NHL Player News

Nelson scored two goals on four shots, blocked two shots and went minus-3 in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Predators.

Nelson provided the answers to the first two of Ryan O'Reilly's goals, but the Avalanche couldn't keep pace after the first period. The 34-year-old Nelson is in the midst of a sizzling stretch, where he has 11 goals and seven assists over 12 contests. For the season, he's up to 24 goals, 40 points, 102 shots on net, 38 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 46 appearances.

Blackwood gave up five goals on 28 shots in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Predators. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Blackwood's return from a lower-body injury didn't go as planned, as he instead had his worst outing of the season. Prior to the injury, he had rattled off seven straight wins, allowing a total of 13 goals in that span. The 29-year-old netminder is likely set to resume sharing the crease with Scott Wedgewood moving forward, though the Avalanche's recent shaky play could open the door for one goalie or the other to claim more of a starting role with a hot streak. Blackwood is 13-2-1 with a 2.26 GAA and a .917 save percentage over 16 appearances. The Avalanche are set to host the Capitals on Monday.

Evangelista logged two assists and a plus-3 rating in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Evangelista helped out on the last two goals of Ryan O'Reilly's hat trick. The 23-year-old Evangelista has gone nine games without a goal, though he's still managed six assists in that span while staying on the first line. The winger is up to 33 points (six goals, 27 helpers), 103 shots on net and a plus-9 rating over 46 outings, surpassing his 32-point output from 68 contests in 2024-25.

Josi notched three assists, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Josi has erupted on offense with three goals and five helpers over his last three games. He's earned three power-play points in that span, which includes one of his assists from Friday's high-scoring win. The defenseman is up to 26 points (nine on the power play), 90 shots on net, 53 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 35 appearances. Josi's recent play is looking like his peaks from recent years, and he'll be a strong fantasy defenseman if he can keep racking up points for the rest of the campaign.

McCarron scored a shorthanded empty-net goal and logged three hits in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

McCarron had the second of the Predators' empty-netters in the contest, ending his own 41-game goal drought in the process. The 30-year-old has had little puck luck this season -- he took 59 shots on net during that drought. For the season, the veteran forward is at two goals, nine points, 66 shots on net, 65 PIM, 134 hits, 45 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 46 appearances. McCarron will continue to see time on the penalty kill while filling a fourth-line role at even strength.

Bunting scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Bunting's tally at 18:04 of the second period held up as the game-winner. He also set up a Steven Stamkos empty-netter in the third. Bunting has two goals and six helpers over eight contests in January, though that production is held up by a pair of multi-point efforts. He's at 12 goals, 28 points, 78 shots on net, 26 hits, 10 PIM and a minus-3 rating through 47 outings overall, mainly in a middle-six role.

Stamkos scored an empty-net goal on two shots and added an assist in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Stamkos has scored in three straight contests to shake off his recent five-game goal drought. The 35-year-old forward has five points during his current streak, and he's up to 21 goals, 12 helpers, 112 shots on net, 45 hits, 22 PIM and a minus-8 rating over 47 appearances. While he's not pushing for a point-per-game pace, Stamkos has looked much more like his younger self over the last couple of months.

Forsberg scored a power-play goal on five shots, added two assists and went plus-3 in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Forsberg had been limited to four helpers, 18 shots on net and a minus-9 rating during an 11-game goal drought. He added two more assists in the first period before breaking through with an insurance tally in the third. Despite the slump, the 31-year-old winger has remained a key part of the Predators' top six. He's up to 17 goals, 18 helpers, 135 shots, 91 hits and a minus-5 rating over 47 appearances this season.

O'Reilly scored three goals on six shots, added a power-play assist and went plus-4 in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

O'Reilly gave the Predators a lead with each of his goals, and they made it stick after the third one. This was his first multi-point effort since Dec. 29 against the Mammoth, and his first multi-goal game since Oct. 25 versus the Kings. The veteran center has been steady this season with 16 goals, 43 points (10 on the power play), 85 shots on net, 36 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 47 appearances.

Saros stopped 39 of 42 shots in Friday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Saros sent the Avalanche to their first home regulation loss of the campaign. He's won two of his three outings against the league's top team this year, though he certainly had to stay sharp in this game, which was just the fourth time all season he's faced 40-plus shots. Saros is 3-1-0 in those games despite allowing 16 goals. Overall, he's at a 19-15-3 record with a 2.93 GAA and an .898 save percentage through 37 starts. He's one win shy of matching his total from 58 appearances in 2024-25. Justus Annunen is likely to get the nod Saturday in Vegas, but expect Saros between the pipes again versus the surging Sabres on Tuesday in Nashville.