NHL Player News

Vladar stopped all six shots he faced after replacing Samuel Ersson (lower body) to begin the third period of Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Bruins.

Vladar had just returned from his own lower-body injury Wednesday, but he was forced into action in back-to-back games when Ersson wasn't able to answer the bell for the final period. Vladar was set to handle No. 1 duties anyway, and he sports a 16-8-4 record with a 2.49 GAA and .904 save percentage on the season, but he could see even more work than expected if Ersson misses significant time. Aleksei Kolosov will likely be summoned from AHL Lehigh Valley to back up Vladar while Ersson is on the shelf.

Luff was called up from AHL Springfield on an emergency basis Friday.

Luff was recalled and sent down to the minors within hours Thursday and finds himself back with the big club Friday. He has one goal in five NHL games this season. The 28-year-old journeyman leads the Thunderbirds with 13 goals and 33 points in 33 games in 2025-26.

Knight will be between the home pipes versus Columbus on Friday, according to Vinnie Parise of The Hockey News.

Knight is 1-1-1 in his last three games, allowing 10 goals on 78 shots. Overall, Knight is 15-14-7 with three shutouts, a 2.59 GAA and a .910 save percentage, stellar stats for the 24-year-old netminder. The Blue Jackets are generating 3.04 goals per game this season, which is tied for 19th in the league.

Hischier scored the game-winning goal and fired seven shots on net in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over Nashville.

Hischier played the hero in Thursday's contest when he skated the puck coast-to-coast before firing a slapshot from the left wing that ended up top shelf to give New Jersey the overtime win. With Thursday's game-winning tally, he is up to 18 goals, 41 points, 141 shots on net, 41 hits and 46 blocks across 54 games this season. After hitting a wall offensively in early December, the 27-year-old center has been a frequent goal scorer with eight goals, 11 points and 43 shots on net over the last 15 games. He should continue to shine in fantasy and play a strong two-way role for a New Jersey team that sits just seven points out of a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Simashev was reassigned to AHL Tucson on Friday.

The defenseman was a healthy scratch in both games during his recent callup. Overall, Simashev has one assist in 24 NHL games this season. The 20-year-old was drafted sixth overall in 2023, and it still may take awhile before his offensive skills are fantasy worthy in redraft leagues.

Markstrom stopped 27 of 29 shots on net in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Predators.

Markstrom allowed just two even-strength tallies and made six power-play saves en route to his sixth win of January. Overall, the 35-year-old netminder is up to a 15-12-1 record, 3.24 GAA and .881 save percentage across 29 outings this season. The veteran netminder is turning his season around game by game after a rough start to the season. Over his last seven appearances, he has a 5-2-0 record, 2.56 GAA and .893 save percentage. While the Devils remain in the bottom half of the Metropolitan Division standings, they continue to flash signs of life, which should lead to Markstrom playing an important role down the stretch. With his recent turnaround, he holds solid fantasy value in two-goalie formats for the time being.

Annunen turned aside 32 of 35 shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to New Jersey.

Annunen was tasked with recording a high total of saves in regulation to force overtime, in which he ultimately fell short when New Jersey's Nico Hischier rifled the game-winning tally past him 42 seconds into the extra period. With the loss, Annunen now holds a 4-6-2 record, 3.30 GAA and .881 save percentage across 16 outings this season. While the 25-year-old netminder hasn't found the win column in each of his last three outings, he has only one regulation loss across his last six appearances, a stretch during which he has a 2.69 GAA and a .909 save percentage. He remains firmly behind Juuse Saros on the depth chart, but with solid performances such as Thursday's, Annunen could begin to draw more starts if the Predators start slipping out of playoff contention.

McBain supplied two assists and recorded three hits in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes.

McBain dished out the primary helper on goals scored by each of his linemates Thursday, Kailer Yamamoto and Michael Carcone. With the pair of apples, McBain is up to 13 assists, 19 points, 78 shots on net, 186 hits and 37 blocked shots through 54 games this season. Over his last 11 games, the 26-year-old forward has been hot with nine points, a plus-10 rating, 22 shots on net and 38 hits. While his overall offensive numbers don't stand out, McBain is a decent streaming option in deep fantasy leagues that value banger stats, as he's a near shoo-in for his fourth consecutive season north of 200 hits.

Boldy scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Flames.

Boldy found the back of the net late in the third period to give Minnesota a 3-1 lead. The 24-year-old winger has cracked the scoresheet in each of his three outings since returning from a four-game absence between Jan. 17 and Jan. 22 due to a lower-body problem. Boldy has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 10 games in January, and he should continue to have plenty of opportunities to produce as a top-six forward who also has a clear role in power-play situations.

Kaprizov recorded an even-strength goal and a power-play assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Wild.

Kaprizov was silent for most of the game, but he came through in the final period with an assist on Matt Boldy's goal to give the Wild a 3-1 lead. Kaprizov would later close out the game with an empty-netter at the 17:45 mark of the final frame. The star winger has six multi-point efforts in his last seven games and has tallied 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 55 games this season. He's currently one goal away from becoming just the fourth player in 2025-26 with at least 30 goals and 30 helpers.