NHL Player News

Mittelstadt notched two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Jets.

Mittelstadt has four helpers over his last five games. While he hasn't scored in nine contests, he remains a productive playmaker from a second-line role for the Bruins. The 27-year-old is up to 36 points, 70 shots on net and a plus-9 rating over 59 appearances.

Gustavsson will tend the twine at home against Dallas on Saturday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Gustavsson has been splitting the workload with Jesper Wallstedt of late, starting in four of the Wild's last eight contests. In those outings, the 27-year-old Gustavsson is 3-1-0 with a 2.28 GAA and one shutout. While the team may continue to divide the work in the regular season, it will likely be Gustavsson's net come the playoffs.

Eriksson Ek (lower body) has been ruled out of Saturday's clash versus Dallas, per Jessi Pierce of NHL.com.

Eriksson Ek will sit out his third straight game. The 29-year-old center has 17 goals, 27 assists, 92 hits, a plus-13 rating and 28 blocked shots across 62 outings this season. He is day-to-day and could return as early as Tuesday in Tampa Bay.

Kaprizov (lower body) will not play in Saturday's clash with Dallas, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.

Kaprizov will miss his second straight game as he continues to work his way back from a lower-body injury. Prior to getting hurt, the Russian winger notched three goals and two assists, including one power-play point, in his last six outings. Once given the all-clear, Kaprizov should be a lock to reclaim spots on the first line and No. 1 power-play unit.

Aspirot scored a goal, added two hits, blocked two shots and went plus-4 in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Jets.

Aspirot has three points over his last seven outings despite seeing steady time on the Bruins' blue line. Prior to Thursday, he hadn't scored in the calendar year, picking up eight assists with a plus-12 rating over 26 outings dating back to Jan. 3. Aspirot has done well this year to establish himself as a full-time NHL option, but his offense -- 11 points in 48 contests -- isn't that strong. He's added 34 shots on net, 77 hits, 64 blocked shots, 39 PIM and a plus-26 rating.

Minten scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Jets.

Minten has two goals over his last five games. While he's not generating a lot of offense, he has been on a line with David Pastrnak lately, which gives Minten some potential. For the season, the 21-year-old Minten is at 16 goals, 31 points, 97 shots on net, 124 hits, 45 blocked shots and a plus-22 rating over 69 appearances.

Blackwood will guard the visiting cage in Chicago on Friday, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

Blackwood has struggled of late, going 0-2-0 in his last four appearances, allowing 14 goals on just 68 shots (.794 save percentage). Blackwood is 18-8-1 with a 2.48 GAA and a .904 save percentage over 29 appearances this season. The Blackhawks have managed 2.60 goals per game this season, tied for 29th in the NHL.

Colton (upper body) will remain out of the lineup versus the Blackhawks on Friday, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

Colton will be out of action for his fifth straight game due to his upper-body issue. The 29-year-old winger has managed just one goal in his last 10 outings, and he figures to remain a low-end fantasy target even once cleared to return.

Kuznetsov (upper body) is expected to continue to miss out versus Florida on Friday, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Kuznetsov will be out of action for his third straight game due to his upper-body problem. The blueliner is mired in an 18-game goal drought during which he has recorded just 23 shots and three assists. Given his offensive limitations, Kuznetsov's absence is unlikely to impact the majority of fantasy players.

Gostisbehere (lower body) isn't expected to play in Friday's game against the Maple Leafs, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Gostisbehere didn't participate in Friday's morning skate, signaling that he'll miss a seventh consecutive game due to his lower-body injury. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to return, but his next chance to do so will be Sunday against Pittsburgh.