point streak is up to five games (three goals, three assists). The 32-year-old opened the scoring at 3:19 of the first period. For the season, he's racked up 10 goals, 21 points, 89 shots on net, 38 hits, 19 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating. He's on track for production similar to last year, when he had 62 points in 82 outings, though he's made gains in shot volume, hits and power-play output.

Verhaeghe scored a goal on five shots in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Predators.

Verhaeghe tallied at 16:26 of the first period to open the scoring. The 30-year-old missed the Panthers' last game as he welcomed his baby into the world. He's now earned three goals and four assists over his last four appearances, giving him five goals, 17 points, 62 shots on net, 24 hits and a minus-3 rating in 25 outings overall. Verhaeghe should be a regular in the top-six going forward.

Stamkos scored a goal, added two PIM and logged two hits in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Panthers.

Stamkos has four goals and two assists over his last five contests while going plus-4 in that span. The 35-year-old's offense has been sparked by a move up to the top line, where he's found some chemistry with Ryan O'Reilly. Stamkos is now at eight goals, three helpers, 50 shots on net, 21 hits, 20 PIM and a minus-8 rating across 27 appearances.

Point (undisclosed) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Islanders, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Point has missed six consecutive games. He has struggled this season with only three goals and eight assists in 21 contests, a far cry from the last three years, when he combined for 267 points in 240 regular-season games.

Luostarinen (lower body) returned to practice Friday, according to Panthers TV Rinkside Reporter Katie Engleson.

Luostarinen suffered his injuries during a BBQ accident last month. He has missed the last eight games and could return to action as early as Saturday versus Columbus. Luostarinen has three goals and seven assists in 18 games this season.

Jenner (upper body) will not accompany the team on their upcoming three-game road trip, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports Friday.

The Blue Jackets return home Dec. 11 versus Ottawa, and the hope is that Jenner can return at that time. Jenner has already missed 11 games, ahead of Saturday's tilt in Florida. Jenner has three goals, seven assists and 30 hits across 16 appearances in 2025-26.

Nelson tallied an assist and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Islanders.

Despite being on the losing end of the matchup, Nelson got involved against his former team with a secondary helper on Valeri Nichushkin's goal. Overall, Nelson has nine assists, 18 points and 44 shots on goal through 27 games this season. After a slow start to the season, the 34-year-old center has 13 points in his last 11 games and has helped Gabriel Landeskog find his stride on Colorado's second line. Nelson has a solid chance to post his seventh season with 50-plus points in the last eight years, making him a solid waiver-wire addition in nearly all fantasy formats.