NHL Player News

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.

Nelson scored a goal, added two hits and went minus-2 in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Nelson has had a nose for the net in January with 12 goals and five assists over 13 outings. The 34-year-old center is up to a total of 28 goals, 47 points, 117 shots, 41 blocked shots, 26 hits and a plus-6 rating. Nelson has never had a 40-goal campaign -- his best was a 37-goal effort over 72 outings in 2021-22. He shot 21.6 percent that season and is at 23.9 in 2025-26, so a career high is possible as long as his luck doesn't fade.

Veleno was a healthy scratch for the third straight game in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Jake Evans and Alexandre Texier recently returned from injuries, leaving no room for Veleno in the lineup. Over 46 outings this season, Veleno has just four points with 44 shots on net, 111 hits and 15 PIM. Even if he draws back in, he'll be limited to bottom-six usage.

Xhekaj's point drought reached 20 games in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Xhekaj has been a physical force as usual, racking up 49 PIM and 71 hits during his slump on offense. He's added just 10 shots on net in that span. The 25-year-old defenseman is holding down a third-pairing role while Jayden Struble sits as a healthy scratch, but Xhekaj is tough to roster in fantasy if he's not going to chip in at least a little offense. For the season, he has just two points with 32 shots on net, 104 PIM, 131 hits and a minus-7 rating through 48 appearances.

Bolduc recorded two assists, three shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Bolduc has five helpers over his last eight outings. The 22-year-old forward has gone 17 games without a goal, though he has just 20 shots on net in that span. He's in a middle-six role for now, but that lack of scoring production will make it difficult for him to maintain his ice time. Bolduc is now at 22 points, 76 shots on net, 109 hits, 30 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 54 appearances, so he can help fantasy managers in a variety of ways if his offense improves slightly.

Kapanen notched two assists and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Kapanen set up Nick Suzuki's shorthanded tally in the first period and Juraj Slafkovsky's goal in the third. This performance ended a seven-game skid for Kapanen, though that slump didn't cost him his second-line role. The 22-year-old rookie is at 29 points (three shorthanded) through 54 appearances, which is tied for fifth in the rookie scoring race. He's added 95 shots on net, 53 blocked shots, 19 hits and a plus-2 rating as he continues to fill a two-way role for the Canadiens.

Demidov notched two assists, including one on the power play, and fired two shots on goal in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Demidov has gone six games without a goal but has five assists in that span. The 20-year-old's January has been fine with one goal and 11 helpers over 15 appearances, and his performance Thursday moved him back to the top of the rookie points leaderboard. He's at 11 goals, 34 assists, 77 shots on net and a plus-7 rating through 54 outings overall.

Hutson logged two assists, including one on the power play, and added two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Hutson has six multi-point efforts over 15 outings in January. He's earned a total of four goals and 13 assists this month, and he continues to be a steady source of offense while adding stable production in plus-minus rating and blocks. For the season, the 21-year-old has nine goals, 46 helpers, 16 power-play points, 87 blocks, 88 shots on net and a plus-16 rating through 54 appearances.

Evans scored a goal and blocked two shots in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Evans has scored in consecutive contests. The 29-year-old forward continues to fill a bottom-six role, but he's moving toward more of a two-way contribution rather than pure defense. The veteran forward has seven goals, six assists, 42 shots on net, 47 hits, 30 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 40 appearances.

Carrier scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Avalanche.

Carrier has five goals over his last nine outings. That's a solid rate for any player, and especially a shutdown defenseman. For the season, he's at six goals, 17 points, 46 shots on net, 121 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 54 appearances. Carrier continues to have appeal in deeper fantasy formats, especially while he's being productive on offense.