NHL Player News

Thomas scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Kraken.

Thomas has back-to-back two-point games since he returned from a leg injury. The 26-year-old center has added five shots on net and a plus-3 rating in those contests. For the season, he's up to 13 goals, 37 points, 65 shots, 25 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 44 outings. This was the Blues' last game before the trade deadline -- if he's not dealt, he'll continue his top-line role when they face the Sharks on Friday night.

Hofer allowed two goals on 36 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Kraken.

Hofer gave up the first and last goals of the game, but the Blues buried three tallies in between to give him enough support. The 25-year-old netminder started consecutive contests for the first time since Jan. 13-16, and he's now won three games in a row for the first time all season. Hofer is up to 15-11-3 with a 2.78 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 33 appearances. He may see a slight edge over Jordan Binnington for starts, but both goalies should see action since the Blues are far off the pace for a playoff spot. The Blues' road trip continues Friday in San Jose.

Boqvist played in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks, logging one shot on goal, one hit and a minus-1 rating.

Boqvist had been scratched for nine straight games since the Islanders traded for Carson Soucy. Ryan Pulock (upper body) was unavailable Wednesday, allowing Boqvist to get back in the lineup. The 25-year-old Boqvist has just one helper with eight shots on net, 10 hits, 18 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 21 appearances this season. When the Islanders are fully healthy, it's unlikely he will see much playing time.

Drouin notched a power-play assist and three shots in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks.

Drouin helped out on Anders Lee's tally in the first period. The 30-year-old Drouin missed one game due to a lower-body injury, and while he was listed on the second line Wednesday, he saw just 13:25 of ice time. His goal drought is up to 37 games, and he's provided just seven helpers in that span, so his trust with head coach Patrick Roy is pretty low at this point. Drouin has 21 points, 73 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 54 appearances this season.

Lee scored a power-play goal on four shots and went minus-2 in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks.

Lee's goal streak is up to four games. This was his first power-play point since Dec. 11, when he buried a pair of tallies with the man advantage against none other than the Ducks. For the season, the veteran winger has 15 goals, 35 points (six on the power play), 150 shots on net, 57 hits and a plus-7 rating over 62 appearances.

Rittich allowed four goals on 25 shots in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Rittich has given up at least four goals in four of his last six outings, going 2-4-0 in that span. The 33-year-old gave up three goals in a span of 5:44 during the first period, which was enough to sink him this time. Rittich is now 13-9-3 with a 2.69 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 25 appearances. Ilya Sorokin will start Thursday's road matchup against the Kings, and he will likely see most of the playing time moving forward, leaving Rittich to fill the backup role.

Strome logged an assist and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Islanders.

Strome saw 15:01 of ice time in his first game action since Jan. 26. The 32-year-old appeared to fall out of favor, with the Ducks often opting to dress seven blueliners, though Strome missed some while ill earlier in the week. The 32-year-old forward has disappointed this year with just nine points, 35 shots on net, 16 hits, 27 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 33 appearances. He is in line to fall short of the 40-point mark for the first time since 2018-19, which he split between the Oilers and Rangers.

Kreider notched two assists in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Islanders.

Kreider has a pair of two-assist games over five contests since the Olympic break. The 34-year-old winger continues to fill a top-line role, and that's helped him be a steady contributor on offense for much of the season. Kreider is up to 35 points (12 on the power play), 101 shots on net, 47 hits, 22 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 55 appearances.

Poehling scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Islanders.

Poehling has two goals over his last four games. The 27-year-old has seen some extra ice time lately as the Ducks navigate some injuries, and he'll likely remain in a larger role until Mikael Granlund (upper body) is able to return. Poehling is at seven goals, 24 points, 61 shots on net, 62 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 54 appearances in his first year with the Ducks, production in line with what he did over the last two campaigns with the Flyers.

Vatrano scored an empty-net goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Islanders.

Vatrano returned from a 22-game absence due to a shoulder injury and was able to get right back on the scoresheet. Prior to the injury, he had gone nine contests without a goal, adding 14 shots on net and two assists in that span. Vatrano has had a down year with just seven points, 70 shots, 67 hits, 36 PIM and a minus-8 rating over 39 appearances. It's possible he will tone down his physical play to protect the shoulder as well, which reduces his fantasy potential overall.