NHL Player News

Rust scored a shorthanded goal on five shots in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Sabres.

Rust's goal answered a Ryan McLeod tally in the first period, but it was all Sabres after that. During his four-game point streak, Rust has two goals and three assists, and all but one of those five points has come on special teams. The veteran winger is up to 21 goals, 45 points, 138 shots on net, 56 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 54 appearances. His tally Thursday was his first shorthanded point since the 2023-24 campaign.

Samuelsson scored an empty-net goal, blocked three shots and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

Samuelsson snapped a five-game point drought with the empty-netter. The 25-year-old defenseman has had an incredible campaign with 12 goals, 35 points, 89 shots on net, a plus-32 rating, 103 hits and 121 blocked shots. He's currently in a top-four role, but he would be the most likely player to see his ice time drop with the Sabres' acquisitions of Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn in a trade with the Jets on Thursday. That said, Samuelsson's success could help him keep his minutes while Stanley slots in on the third pairing once he gets into the lineup.

McLeod scored a shorthanded goal, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

McLeod had gone 14 contests without a goal, but he picked up 12 assists in that span. The 26-year-old's steady all-around play has kept him in a second-line role despite the lack of goals. For the season, he's produced 12 goals, 44 points (six on the power play, six shorthanded), 77 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a plus-23 rating. His career high of 53 points was set in 79 outings in 2024-25, and he could surpass that mark with a strong finish this year.

Tuch scored a shorthanded goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

Tuch's point streak is up to four games (three goals, two assists). He's scored all three of those tallies on special teams (two on the power play, one shorthanded). The 29-year-old winger is up to 25 goals, 53 points, 150 shots on net, 64 hits, 69 blocked shots, 49 PIM and a plus-18 rating over 61 appearances in a top-six role this season.

Mikkola scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Mikkola ended a six-game point drought with the tally. It was his first goal since Dec. 23 versus the Hurricanes. The 29-year-old defenseman rarely does much on offense, and this has been a down year for him, as is true for many of the Panthers' players. He's produced 10 points, 60 shots on net, 99 hits, 71 blocked shots and 45 PIM through 62 appearances in a top-four role.

Tolopilo will be between the visiting pipes in Chicago on Friday, according to Dan Murphy of Sportsnet.

Tolopilo is 3-5-2 with a 3.27 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 12 appearances this season. The Blackhawks are averaging 2.62 goals per game this season, 27th in the NHL.

Bennett scored a power-play goal on four shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Bennett has four goals and two assists over five games since the Olympics. His personal uptick in offense hasn't helped the Panthers that much -- they've won just once in that span. For the season, Bennett is at 23 goals, 48 points (12 on the power play), 163 shots on net, 107 hits and 72 PIM over 62 appearances. He's likely to set career highs in most scoring categories.

Zamula had an assist in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Panthers.

Zamula is filling in while the Blue Jackets are missing Zach Werenski (illness). This was Zamula's third straight game in the lineup, and the helper was his first since Jan. 17 versus the Penguins. The defenseman has accumulated just three assists with 15 shots on net, 33 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating over 26 contests between Columbus and Philadelphia this season.

Hayes was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.

The decision to demote Hayes could be a temporary move designed to make him eligible for the AHL postseason. In six NHL games this year, the 23-year-old winger has notched two goals, 11 shots and six hits while averaging 11:38 of ice time. Barring a late deadline addition, Hayes will likely be brought back up from the minors ahead of Saturday's matchup with the Flyers.

Jenner scored a goal and added two hits in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Panthers.

Jenner's tally at 1:41 of the third period stood as the game-winner. He had missed the Blue Jackets' previous contest due to a lower-body injury, and he had gone 13 games before that without a goal. Jenner has nine goals, 28 points, 95 shots on net, 100 hits and 45 blocked shots over 46 appearances this season, filling a versatile role for Columbus.