NHL Player News

Hughes scored an even-strength goal and added a power-play assist in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

After helping to set up Nico Hischier for the game's opening tally early in the first period, Hughes potted New Jersey's final goal just 26 seconds into the third. The 21-year-old blueliner has caught fire since the 4 Nations Face-Off, and over the last eight games he's produced a goal and nine points. With Dougie Hamilton (lower body) lacking a timeline for his return, Hughes will be leaned on heavily down the stretch as the Devils try to lock up a playoff spot.

Boqvist is reportedly dealing with an upper-body injury suffered against the Kings on Tuesday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

There was no update regarding Boqvist's injury from the team Tuesday, and it's unclear whether he'll be available Friday against the Oilers. If the blueliner does need to miss any time, the Isles have several candidates that could step into the lineup, including Scott Perunovich, Scott Mayfield and Mike Reilly.

Girard provided an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Wild.

Girard had gone 11 games without a point prior to Tuesday. His role has been shrinking -- he was under 20 minutes of ice time for a third straight game, though he still finished with more (18:32) than Ryan Lindgren (16:08) as the two compete for time in the bottom four on the left side of the Avalanche's defense. Girard has limited fantasy upside, but he has produced 21 points, 79 shots on net, 88 blocked shots, 52 hits and a plus-7 rating across 63 appearances this season.

Merrill played in his sixth straight game in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout win over the Avalanche.

Merrill has gone minus-3 in that span, and his overall point drought is up to 21 games. Still, the Wild appear to trust him to fill in on the third pairing while Jonas Brodin (lower body) is out rather than moving a different blueliner to their off side to get David Jiricek in action. Merrill has just four points, 37 shots on net, 71 blocked shots, 31 hits and a minus-5 rating over 54 appearances this season.

Moser was held off the scoresheet for the ninth straight game in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Since his 27-game absence due to a lower-body injury, Moser has been quiet all around. He's picked up nine shots on net, eight hits, nine blocked shots and a minus-1 rating since rejoining the lineup Feb. 23 versus the Kraken. The 25-year-old blueliner is still seeing a shutdown role in the top four, so his offense should eventually come around a bit thanks to his significant ice time. He's at 10 points, 37 shots on net, 48 blocked shots, 27 hits and a plus-12 rating while averaging 19:39 of ice time over 36 appearances.

Walker scored a goal on four shots, blocked three shots and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Lightning.

Walker ended an 11-game point drought with the goal, which was his first tally since Nov. 29 versus the Panthers. The defenseman has been a fixture in the Hurricanes' lineup this season, but he has struggled on offense. He has just 12 points with 108 shots on net, 74 blocked shots, 71 hits, 36 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 65 appearances. Last year's 29 points over 81 games between the Flyers and Avalanche will likely be considered an anomaly in Walker's career, but regression has hit him harder than expected in 2024-25, especially considering the strength of the Hurricanes' roster.

York recorded an assist and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Senators.

York was scratched Saturday versus the Kraken, and it appears to have fired him up a bit. He ended a seven-game point drought with his helper Tuesday, and he has four hits over two games since he sat out. The 24-year-old blueliner has had a mediocre season with 14 points, 57 shots on net, 99 blocked shots, 41 hits and a minus-6 rating over 51 appearances. Head coach John Tortorella is known to make young players sit if their level of performance dips below his expected standard, so York will need to tighten up his game to avoid future trips to the press box.

Kleven scored a goal on three shots, added seven hits and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Flyers.

The goal snapped a 17-game point drought for Kleven. The 23-year-old defenseman rarely makes much of an impact on offense while playing in a third-pairing role. For the season, he has three goals, two assists, 58 shots on net, 80 hits, 80 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 61 appearances.

Pelech notched an assist, two hits and two PIM in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Kings.

Pelech has a helper in two of his last three games. The 30-year-old defenseman helped out on an Anders Lee tally in the second period. For the season, Pelech has racked up 17 assists, 87 shots on net, 68 hits, 61 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating over 44 appearances. He appears to be safe in the lineup, especially after Adam Boqvist (undisclosed) left Tuesday's game early.

Spence recorded an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Spence snapped a five-game point drought with the helper. He was scratched versus the Blues on March 5, and his ice time has been cut significantly since he got back into the lineup as the Kings lean on their veteran defensemen to shoulder the heaviest loads. The 24-year-old Spence has had a fine season with 21 points, 65 shots on net, 67 blocked shots, 62 hits and a plus-13 rating over 61 appearances, but he's not a safe fantasy option until his ice time gets back up to a more acceptable level.