NHL Player News

Fabbro (lower body) will be a game-time decision against the Devils on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Fabbro is nearing a return to the lineup after missing the last six games due to his lower-body injury. Presumably, if the blueliner isn't quite ready to play Tuesday, he'll be in the mix to return versus the Blackhawks on Wednesday. With just seven points in 48 games this year, Fabbro may miss the 20-point threshold.

Hughes distributed three assists and fired six shots on net in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens.

Hughes delivered a helper on each of Minnesota's final three goals Monday, including the primary pass on Kirill Kaprizov's game-winning goal late into the extra period. With the trio of apples, Hughes eclipsed the 50-assist mark on the year, which ranks sixth in the NHL and leads all defensemen. Not only is the 26-year-old blueliner trending toward his fifth consecutive campaign with 60-plus assists, but he also has a chance to reach 70 helpers for just the second time in his career. The only other time Hughes reached that mark was during his 92-point campaign during the 2023-24 season, which resulted in his first Norris Trophy. While his current goal total of five is well behind the 17 he posted in 82 regular-season games that year and trails Norris Trophy candidate Zach Werenski by 14 tallies, Hughes is heating up with 14 points on his nine-game point streak, which should bolster his already strong case for the top-defenseman award.

Sergachev scored a power-play goal in Monday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.

Sergachev gave Utah a 3-1 lead midway through the second period with a slap shot, and that was his fourth goal since the beginning of January. The 27-year-old blueliner has been one of the most productive defensemen for Utah of late, tallying 12 points (four goals, eight assists), 26 shots on goal and 23 blocked shots in 16 appearances since the beginning of January.

Faber scored a goal, recorded two shots on net and blocked three shots in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over Montreal.

Faber stayed hot in Monday's win by scoring the game-tying goal in the third period to send the contest to overtime. The 23-year-old defenseman has excelled since Jan. 3 with five goals, 15 points, 31 shots on net and 27 blocked shots across 15 games. In that span, his point total places him just outside the league's top-10 defensemen. Overall, he's up to 13 goals, 36 points, 121 shots on net and 119 blocked shots across 57 games this season. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down soon while skating in a top-line pairing next to Quinn Hughes, which makes Faber a high-level fantasy defenseman for the foreseeable future.

Mikkola notched an assist and three blocked shots in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Sabres.

Mikkola snapped a seven-game point drought with the helper. He has three assists, 15 shots on net, 33 hits and 18 blocked shots over 16 outings since the start of January. The 29-year-old defenseman continues to see steady top-four minutes in a shutdown role for the Panthers. For the season, he's up to nine points, 53 shots, 95 hits, 61 blocks and 41 PIM over 55 outings.

Sandin logged an assist in Monday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Sandin missed a game last week due to a lower-body injury. He saw some extra minutes after the brief absence, but he was back on the third pairing Monday with the return of Matt Roy from his own lower-body injury. Sandin has a little upside on offense, but it hasn't been showing much lately -- he has just five helpers over 16 games since the start of January. The defenseman is at 18 points, 62 shots on net, 82 blocked shots, 58 hits and a plus-6 rating through 50 appearances.

Roy notched an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Monday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Roy missed three games due to a lower-body injury. The defenseman saw 19:23 of ice time in his return, and with the Olympic break starting later this week, he should soon get plenty of rest if he's not at 100 percent just yet. Roy has put up a goal, 14 helpers, 69 shots on net, 78 hits, 106 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 54 appearances as a regular in the Capitals' top four this season.

Fehervary scored a goal, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Monday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Fehervary tied the game at 1-1 with his goal at 5:29 of the second period. The 26-year-old defenseman missed Saturday's game versus the Hurricanes as he became a father, and he capitalized on the newfound dad strength to snap a 20-game goal drought. For the season, he has produced four goals, 20 points, 59 shots on net, 64 hits, 117 blocked shots, 23 PIM and a plus-10 rating over 56 appearances in a shutdown role.

Carlson scored an empty-net goal and went plus-2 in Monday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Carlson was able to find the empty cage from his own zone to seal the Capitals' win. The 36-year-old blueliner was excellent in January with a goal and 14 assists over 16 outings, and it looks like his momentum has carried over to February. For the season, he has produced 10 goals, 45 points, 109 shots on net, 78 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating through 54 appearances.

Balinskis scored a goal Monday in a 5-3 loss to the Sabres.

Balinskis scored just 37 seconds when a lucky bounce rebound arrived on his stick in the left circle, and he buried a snap shot over Alex Lyon's glove while on a power play. Balinskis played a team-high 24:57 and fired three shots. He has four goals, eight assists and 51 shots through 46 outings this season.