NHL Player News

Larkin scored a goal on six shots and went plus-2 in Friday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Larkin is up to 24 goals this season, including seven tallies over his last 14 outings. The 29-year-old center is shooting a career-high 16.7 percent, putting him on pace to surpass his previous high mark of 33 goals in 68 outings in 2023-24. He's at 43 points, 144 shots on net, 32 PIM, 27 blocked shots, 22 hits and a plus-4 rating across 49 appearances this season.

DeBrincat scored a power-play goal on three shots, blocked two shots and went minus-2 in Friday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

DeBrincat continued a strong run of scoring -- he has five goals and five assists over his last eight outings, with four power-play points in that span. The winger is up to 25 goals, 50 points, 167 shots on net and a plus-3 rating through 49 appearances. He's never maintained a point-per-game pace in a full-length season, only doing so with 56 points in 52 outings during the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign. If DeBrincat can keep this up, he'll have a career year.

Marchand (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Marchand will miss his fifth straight game against Washington on Saturday, but is eligible to be activated as soon as he is ready. Still, it's unclear when he will be available to return to the lineup. The veteran winger has 23 goals, 23 assists, 16 power-play points and 115 shots on net across 41 appearances this season.

Studnicka was scratched in Friday's 9-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

That's a two-edged sword for Studnicka. He was scratched for the fourth time since his Dec. 1 recall from AHL Charlotte, and he's yet to earn a point in 18 appearances in a fourth-line role. He's added 16 shots on net, 19 hits, six blocked shots, four PIM and a minus-6 rating. Given the Panthers' brutal loss Friday, it seems likely he'll get another chance to play soon, but he hasn't done anything to get the attention of fantasy managers.

Vilmanis logged an assist and a minus-2 rating in Friday's 9-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Vilmanis got on the scoresheet by assisting Uvis Balinskis' goal in the second period. This was Vilmanis' first NHL point, and he's added three shots on net, four hits and a minus-2 rating over three contests. The 21-year-old winger is likely to get a look in a middle-six role until one of Brad Marchand (undisclosed) or Matthew Tkachuk (groin) returns to the lineup.

Balinskis scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 9-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Balinskis signed a two-year contract extension earlier in the day, and he celebrated with just his second goal of the season. The 29-year-old defenseman is in line for power-play time while Seth Jones (upper body) is out. Balinskis has nine points, 33 shots on net, 47 hits, 27 blocked shots and 24 PIM over 37 appearances this season, mainly in a bottom-four role.

Abols suffered a lower-body injury in the first period versus the Rangers on Saturday and will not return.

Abols was injured during his second shift of the game, managing to play only 1:19 of ice time. Abols has three goals and 10 points in 42 games this season. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Kotkaniemi posted an assist, four hits and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 9-1 win over the Panthers.

Kotkaniemi is getting a chance to fill in while William Carrier (lower body) is out. The 25-year-old Kotkaniemi has been scratched more frequently this season, though he's also battled some injuries. With Logan Stankoven taking to the second-line center job, Kotkaniemi has been limited to an average of 11:16 of ice time per game, earning seven points, 31 shots on net, 47 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 28 appearances.

Stankoven posted two assists, including one on the power play, in Friday's 9-1 win over the Panthers.

Stankoven helped out on third-period tallies by Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers, helping the latter finish a hat trick. This came after a pair of contests off the scoresheet for Stankoven, though he has picked up four goals and two assists over the five games before that short dry spell. The 22-year-old forward has 24 points (four on the power play), 95 shots on net, 23 PIM and a plus-6 rating across 48 appearances.

Blake logged two assists and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 9-1 win over the Panthers.

Blake has two goals and two assists over his last five games. The 22-year-old continues to see middle-six usage, though he has been under 15 minutes of ice time in three of the last 14 contests, a mark he fell below just once in the previous 20 outings. For the season, the winger is at 14 goals, 28 points, 99 shots on net, 30 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 48 appearances.