NHL Player News

Kulich (upper body) left Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over Vegas in the second period and did not return, Jourdon LaBarber of the Sabres' official site reports.

Kulich sustained the injury after taking a hard hit from Vegas forward Brett Howden. According to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, head coach Lindy Ruff thought Kulich was doing "pretty good" after Saturday's victory. However, the 20-year-old forward will be evaluated further before Monday's road matchup versus Boston. Kulich entered Saturday's action with 12 goals, 103 shots on net and 19 points in 48 appearances this season.

Blackwell went minus-2 in 11:21 of ice time in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Jets.

Blackwell has played in two straight games while Roope Hintz (face) is out. Prior to that, Blackwell was scratched for five straight contests. The 31-year-old's playing time outlook took a hit when the Stars acquired Mikko Rantanen -- Blackwell has mainly played as a right winger this year, and he became the odd man out after that trade. For the season, Blackwell has done alright in a limited role with 13 points, 56 shots on net, 75 hits and 21 blocked shots over 52 outings, but his place in the lineup is not guaranteed when the Stars are healthy up front.

Rasmussen scored a goal, had five shots on net, dished two hits and blocked two shots in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

Rasmussen lit the lamp in the third period, earning his first point since his return from a head injury. Overall, he is up to 10 goals, 17 points, 84 shots on net and 113 hits in 61 appearances this season. The 25-year-old center is currently on the fourth line and back to his role of bringing physicality to Detroit's bottom six. While his fantasy value has a low ceiling, Rasmussen could be a good add for banger leagues down the stretch if he can find the goal-scoring consistency he found last month.

Barron scored a goal and added two hits in Friday's 4-1 win over the Stars.

Barron scored the Jets' fourth goal, earning his first point in seven appearances since returning from an upper-body injury. The Jets added Brandon Tanev at the trade deadline, leading Barron to shift to center on the fourth line and bumping David Gustafsson out of the lineup. Barron has nine points, 72 shots on net, 97 hits, 34 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating across 59 appearances this season.

Kotkaniemi dished two assists and tallied two shots on goal in Friday's 4-2 win against Detroit.

Kotkaniemi had a productive second period by tallying the primary assist on goals by Taylor Hall and Jack Roslovic. With his helpers, the 24-year-old Kotkaniemi eclipsed the 30-point mark in 66 appearances this season. After a five-game drought of finding his name off the scoresheet, Kotkaniemi is slowly getting into a rhythm with four points in his past eight games. With the Hurricanes mixing up line combinations, Kotkaniemi is currently centering Carolina's second unit at even strength and on the power play. If he has a few more performances like Friday's, Kotkaniemi could have sneaky value for the fantasy playoffs.

Scheifele recorded three assists, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-1 win over the Stars.

Scheifele had a solid showing against one of the best teams in the Western Conference, leaving his mark with helpers on three of Winnpeg's four goals. The 32-year-old has notched seven assists across his last six games. Scheifele has 40 helpers and 35 goals across 67 appearances this season.

Novak (lower body) won't play Saturday against the Devils, Justin Guerriero of Tribune-Review Sports reports.

It will be the third game Novak has missed since suffering an injury last Sunday against the Wild. The 27-year-old Novak has gone scoreless in two games with the Penguins this year after recording 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 52 contests with Nashville before being traded.

Horvat scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Oilers.

Horvat scored on a snap shot in the early stages of the third period. Despite getting his 21st goal of 2024-25, he hasn't been a reliable scoring weapon this season. Horvat has contributed only three tallies and six points across his last 15 outings. The Islanders need the 29-year-old to do better on a more consistent basis.

Roslovic scored a goal, dished an assist and had two shots on net in Friday's 4-2 win against Detroit.

Roslovic put together a productive second period, registering a goal and an assist in less than five minutes. After tallying an assist on Taylor Hall's goal, Roslovic scored his own to give Carolina an early 2-1 lead. Overall, the 28-year-old Roslovic has 21 goals, 12 assists and 113 shots on net in 65 appearances this season. He is on a three-game point streak since the trade deadline and has taken advantage of his increased role on the second line and second power-play unit. With Carolina likely to shake up its line combinations down the stretch, Roslovic could have fluctuating value. Regardless, he is third on the team in goals and should continue to see at least middle-six minutes moving forward.

Draisaitl scored two goals on six shots and posted a plus-2 rating in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Islanders.

Draisaitl was the hero for the Oilers on Friday, scoring the team's two goals and taking advantage of a breakaway in overtime to give Edmonton the win. His two-goal performance allowed him to reach the 100-point mark for a fourth straight campaign and the sixth time across his last seven seasons. Draisaitl has compiled 49 goals and 51 assists across 66 games in 2024-25 while also riding an impressive 17-game point streak.