NHL Player News

Fabbro (lower body) will be a game-time decision against the Devils on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Fabbro is nearing a return to the lineup after missing the last six games due to his lower-body injury. Presumably, if the blueliner isn't quite ready to play Tuesday, he'll be in the mix to return versus the Blackhawks on Wednesday. With just seven points in 48 games this year, Fabbro may miss the 20-point threshold.

Marchenko (illness) will not be in the lineup against the Devils on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Marchenko was riding a four-game point streak before coming down with an illness that will sideline him for Tuesday's tilt. According to Svoboda, the Jackets are still hoping to have the winger available versus the Blackhawks on Wednesday. In the meantime, Isac Lundestrom will get a shot in a first-line role Tuesday.

Merzlikins will be between the pipes on the road versus New Jersey on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Merzlikins has been forcing his way into a larger share of the workload in Columbus, featuring in five of the club's last eight contests. In those outings, the 31-year-old netminder has posted a 4-1-0 record and a 2.49 GAA. With Merzlikins going Tuesday, the Jackets figure to deploy Jet Greaves in Wednesday's clash with the Blackhawks.

Boldy recorded two assists and put two shots on net in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens.

Boldy picked up two secondary helpers on the night, including one on Kirill Kaprizov's game-winning goal in overtime. Monday's pair of helpers brought Boldy up to 29 assists, 58 points, 167 shots on net, 40 hits and 33 blocked shots across 53 games this season. Dating back to before his four-game absence due to a lower-body injury, the 24-year-old winger is on a six-game point streak. At his current scoring pace, he is well on his way to another 70-plus-point campaign and has an outside shot to record 80 points or more for the first time in his five-year career.

Vladar will get the starting nod at home against the Capitals on Tuesday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Vladar has gone six straight appearances in the crease without registering a win, going 0-2-2 with a 3.22 GAA. Still, the 28-year-old backstop remains the No. 1 option for the Flyers, especially with Samuel Ersson (lower body) dealing with an injury. Even with his recent struggles, Vladar should still be capable of reaching the 20-win mark for the first time in his NHL career.

Schmaltz recorded a hat trick and added a power-play assist in Monday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.

Schmaltz had gone pointless in his previous two games but delivered an impressive performance in this blowout win. This was his second hat trick of the season, as the previous came in a 6-3 win over the Sharks on Oct. 17, and it boosted his tally to 22 goals on the season. Schmaltz ranks second in the team in goals (22) and points (51) behind Dylan Guenther and Clayton Keller, respectively.

Crouse recorded a goal and an assist in Monday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.

Crouse gave Utah a 4-1 lead with a wrister midway through the second period, and he closed things out by setting up Nick Schmaltz's third-period tally. Crouse also snapped a four-game pointless skid, as his last game with a point happened Jan. 21 when he scored a goal in a 5-4 win over the Flyers. The 28-year-old, who has 28 points in 55 games this season, should continue to have opportunities to produce as long as he stays in a top-six role.

Johansson supplied two assists in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over Montreal.

Johansson recorded the primary helper on Joel Eriksson Ek's goal just 38 seconds into regulation before later feeding the puck up the ice to Brock Faber for the game-tying goal. With the pair of helpers, Johansson is up to 24 assists, 37 points and 78 shots on net through 52 games this season. Monday's multi-point game was the 16-year NHL veteran's first of the calendar year after posting strong offensive totals in December. If he can find a fraction of that pace down the stretch of the regular season, he has a chance to record the second 50-plus-point campaign of his career. Johansson is a solid streaming option in deep fantasy leagues while he holds a role in Minnesota's top six.

Vejmelka stopped 21 of 23 shots in Monday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.

Vejmelka was beaten in the first and second periods, but by the time the Canucks scored their second goal, Utah's lead was already big, so his win was never at risk. Perhaps more importantly, Vejmelka snapped a three-game losing skid, and the 29-year-old got back to winning ways after he secured eight wins in a row between Jan. 5 and Jan. 24. The 29-year-old netminder has gone 10-4-0 with a 2.43 GAA and a .911 save percentage since the beginning of January.

Hughes distributed three assists and fired six shots on net in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens.

Hughes delivered a helper on each of Minnesota's final three goals Monday, including the primary pass on Kirill Kaprizov's game-winning goal late into the extra period. With the trio of apples, Hughes eclipsed the 50-assist mark on the year, which ranks sixth in the NHL and leads all defensemen. Not only is the 26-year-old blueliner trending toward his fifth consecutive campaign with 60-plus assists, but he also has a chance to reach 70 helpers for just the second time in his career. The only other time Hughes reached that mark was during his 92-point campaign during the 2023-24 season, which resulted in his first Norris Trophy. While his current goal total of five is well behind the 17 he posted in 82 regular-season games that year and trails Norris Trophy candidate Zach Werenski by 14 tallies, Hughes is heating up with 14 points on his nine-game point streak, which should bolster his already strong case for the top-defenseman award.