NHL Player News

Swayman made 26 saves in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.

The Bruins spotted their netminder a 2-0 lead before the four-minute mark in the first period, and Swayman made sure the visitors were never able to pull level, giving up just two power-play goals the rest of the way. Swayman has won three straight starts and has just one regulation loss since Christmas, going 5-1-1 over his last seven appearances with a rock-solid 2.27 GAA and .919 save percentage.

Daccord turned aside 20 of 23 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Bruins, with Boston's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The visitors never led in the contest, as Marat Khusnutdinov caught the Seattle defense flat-footed and beat Daccord on a rush just 54 seconds into the first period to set the tone. The 29-year-old netminder has allowed at least three goals in four straight starts while working in a timeshare with Philipp Grubauer, and on the season Daccord is 12-11-5 with a 2.84 GAA and .901 save percentage.

Ivan was recalled from AHL Colorado on Friday.

The Avalanche are hurting up front as Ross Colton missed practice Thursday with an upper-body injury, leaving the team with 10 healthy forwards, necessitating the recall of Ivan. The 23-year-old Ivan has one assist in five NHL games this season and will likely see fourth-line minutes Friday versus Nashville.

Marchenko scored the game-winning goal at even strength and added a power-play assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

The 25-year-old winger had a hand in the Blue Jackets' first two goals of the night, helping to set up Charlie Coyle in the first period before giving his squad a 2-0 lead early in the second. Marchenko has gotten onto the scoresheet in three straight games and 10 of the last 12, racking up seven goals and 14 points over that stretch.

Johnson scored an even-strength goal and added a power-play assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

The 23-year-old winger had managed just one point, a goal, over the prior 11 games, but Johnson made an impact Thursday by feeding Zach Werenski in the second period for Columbus' third goal before wrapping up the scoring himself midway through the third. Johnson's power-play point was his first of the season, and after a rough beginning to the campaign under former coach Dean Evason, the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft seems to be getting more opportunities under Rick Bowness, skating on the top PP unit in each of the last two games.

Ullmark (personal) practiced with the Senators on Friday for the first time since being granted a leave of absence Dec. 28, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Ullmark has gone 14-8-5 with a 2.95 GAA and an .881 save percentage across 28 appearances this season. Ottawa has had goaltending issues during Ullmark's absence and has dropped to 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Ullmark remains on the non-roster list, and there's no timeline for his return to the lineup.

Merzlikins stopped 30 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

Brock Boeser got a puck past Merzlikins on a Vancouver power play late in the second period, but otherwise the veteran netminder had an answer for everything the Canucks fired at him. It was Merzlikins' first win since Dec. 4, and on the season he's gone 7-7-1 with a rough 3.84 GAA and .882 save percentage, falling firmly behind Jet Greaves on the Columbus depth chart in the process.

Boeser scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The 28-year-old winger spoiled Elvis Merzlikins' shutout bid late in the second period by firing a shot past the netminder from the faceoff dot. It was Boeser's 10th goal of the season but his first since Nov. 28, snapping a 21-game drought in which he managed to pick up just five assists while stumbling to a minus-20 rating.

Lankinen made 32 saves in Thursday's 4-1 loss to Columbus.

The Canucks' skaters didn't give Lankinen much help on the night, with two of the Blue Jackets' goals coming on power plays and three of them from in close. The veteran netminder has yet to get into the win column in January, going 0-3-1 over five outings with a 3.20 GAA and .893 save percentage, but Lankinen will continue to handle a big workload while Thatcher Demko (lower body) is on the shelf.

Balinskis signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract extension with the Panthers on Friday.

Balinskis has made 36 appearances for the Panthers over the first half of the regular season, racking up a goal, seven assists, 47 hits, 26 blocked shots and 24 PIM while averaging 14:38 of ice time. He also recorded 18 points across 76 appearances with Florida last year and will now remain under contract with the team through the 2027-28 season.