NHL Player News

Staal (lower body) is available for Sunday's game against the Ducks, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Staal participated in Sunday's pregame warmups and has officially been cleared to return after initially being deemed a game-time decision. Over his last five appearances, he's logged two assists, four hits, two blocked shots and two PIM while averaging 14:52 of ice time.

Jarvis (undisclosed) will be available for Sunday's game against the Ducks, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Jarvis was considered a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup after sustaining an injury during Saturday's game against Los Angeles. However, he went through pregame warmups and has been cleared to suit up against the Ducks. Over 10 appearances this month, Jarvis has logged four goals, two assists, 10 hits, nine blocked shots and a plus-6 rating while averaging 19:59 of ice time.

Necas scored a power-play goal and had three shots on goal in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win against the Canadiens.

Necas lit the lamp with the man advantage for Colorado's third goal of the game early in the second period. The 26-year-old forward has 24 goals, 75 points and 181 shots on net in 71 appearances this season. Necas has points in back-to-back games and 11 points in his last 12 outings. He has also been a strong presence on the Avalanche's top power-play unit with eight power-play tallies in that same span. While he has bounced around Colorado's lineup in different line combinations, he should always have either Nathan MacKinnon or Brock Nelson centering his line, giving Necas strong offensive outlets to share the puck with. Necas' 75 points are tied for 15th in the league, and he has the chance to break the 80-point threshold by the end of the regular season for the first time in his career.

Nelson scored a goal, dished out an assist and put away the game-winning tally in the shootout of Saturday's 5-4 win over the Canadiens.

Nelson tallied an assist on Colorado's second goal of the game before scoring the team's final tally in regulation to open scoring in the third period. He then scored the game-winning tally in the shootout as Colorado's fourth player to attempt a shot. The 33-year-old center has points in back-to-back contests for the first time since joining the Avalanche and four points in his last two games. Nelson is up to 23 goals, 26 assists and 174 shots on net in 69 games this season. The veteran center has fit in nicely on Colorado's second line but has also played well in specific situations alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin on the top line. Nelson should provide consistent offense for the rest of the season, and he's a strong play in all fantasy formats for the postseason.

Staal (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's road game against the Ducks, per Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal.

Staal missed his first game of the season Saturday against the Kings due to his lower-body injury. In addition to Staal, Seth Jarvis (undisclosed) is a game-time call for Sunday's game. Mark Jankowski will center the third line again if Staal is unable to suit up.

Head coach Rick Tocchet said Sunday that Pettersson (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.

Pettersson sustained an undisclosed injury during Saturday's loss to the Rangers, and he was unable to participate in Sunday's practice session. Tocchet said that Pettersson was still sore Sunday, so the 26-year-old forward's status certainly appears to be up in the air ahead of Monday's game against the Devils. Nils Hoglander (undisclosed) is also banged up, and Aatu Raty and Linus Karlsson are candidates to enter the lineup if either Pettersson or Hoglander are sidelined.

Jarvis (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup against Anaheim, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Jarvis sustained an injury during Saturday's game against the Kings, but head coach Rod Brind'Amour said before Sunday's matchup that he hopes the 23-year-old forward will be able to play against the Ducks. However, the Hurricanes' medical staff will wait until after warmups before determining Jarvis' status. Jarvis' early exit snapped a six-game point streak in which he racked up four goals, two assists, five hits, five blocked shots and a plus-6 rating.

Bemstrom (undisclosed) won't play against Florida on Sunday.

Bemstrom will miss his third straight game. He has contributed one assist, 11 shots on goal and nine hits in 10 NHL outings this season. Due to Bemstrom's absence, Joona Koppanen will remain in the lineup for Sunday's matchup.

Novak (lower body) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Novak recently resumed skating, but he'll be unavailable for a sixth consecutive matchup as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury. It's not yet clear when he'll be in the mix to return to game action, but his next opportunity to do so will be Tuesday in Tampa Bay.

Strome scored a goal on his lone shot on net in Saturday's 6-3 win over Florida.

Strome tallied the latter of two goals scored by the Capitals in the first minute of the second period. The 28-year-old center is up to 23 goals, 45 assists and 123 shots on net in 70 games this season. With his tally Saturday, Strome set a new career high in points with 68, passing his 67 from last season. That production includes 22 points in his last 21 games. Strome has thrived centering Washington's top line this season, as he's tied for 26th in points across the league.