-
Brandon Hagel LW | TB
Lightning's Brandon Hagel: Sparks comeback effort
Hagel scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes.
Hagel has three goals and three assists over his last five outings. The winger got the Lightning on the board late in the first period after they gave up the first three goals of the contest. Hagel is up to 28 tallies, 55 points, 154 shots on net, 40 hits, 30 blocked shots and a plus-29 rating through 52 appearances. Time lost to injuries makes it unlikely Hagel will repeat his 90-point campaign from the 2024-25 regular-season, but he'll challenge his career-best 35-goal mark from last year.
-
Nikita Kucherov RW | TB
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Extends point streak to 12 games
Kucherov scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes.
Given his recent production, a single goal is a bit of a light output for Kucherov. He has eight goals and 20 helpers over 12 contests during his current point streak, and he's been held off the scoresheet just once in his last 23 games. The superstar winger is at 31 goals, 95 points, 160 shots on net, 38 PIM and a plus-33 rating through 53 appearances this season.
-
Mike Reilly D | CAR
Hurricanes' Mike Reilly: Stuck in press box
Reilly was scratched for the 10th game in a row in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.
Reilly has played just three times in 19 contests since the start of January. The Hurricanes' defense has been mostly healthy during that time, leaving Reilly in a reserve role, though he'll be ready at a moment's notice if an injury takes out a teammate. The 32-year-old has contributed seven points, 45 shots on net, 27 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 29 appearances this season.
-
Andrei Svechnikov RW | CAR
Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov: Manages two helpers in win
Svechnikov posted two assists (one on the power play), three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.
Svechnikov has five multi-point efforts over his last 11 games. He appears to have regained his momentum after going into the Olympic break on a heater. The 25-year-old winger is now at 21 goals, 30 helpers, 20 power-play points, 154 shots on net, 100 hits, 42 PIM and a plus-7 rating across 58 appearances. He's on track to reach the 60-point mark for the third time in his eight-year career, and 70 could be in reach if he can stay healthy.
-
Nikolaj Ehlers LW | CAR
Hurricanes' Nikolaj Ehlers: Nets opening goal
Ehlers scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.
Ehlers ended a nine-game goal drought that followed his Jan. 16 hat trick versus the Panthers. He picked up five assists in that span. The 30-year-old winger is up to 15 goals, 44 points, 142 shots on net and a plus-2 rating over 58 appearances. He's mostly gotten on track after a slow start to his time with the Hurricanes, though he'll need to play at a decent pace to get back to the 60-point mark for a third straight year.
-
Sebastian Aho C | CAR
Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho: Gets game-winner on power play
Aho scored a power-play goal on three shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.
Aho's goal at 7:17 of the third period was the deciding tally. He's scored four times and added two assists over his last five games, shaking off an unusually poor stretch in which he went without a goal over 12 games from Jan. 4-29. The steady center is up to 21 goals (four game-winners), 58 points, 18 power-play points, 131 shots on net, 51 hits, 32 PIM and a plus-12 rating in 58 outings this season.
-
Joel Edmundson D | LA
Kings' Joel Edmundson: Snaps slump with helper
Edmundson recorded an assist, four blocked shots and three hits in Thursday's 8-1 loss to the Oilers.
The assist ended a 15-game slump for Edmundson. The defenseman was managing an upper-body issue in late January, though the rest during the Olympic break likely helped him recover from that concern. He's at 17 points, 74 shots on net, 68 hits, 73 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 58 outings this season, giving him a chance to reach the 20-point mark for the second campaign in a row and just the third time in his career. His 15 assists this year are a career high.
-
Warren Foegele LW | OTT
Kings' Warren Foegele: Deposits goal in blowout loss
Foegele scored a goal on four shots in Thursday's 8-1 loss to the Oilers.
Foegele got a revenge goal against his former team, but his current squad couldn't muster anything else. This tally ended a nine-game point drought for Foegele, who was also scratched five times during the slump, including four straight right before the Olympic break. Injuries have piled up enough to keep Foegele in the lineup currently, but he'll need to build off his goal Thursday. The winger has seven goals, two assists, 77 shots on net, 46 hits and a minus-5 rating over 45 appearances, putting him on pace for his worst campaign as an NHL player.
-
Anton Forsberg G | LA
Kings' Anton Forsberg: Makes relief appearance Thursday
Forsberg stopped 18 of 22 shots in relief of Darcy Kuemper in Thursday's 8-1 loss to the Oilers.
Forsberg fared only a little better than Kuemper, who stopped 11 of 15 shots. This outing didn't lead to a decision for Forsberg, who is winless over his last four games while allowing 16 goals on 102 shots in that span. For the season, he has a 2.80 GAA and an .899 save percentage in 24 appearances. The Kings haven't gotten reliable goaltending from either netminder recently, which could turn this crease situation into a timeshare until one of Forsberg or Kuemper gets on track.
-
Darcy Kuemper G | LA
Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Pulled in second period
Kuemper stopped 11 of 15 shots in Thursday's 8-1 loss to the Oilers.
Kuemper was pulled in the second period shortly after giving up a goal to Connor McDavid. The Oilers kept the pressure up and rattled off four goals on 22 shots against Anton Forsberg. Kuemper will likely get the majority of the starts for the Kings, but he hasn't been particularly good, allowing at least four goals in three of his last five games. The 35-year-old netminder is at a 14-12-9 record with a 2.68 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 37 starts this season. The Kings have a more favorable matchup ahead when they host the Flames on Saturday.