NHL Player News

Merzlikins turned aside both shots he faced during a brief relief appearance in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Predators.

Jet Greaves left the game midway through the first period to get checked for a concussion and missed a little over eight minutes, with Merzlikins holding down the fort in the meantime. Both netminders have put up impressive numbers lately, as they work in a timeshare. Over his last nine outings, Merzlikins has gone 6-2-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .911 save percentage.

Greaves stopped 21 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Nashville.

The 24-year-old netminder missed a chunk of the first period to get checked for a concussion after taking an elbow from Nick Blankenburg. However, Greaves received clearance to return and kept the visitors off the scoreboard in the third to help the Blue Jackets rally from a 2-1 deficit. He hasn't taken a regulation loss since Jan. 8, going 7-0-1 over his last nine outings with a 2.34 GAA and .915 save percentage. Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins have been sharing time in the Columbus crease, but those plans could change if the team decides to ride the hot hand.

Annunen made 24 saves in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The Predators took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but goals by Sean Monahan and Charlie Coyle -- both of which deflected in off bodies in front -- flipped the script. The 25-year-old Annunen has been a decent backup lately, going 2-2-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .906 save percentage over his last five outings.

Frank inked a two-year, $4 million contract extension with Washington on Wednesday.

Frank is currently mired in a 13-game goal drought during which he recorded three assists, 15 shots and 16 blocks while averaging 12:49 of ice time. The 28-year-old winger has set new personal bests in games played (52), goals (11) and assists (12) this season and should continue to be a presence in the Caps' bottom-six.

Cossa was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids on Wednesday.

Cossa hasn't appeared in an NHL game yet this season, but he made a relief appearance with the Red Wings in 2024-25. The decision to bring up the 23-year-old netminder doesn't bode well for John Gibson's (upper body) availability against the Golden Knights on Wednesday -- though Gibson likely would have been serving in a backup role anyway. Look for Cossa to serve as the No. 2 option versus Vegas behind Cam Talbot.

Balinskis registered an assist and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Devils.

Balinskis missed one game due to an undisclosed injury. The defenseman resumed a top-four role and helped out on an Anton Lundell tally. Balinskis has 15 points (six on the power play), 63 hits, 62 shots on net, 38 blocked shots, 28 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 51 appearances this season. He carries some upside in deep fantasy formats for his all-around production.

Lundell scored a goal on three shots and went minus-2 in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Devils.

Lundell's goal was the 200th point of his career. The Finnish forward is up to 17 goals, 43 points, 130 shots on net, 72 hits, 35 blocked shots, 30 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 58 appearances. Lundell has earned two goals and five helpers over his last six outings and continues to offer steady offense in a top-six role.

Gritsyuk scored a goal on three shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Panthers.

Gritsyuk scored for the first time since Jan. 20 versus the Oilers. This was his 10th goal of the campaign, and it ended a six-game point drought. The 24-year-old winger has 24 points, 126 shots on net, 50 hits, 22 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 57 appearances this season, primarily in a middle-six role. Gritsyuk has some upside in deeper fantasy formats but has yet to stand out in any one area.

Nemec scored an empty-net goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Panthers.

Nemec ended a nine-game point drought with the tally. The 22-year-old defenseman is filling a bottom-four role, though the Devils often spread the ice time around on defense. He has nine goals, 21 points, 72 shots on net, 66 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 47 appearances. If the Devils can trade Dougie Hamilton prior to Friday's deadline, Nemec would be in the best position to see an increased role, particularly on the power play.

Glass scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Panthers.

Glass ended an eight-game goal drought with the tally. He had just one assist in that span. The 26-year-old has filled a third-line role lately, and his limited ice time makes it tough to rely on him for steady offense. He's put together a decent campaign with 14 goals, 20 points, 84 shots on net, 33 hits, 28 blocked shots, 23 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 49 appearances. That's fine production for his role, but it's not really enough to move the needle in most fantasy formats.