NHL Player News

Murphy scored a goal and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Penguins.

Murphy scored the opening goal at 9:32 of the first period. The Penguins had the next six tallies before Connor Bedard stopped the bleeding. Murphy has three goals and an assist over his last 12 games, an unusual burst of offense for the shutdown defenseman. He's now at 10 points, 50 shots on net, 52 hits, 81 blocked shots, 44 PIM and a minus-3 rating over 54 appearances.

Hayes was scratched for the 14th time in 16 games in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Hayes has found himself firmly in the press box in January, and it's unclear what it would take for him to carve out a spot in the lineup. The 33-year-old will be ready on a moment's notice, but the Penguins are working on incorporating more young players in the lineup. Hayes hasn't helped his own cause this season, earning five points, 39 shots on net, 27 hits and a minus-5 rating over 23 appearances.

Solovyov recorded an assist and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.

This was Solovyov's debut for the Penguins after he was traded from the Avalanche earlier in the month. The 25-year-old didn't have to wait long for his first point, setting up Ryan Shea's goal in the second period. Solovyov has a total of four points, 14 shots on net, 20 hits, 20 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 17 appearances this season. He may get to play regularly while Ryan Graves (lower body), Jack St. Ivany (hand) and Caleb Jones (lower body) are out, though Connor Clifton is also in the mix for third-pairing minutes.

Lizotte notched two assists, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Lizotte has a pair of two-assist efforts over his last five games. The 28-year-old forward has found a steady role in the Penguins' bottom six and on the penalty kill. For the season, he's at 15 points, 42 shots on net, 36 hits, 23 blocked shots, 21 PIM and a plus-8 rating over 43 appearances. Lizotte doesn't have much fantasy appeal outside of deep formats.

Acciari notched two assists, four shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Acciari ended a five-game slump with the pair of helpers, both coming on Connor Dewar's goals. This was Acciari's first multi-point effort of the season. He's at 13 points in 39 appearances, one point better than what he did in 79 contests in 2024-25. The 34-year-old has added 49 shots on net, 43 hits, 31 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating while playing in a fourth-line role.

Chinakhov scored a goal on five shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Chinakhov has three goals and an assist during a four-game point streak. The 24-year-old is thriving on the second line and has seen 15-plus minutes of ice time in four of his last six outings. For the season, the winger has nine goals, 14 points, 61 shots on net, 36 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 43 contests between the Penguins and the Blue Jackets, though his eight points in 14 appearances for Pittsburgh suggests he's trending up.

Shea scored a goal on three shots, added an assist, went plus-3 and logged two hits in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Shea has a goal and four assists during his four-game point streak. While the Penguins' defense is nearly at full health again, Shea has remained productive from the third pairing. He's up to three goals, 21 points, 51 shots on net, 62 blocked shots, 31 hits and a plus-21 rating over 52 appearances. Shea's stats don't jump off the page, but he's been steady enough to help in deep fantasy formats.

Malinski notched an assist, four shots on goal and two PIM in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Malinski signed a four-year contract extension Tuesday. That deal came as he's proven himself in a top-four role alongside Cale Makar in the absence of Devon Toews (upper body). Malinski has posted just four helpers with 40 shots on net and 18 blocked shots over his last 15 outings since a three-assist game in Vegas on Dec. 27. Overall, the 27-year-old blueliner has 25 points, 104 shots on net, 57 blocked shots, 25 hits and a plus-27 rating through 52 appearances, numbers worthy of a look in deeper fantasy formats.

Girard posted an assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Girard had gone 13 games without a point entering Thursday. The 27-year-old blueliner has held a steady role on the third pairing during his slump, though that role may be contributing to his difficulties on offense. For the season, Girard is at 12 points, 31 shots on net, 34 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 37 appearances.

Kiviranta scored a goal and added two hits in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Kiviranta picked up his first goal and second point over four games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The winger is up to two goals, six points, 18 shots and 35 hits through 25 appearances. Kiviranta will continue to fill a primarily defensive role in the Avalanche's bottom six -- don't expect him to approach the pace that yielded 16 goals and 23 points in 79 regular-season outings last year.