NHL Player News

Coyle scored three goals on six shots, dished an assist and went plus-3 in Friday's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Coyle's first goal came on the power play, and his last one was an empty-netter to seal his second career hat trick. The 33-year-old has flipped a switch this week, earning five goals and four assists over his last three outings. For the season, he's at 15 goals, 39 points, 91 shots on net, 72 hits, 34 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 53 appearances. Coyle's well on his way to topping the 50-point mark for just the third time in his career, and he could flirt with his career-best mark of 60 points from 2023-24 with the Bruins.

Merzlikins stopped 22 of 24 shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Merzlikins earned his 10th win of the season and his fourth victory in his last five outings with this performance. The Blackhawks' top line accounted for both goals against, but Charlie Coyle's hat trick was plenty of help for Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets. On the season, Merzlikins is 10-8-1 with a 3.67 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 20 appearances. The Blue Jackets will likely turn to Jet Greaves for Saturday's game in St. Louis, but Merzlikins has done well to work himself back into a timeshare in the crease.

Taylor recorded three assists in AHL Texas' 6-5 overtime win over Henderson on Friday.

Taylor has earned eight helpers over his last six games. That stretch accounts for half of his 16 points in 41 outings this season, and it shows he's starting to find his rhythm at the AHL level. He's on the first season of a two-year, entry-level contract, so he'll need to continue impressing in Texas to remain part of the Stars' organizational plans in the future.

McDonald scored two goals in AHL Texas' 6-5 overtime win over Henderson on Friday.

McDonald has racked up three goals over the last two games. It looks like he has his timing back after missing more than two months to begin the season while recovering from an ACL surgery. The 23-year-old winger has nine points in 15 AHL games, and he's yet to make his NHL debut despite getting a call-up during the 2024-25 campaign.

Jones scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Iowa's 3-2 win over Milwaukee on Friday.

Jones has shuttled to and from Iowa frequently this season, as his presence has been needed as a depth forward in the NHL multiple times. He's done well at the AHL level, earning four goals and six assists over 11 contests. Jones also has two points in 26 NHL games, adding 53 hits and a minus-10 rating. He'll be in the AHL as long as the Wild stay relatively healthy at the NHL level.

Romano scored a goal and added two assists in OHL Kitchener's 7-2 win over Windsor on Friday.

Romano has had a few too many quiet stretches this season. He's picked up three goals and five helpers over his last six outings, but he was limited to a goal and three assists over the nine games before that. Overall, he has 12 goals, 31 points and 123 shots on net over 46 contests, a pace slower than what he showed with 25 goals and 26 assists over 67 regular-season outings in 2024-25.

Carbonneau scored twice in QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand's 7-0 win over Quebec on Friday.

Carbonneau has gotten back on track after some struggles earlier in January. He's earned seven goals and five assists over his last seven outings. For the season, the Blues prospect has 37 goals, 57 points and a plus-17 rating across 41 appearances.

Martone scored a goal and added two assists in Michigan State University's 6-3 win over Penn State on Friday.

Martone is up to 15 goals and 31 points in 23 contests for the Spartans this season. He's been consistently good lately, earning seven points over his last six games. The 19-year-old looks like a big piece of the Flyers' future, though it's not yet clear if he'll be one-and-done in the NCAA.

Foligno (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Blue Jackets, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.

Foligno sustained the injury Thursday versus the Penguins. The 38-year-old is still considered day-to-day for now, but he'll miss at least one contest, and if the injury is significant enough, the Blackhawks could hold him out through the Olympic break. No additional details were made available regarding Foligno's injury.

Nylander (groin) skated on the second line during Friday's practice session, Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reports, suggesting that he could return to the lineup for Saturday's game against Vancouver.

Nylander said Monday that he hoped to return at some point during the Maple Leafs' four-game road trip heading into the Olympic break, and although he missed Thursday's game against Seattle, he could suit up two days later. The Maple Leafs will presumably monitor Nylander's status ahead of Saturday's puck drop, but it's encouraging that he participated in Friday's practice session on the second line and on the first power-play unit.