NHL Player News

Heiskanen logged two assists and two blocked shots in Friday's 8-3 win over the Ducks.

Heiskanen helped out on goals by Sam Steel and Jason Robertson (on the power play). After a two-game dry spell, Heiskanen has bounced back with three helpers over his last two outings. The talented defenseman is up to seven goals, 25 assists, 77 shots on net, 66 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 36 appearances in his usual top-pairing role.

Lyubushkin scored a scored in Friday's 8-3 win over the Ducks.

The goal was Lyubushkin's first in four games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The 31-year-old blueliner is likely to occupy a bottom-four role moving forward, where he'll offer physicality with limited scoring potential. The goal was his first of the campaign to go with five assists, 16 shots on net, 37 hits, 48 blocked shots and 21 PIM over 25 outings.

Harley scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist, blocked three shots and went plus-5 in Friday's 8-3 win over the Ducks.

Harley put together a masterful performance in this contest, with his first-period tally standing as the game-winner. The 24-year-old defenseman hadn't earned a multi-point outing since Oct. 11 versus the Avalanche, and he had just one helper over five contests prior to Friday. Harley is up to two goals, 13 points, 29 shots on net, 56 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating over 24 appearances. Regression and injuries have kept his production down in the first half, but Harley's role on a strong team should help him bounce back over the remainder of the campaign.

Manson logged two assists, two hits, five PIM and a plus-3 rating in Friday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

Manson had primary helpers on goals by Brent Burns and Parker Kelly, and he managed to fit in a fight with Tanner Pearson between those assists. The 34-year-old Manson's toughness has come with a bit more offense in December -- he's earned eight assists over nine outings this month. That won't last for the rest of the season, but the Avalanche's strong team offense could allow him to get involved somewhat regularly. Manson is up to 12 points, 45 shots on net, 88 hits, 45 blocked shots, 41 PIM and a plus-25 rating over 34 appearances, which is production that could help in deeper fantasy formats.

Burns scored a goal and went plus-2 in Friday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

Burns opened the scoring at 9:45 of the first period with a shot through traffic that deflected in off a Jet. The 40-year-old defenseman is on a six-game point streak with two goals and four assists, as well as a plus-nine rating, in that span. He's at five goals, 19 points, 69 shots on net, 44 blocked shots and a plus-21 rating over 34 appearances, serving as an ideal depth blueliner in his first year with the Avalanche.

Lambos was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Friday.

Lambos was called up Wednesday, and he made his NHL debut during Thursday's 5-2 win over Columbus. He recorded a blocked shot and a plus-1 rating in 10:16 of ice time, but he'll head back to the minors a day later, signaling that at least one of Minnesota's injured defensemen could be cleared to suit up Saturday against the Oilers.

Theodore (upper body) will not travel with the team on its two-game road trip this weekend and is considered week-to-week at this time, Hanah Kirkell of Vegas Hockey Now reports Friday.

Theodore missed Wednesday's game against New Jersey and is likely out until the New Year. He got off to a slow start with five assists in his first 14 games, but he's upped his offensive production since then, tallying four goals and 11 assists in his last 17 games. Jeremy Lauzon returned to action Wednesday after missing 14 games, taking Theodore's place in the lineup.

Fleury (concussion) is expected to be taken off injured reserve and play Friday in Colorado.

Fleury hasn't been in the lineup since Nov. 11. He has no points, 11 shots, 22 hits and 26 blocks in 15 appearances this season. Fleury is projected to serve on the third pairing alongside Logan Stanley. Luke Schenn is set to be a healthy scratch after playing in Winnipeg's past six games.

Samuelsson registered two assists in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Flyers.

Samuelsson set up Jack Quinn for the opening goal and Ryan McLeod for an empty-netter. This performance ended a nine-game point drought for Samuelsson, who had been surprisingly productive on offense prior to the slump. He's already matched his career high of 14 points, doing so in half as many games as last year. He's added 44 shots on net, 40 hits, 66 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating through 31 appearances in 2025-26.

Matinpalo logged three blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Penguins.

Matinpalo has now been held off the scoresheet for nine consecutive games. He originally had an assist on Brady Tkachuk's second of the goal night, but the NHL later awarded the helper to Fabian Zetterlund. The 27-year-old Matinpalo has occupied a bottom-four role all season, and with the Senators often leaning on Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub for big minutes, Matinpalo's ice time has remained fairly low at an average of 15:02. For the season, Matinpalo has produced four assists, 16 shots on net, 22 hits, 28 blocked shots and eight PIM over 24 outings.