NHL Player News

Kulikov (upper body) was removed from long-term injured reserve Sunday, per the NHL media site.

Following a 57-game absence, Kulikov appears to be good to go for Sunday's matchup against the Islanders. The Panthers moved Cole Schwindt (lower body) to injured reserve in a corresponding move. Kulikov had four goals, 13 points, 64 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and 114 hits in 70 appearances during the 2024-25 regular season.

Hamilton scored the game-winning goal on the power play in Saturday's 3-1 victory over the Blues.

The veteran blueliner gave the Devils a 2-0 lead with 16 seconds left in the second period as he ripped a shot from the high slot past Jordan Binnington. Hamilton has put a sluggish start to the campaign well behind him, and over the last 15 games, he's collected three goals and 13 points, including six points (two goals, four assists) with the man advantage.

Mayfield tallied a goal, recorded an assist and fired four shots on net in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over Columbus.

Mayfield recorded his first multi-point game of the season Saturday with a goal six minutes after sliding the primary assist on Anders Lee's tally in the second period. With the pair of points, Mayfield now has two goals, eight assists, 74 shots on net, 55 hits and 66 blocked shots across 58 appearances this season. While he has the category-coverage stats needed for deep leagues, his limited contributions on offense make him tough to trust in fantasy.

Bouchard scored a goal and added two assists, one on the power play, in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Sharks.

The 26-year-old blueliner has remained red hot since the Olympics, racking up two goals and six points in three games since the NHL schedule resumed. Over the last 10 games, Bouchard has erupted for six goals and 21 points. With 69 points (17 goals, 52 assists) through 61 contests, he has already surpassed the 67 points he amassed over 82 regular-season games in 2024-25. That surge has also seen Bouchard blow past Cale Makar and Zach Werenski to take over the NHL scoring lead among defensemen.

Drysdale scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Boston.

After Drysdale had a hand in a Travis Konecny tally early in the third period that opened the scoring, Konecny returned the favor and set Drysdale up in the slot for a wicked snapshot past Jeremy Swayman. It was Drysdale's first multi-point effort since Jan. 21, and the 23-year-old blueliner has six goals and 25 points through 56 games on the season.

Balinskis (undisclosed) is day-to-day and not expected to play Sunday against the Islanders, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Balinskis is officially day-to-day after leaving the Panthers' last game, Friday against the Sabres, with injury. It's likely to cost the 29-year-old at least Sunday's contest, and if he sits out as expected, it would be the first time Balinskis has missed time since late November. He's in the midst of a good season on the back end, registering 14 points (five goals, nine assists), 63 hits and 37 blocked shots in 50 games on the year.

Kulikov (upper body) will be a game-time decision against the Islanders on Sunday, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Kulikov has missed 57 straight contests after getting hurt in Florida's second game of the 2025-26 season. He will need to be activated from long-term injured reserve to be eligible to return to action. If Kulikov receives the green light to play, he will probably replace Uvis Balinskis (undisclosed) in Sunday's lineup against the Islanders.

Oleksiak notched an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

Oleksiak has been limited to four points over 22 outings in January and February. The 33-year-old defenseman is playing regularly as a shutdown blueliner in a bottom-four role. He's earned 10 points, 52 shots on net, 77 hits, 82 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 57 appearances this season. Oleksiak is slated for unrestricted free agency this summer, but the Kraken may be hesitant to part with him before the trade deadline since they're in the middle of the playoff race.

Dunn scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

This was Dunn's 600th career game, and he celebrated the milestone with a tally at 7:36 of the first period. He's earned four points over his last six outings. The 29-year-old defenseman is up to nine goals, 35 points, 124 shots on net, 59 blocked shots, 38 PIM and a minus-18 rating over 58 appearances this season. He missed the 40-point mark by one in 2024-25, when he was limited to 62 games, but he should get back over that threshold this year if he can stay healthy down the stretch.

Hedman scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Sabres.

Remarkably, it was Hedman's first goal of the season. Granted, it was just his 24th game of the year, but he has reached double-digit goal totals in each of the last two regular seasons. It was also Hedman's first multi-point game since Oct. 25 against Anaheim. His scoring pace could ramp up down the stretch if he has put his injury woes behind him.