NHL Player News

Rodrigues will miss Thursday's game in Tampa Bay due to an illness, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Rodrigues has 10 goals and 25 points in 56 outings in 2025-26. Luke Kunin is set to draw into the lineup due to Rodrigues' absence. This is Panthers' final game before the Olympic break, so Rodrigues' next opportunity to play for Florida will come Feb. 26 versus Toronto.

Tarasov is set to start on the road against Tampa Bay on Thursday, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Tarasov is getting his first opportunity to play since he stopped 26 of 31 shots en route to a 5-4 loss to St. Louis on Jan. 29. He's 8-7-2 with a 2.67 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 18 outings in 2025-26. Tampa Bay has been one of the league's top teams dating back to Dec. 20, posting an 18-1-1 record while scoring an outstanding 4.10 goals per game over that stretch.

Shepard was recalled from AHL Belleville on Thursday.

Shepard was sent to the AHL in late January, but he'll rejoin the Senators ahead of their final game before the Olympic break since Linus Ullmark (illness) will be unavailable. James Reimer will serve as the starter during Thursday's road matchup against Philadelphia, while Shepard will serve as the backup before presumably returning to the minors.

Reimer will defend the road crease against Philadelphia on Thursday.

Reimer struggled on the road against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, allowing four goals on 19 shots (.789 save percentage) in a 4-3 regulation loss. However, he'll draw a second consecutive start leading up to the Olympic break since Linus Ullmark (illness) will be unavailable, while Hunter Shepard was recalled from AHL Belleville to serve as the backup netminder. The Flyers are tied for 21st in the NHL with 2.93 goals per game this year.

Ullmark has been ruled out for Thursday's road game against Philadelphia due to flu-like symptoms.

Ullmark returned from a 14-game absence in late January and has picked up wins in each of his two starts since getting back on the ice, posting a 1.50 GAA and .930 save percentage during that time. However, he'll be unavailable for the Senators' final game before the Olympic break, while James Reimer will draw the start. Hunter Shepard was called up by Ottawa to provide additional depth Thursday, but Ullmark will presumably be able to return when the Senators resume play Feb. 26 against Detroit.

Point (lower body) has been ruled out of the upcoming Olympics for Team Canada, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports Thursday.

Point is on long-term injured reserve and hasn't played for the Lightning since Jan. 12 due to his lower-body injury. His status for the Olympics was up in the air, but he'll ultimately be held out and replaced by Seth Jarvis. His next opportunity to suit up for Tampa Bay will be Feb. 25 against Toronto, but it's not yet clear whether he'll be able to do so.

Liljegren scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Liljegren has two points over his last three outings. The 26-year-old defenseman has played a majority of the time lately, but he offers only modest upside on offense. For the season, he's at one goal, 11 points, 34 shots on net, 36 hits, 83 blocked shots, 27 PIM and a minus-6 rating over 42 appearances.

MacKinnon posted two assists, four shots on goal and a plus-4 rating in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

MacKinnon's first assist was the 700th in his career. The 30-year-old has also crossed the 400-goal and 1,100-point marks this season, though he's likely done with reaching any round numbers for the regular season. He's earned five points over his last five outings, and he's up to 40 goals, 53 assists, 244 shots on net, 45 hits, 29 blocked shots, and a plus-48 rating over 55 appearances.

Nichushkin registered three assists, two shots on goal, three hits and a plus-4 rating in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Nichushkin helped out on both of Artturi Lehkonen's goals as well as Josh Manson's game-winner. This was Nichushkin's first multi-point effort since his hat trick versus the Blues on Dec. 31. The 30-year-old winger has earned a goal and six helpers over his last six outings. He's at 34 points in 46 contests this season, matching his output from 43 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He's added 107 shots on net, 41 hits, 18 PIM and a plus-7 rating in 2025-26.

Manson scored a goal on four shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Manson went 11 games without a goal after posting two goals and two assists versus the Senators on Jan. 8. He had four assists in that span before snapping the goal drought with the game-winner Wednesday. The veteran defenseman is up to five goals, 24 points, 87 shots on net, 129 hits, 76 blocked shots, 64 PIM and a plus-37 rating over 55 appearances. While he lacks power-play production, Manson has been excellent in every other area this season as he benefits from playing on a high-scoring team.