NHL Player News

Matinpalo dressed as a seventh defenseman in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Lightning.

Cap space is tight for the Senators as they deal with a rash of injuries to forwards. Matinpalo was available to play as a seventh defenseman, logging just 5:35 of ice time in Thursday's contest. The 26-year-old has yet to record a point in his NHL career, including coming up empty over 17 games this season. He's added 25 shots on net, 10 blocked shots, eight hits and a minus-1 rating. Matinpalo's role could be reduced further once the Senators get an injured forward back or when Jacob Bernard-Docker (ankle) is cleared to return on defense.

Cernak scored an empty-net goal on two shots, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Senators.

Cernak netted his first goal of the season to end any threat of a Senators comeback. It was also the 100th point of his career, a milestone he reached in his 412th contest. He has two points over his last three games, but the 27-year-old defenseman rarely puts up consistent offense. He's at 12 points, 41 shots on net, 100 hits, 64 blocked shots, 29 PIM and a plus-15 rating through 47 appearances.

Myers logged a power-play assist and three shots on goal in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Sharks.

Myers continues to chip in a little offense while seeing more minutes in the absence of Quinn Hughes (undisclosed). The helper was Myers' fifth point over the last six games, a span in which he's gone plus-6 with 10 shots on net and seven blocked shots. The big defenseman has 18 points, 55 shots on net, 57 hits, 90 blocked shots, 60 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 51 appearances. His helper Thursday was his first power-play contribution since the 2021-22 campaign.

McCabe notched an assist and three hits in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Kraken.

McCabe set up Matthew Knies on an insurance tally in the second period. The helper was McCabe's first point since Jan. 16, when he had two assists against the Devils. The 31-year-old blueliner plays a physical role in the Maple Leafs' top four, so producing offense is secondary. He's at 14 points, 52 shots on net, 91 hits, 91 blocked shots, 36 PIM and a plus-14 rating through 45 contests.

Rielly posted a power-play assist, three shots on goal and two PIM in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Kraken.

This was Rielly's third straight game with a power-play helper. Prior to February, he had gone 33 contests without a power-play point. The Maple Leafs are using a five-forward formation on the first unit, but Rielly's been able to make some noise with the second unit. The blueliner has 25 points (10 on the power play), 91 shots on net, 75 blocked shots and a minus-16 rating over 54 appearances.

Myers scored a goal on four shots, added two hits and logged two PIM in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Kraken.

Myers had been scratched for four of the previous six games entering Thursday. He got back in the lineup for Conor Timmins (upper body). Myers' goal was his first as a Maple Leaf, giving him four points, 30 shots on net, 54 hits, 27 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 22 appearances. He's mostly filled a bottom-four role when he plays, so he's not a particularly strong option for fantasy.

Weegar posted a power-play assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Weegar has five helpers, including four on the power play, over four outings in February. He had all of six points in January, so he's picked up the pace recently. The 31-year-old blueliner is up to 30 points (14 on the power play), 118 shots on net, 144 hits, 116 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating through 54 contests overall. Weegar's all-around play remains strong, and there's virtually no chance he slips out of a top-four role.

Andersson scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Andersson's goal came late in the third period -- too late to make a difference in the result. He has three points over his last eight outings, but offense has been hard to come by on one of the lower-scoring teams in the league. For the season, the 28-year-old defenseman is at eight goals, 21 points, 108 shots on net, 127 blocked shots, 48 PIM and a minus-15 rating over 54 appearances.

Carlson tallied an assist Thursday in a 4-3 win over Philadelphia.

He has assists (five) in five consecutive games, which matches his best streak this season. Carlson continues to pace toward yet another 50-plus point campaign while blocking a lot of shots. His 3.6 shooting percentage is low this season -- his career average is 6.3. Carlson may see an uptick in goal scoring as Jakob Chychrun's pace slows -- his 12.0 shooting percentage is well above his 7.3 percent career average, and the younger defender has recently gone through his longest goal drought (seven games) of the season.

Malinski notched an assist, two hits, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Flames.

Malinski ended a 15-game point drought with the helper. The 26-year-old went minus-2 with 13 shots on net, 20 hits and 17 blocked shots in that span. He's struggled to put together steady performances for large portions of 2024-25. The blueliner has just six points to go with 71 shots on net, 42 hits, 76 blocks and a plus-1 rating over 53 appearances. Malinski has a little short-term security in the lineup as long as Josh Manson (lower body) is out, but he'll be competing with Oliver Kylington, Keaton Middleton and Calvin de Haan once the Avalanche's defense corps is back to full health.