NHL Player News

Vaakanainen registered an assist and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Vaakanainen may have a clearer path to playing time in the near future after the Rangers dealt Carson Soucy to the Islanders on Monday. Vaakanainen got into the lineup on the third pairing Monday, playing for just the seventh time in 26 games since the start of December. The Finn has four assists, 15 shots on net, 18 blocked shots and 12 PIM over 23 appearances. Barring a call-up of a young blueliner, Vaakanainen will probably play regularly until Adam Fox (lower body) returns.

Lee produced an even-strength assist, three shots on goal and a plus-1 rating in Monday's 4-0 win over the Flyers.

Lee's offense has dried up after a hot stretch in December, as the 35-year-old has just four points across his last 14 outings. The left-shot winger saw just 13:54 of ice time Monday after being benched, along with Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair, for the entirety of the third period during Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Sabres. If Lee continues to lose out on ice time moving forward, he'll be a difficult option to trust in fantasy circles.

Borgen scored a goal on three shots in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Borgen ended his 23-game point drought with a long-range equalizer at 13:43 of the third period. The 29-year-old has remained in a bottom-four role throughout the slump, but he's best known for his shutdown work. He's at three goals, two assists, 47 shots, 66 hits, 62 blocked shots and 26 PIM through 46 appearances this season.

Cuylle scored a goal on three shots and added five hits in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Cuylle has scored twice over the last three games. He had one assist in 11 outings between Dec. 27 and Jan. 19, but the 23-year-old looks to be getting his scoring touch back. Overall, the winger is up to 12 goals, 26 points, 101 shots, 183 hits, 54 blocked shots, 35 PIM and a minus-17 rating over 53 appearances as a regular in the Rangers' middle six.

Miller scored a goal in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Miller has three goals and six assists over the last six games. The 32-year-old forward is up to 14 goals, 33 points, 100 shots on net, 88 hits and a minus-18 rating through 44 appearances this season. The Rangers' inconsistent offense has taken a toll on Miller's production, but his uptick recently corresponds with a span in which the team has scored 21 times in six contests.

Tsyplakov notched an assist, two hits and two PIM in Monday's 4-0 win over the Flyers.

Tsyplakov ended his 20-game point drought with the helper. He last got on the scoresheet with a goal Oct. 25, also against the Flyers, and he was scratched 22 times between points. Tsyplakov has a long way to go to be a regular in the lineup -- he drew in Monday because Simon Holmstrom (illness) and Calum Ritchie (lower body) were unavailable.

DeAngelo scored a power-play goal on seven shots, blocked three shots and went plus-2 in Monday's 4-0 win over the Flyers.

DeAngelo stretched the Islanders' lead to 3-0 in the second period. The defenseman has put together a strong January with three goals and nine points over 12 outings, by far his best month of the campaign. He's at four goals, 22 points (four on the power play), 101 shots on net, 45 blocked shots, 33 PIM and a minus-2 rating over 52 appearances this season.

Rust has been suspended for three games by the Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for an illegal check to the head on Brock Boeser.

Rust's absence will be a significant blow to a Penguins squad that is riding a four-game winning streak. During that stretch, the 33-year-old winger has recorded one goal, one assist and nine shots while playing on the top line with Sidney Crosby. There are several candidates who could fill that role for Pittsburgh, including Ben Kindel, who previously saw first-line minutes when Rickard Rakell was hurt.

Ersson stopped 19 of 23 shots in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Islanders.

Ersson was playing in his seventh straight game. The Flyers' offense did him no favors, though Ersson wasn't that good either. He's 2-3-1 with 21 goals allowed on 157 shots during his recent stretch of increased work. For the season, he's at an 8-9-5 record with a 3.39 GAA and an .860 save percentage over 23 appearances. Dan Vladar (lower body) is close to a return, at which point Ersson would slip back into the backup role. Ersson is still likely to start at least one of the next two games, either Wednesday in Columbus or Thursday in Boston.

Barzal potted an even-strength goal and added a power-play assist in Monday's 4-0 win over the Flyers.

Both of Barzal's points came in the middle frame, as he redirected an Isaiah George shot past Samuel Ersson before setting up Tony DeAngelo's fourth goal of the season. Barzal has registered at least one point in nine of his last 13 games, a stretch in which he's collected two goals, 12 helpers (five on the power play) and 20 shots while averaging 20:26 of ice time. With Bo Horvat now back in the fold, Barzal is currently centering the second line between Anthony Duclair and Jonathan Drouin.