NHL Player News

Appleton scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Sunday's 3-2 overtime win over the Maple Leafs.

The goal was Appleton's first point in four games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old has resumed a bottom-six role and isn't seeing power-play time, so he shouldn't be expected to produce consistent offense. He's at four goals, 10 points, 33 shots on net, 33 hits, 24 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 30 appearances this season.

Lafferty posted an assist and four hits in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Penguins.

Lafferty snapped an 11-game drought with a helper on Nick Foligno's second-period tally. This was Lafferty's fourth straight game in the lineup, and it's a positive that he stayed in over Dominic Toninato even with Foligno returning from a hand injury. Lafferty is now at two points, six shots on net, 20 hits, 14 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 17 outings this season.

Lizotte logged two assists in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Blackhawks.

Lizotte saw 15:18 of ice time in the blowout win. The 28-year-old forward was playing for the first time since Dec. 7 -- he missed nine games due to an upper-body injury. Lizotte should be good to handle a bottom-six role after this performance. He's racked up seven points, 31 shots on net, 25 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 28 contests this season.

Acciari scored a goal on two shots and added five PIM in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Blackhawks.

Acciari fought Connor Murphy late in the first period before adding a goal in the second. The 34-year-old Acciari continues to be a staple on the Penguins' fourth line, though he's also chipped in two goals over his last three outings. The forward is at three goals, eight points, 23 shots on net, 17 PIM, 33 hits and 17 blocked shots through 24 appearances this season. While he's on pace for his best season in a Penguins sweater, he's unlikely to come anywhere near his career highs of 20 goals and 27 points from 66 regular-season games in 2019-20 with the Panthers.

Laczynski scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Henderson's 6-3 win over Coachella Valley on Sunday.

Laczynski is up to nine goals and 25 points through 26 outings this season. He had been a bit cold for a large swath of December, enduring a five-game point drought before turning things around with five points over his last three contests. The veteran forward remains in the mix to get called up to the NHL, but nothing is imminent as long as the Golden Knights' forward group remains relatively healthy.

Nazar (upper body) has been placed on injured reserve by the Blackhawks, the team announced Sunday.

Nazar has been out since Dec. 20 after suffering an injury in a game against the Senators. The 21-year-old's placement on injured reserve is retroactive to Dec. 20 and has no effect on his timeline for a return, which is expected to take about a month. Nick Foligno was activated from injured reserve in a subsequent move. Nazar has 21 points in 33 games this year.

Eichel (lower body) won't play against Minnesota on Monday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Eichel will miss his sixth consecutive game, and it's unclear if he will return before Vegas begins a three-game road trip against St. Louis on Friday. He has accounted for 12 goals, 41 points and 117 shots on net in 31 appearances this season.

Philp (upper body) has been placed on waivers by the Oilers, the team announced Sunday.

Philp had been on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury, but that seems to no longer be an issue with him heading to the waiver wire. The 27-year-old got into 15 games with the Oilers this season, notching two goals and an assist along with 24 hits. If he clears, he is likely to report to AHL Bakersfield, where he has yet to appear in a game this season.

Heinen will be placed on waivers by the Penguins, the team announced Sunday.

Heinen's departure from the roster coincides with the return of Blake Lizotte from injured reserve. The 30-year-old Heinen has notched just two points in 13 NHL games this year while averaging 11:40 of ice time per night. If he goes unclaimed, Heinen would report to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 12 games.

Toews logged an assist in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild.

Toews had a faceoff win late in the second period that set up Mark Scheifele for a goal to give the Jets a 3-2 lead. The 37-year-old Toews has had a hard time impacting the Jets' play on offense, but he's won 62.6 percent of his faceoffs this year, the third-best win rate among players who have taken at least 100 draws. The helper gave him 10 points with 50 shots on net, 18 PIM, 19 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating over 36 appearances.