NHL Player News

Vilardi had three assists in a 4-1 win over the Flyers on Thursday.

Two of the helpers came on the power play. Vilardi has finally been healthy enough to show off his true potential this season. He has 58 points, including 26 goals, in 63 games, and 24 of those points have come on the power play (11 goals, 13 assists). Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor dominated Philly on Thursday with eight points (two goals, six assists).

Nelson and William Dufour were traded to the Avalanche from the Islanders on Thursday in exchange for Oliver Kylington, Calum Ritchie, a conditional first-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick.

Nelson's tenure with the Islanders, the only team he's known in the NHL since he was drafted 30th overall in 2010, is over. He reached the 20-goal mark nine times in 12 seasons with the club, including this year after scoring in his last game as an Islander on Tuesday versus the Jets. He'll now join a true contender and slot in as the second-line center behind Nathan MacKinnon as the Avalanche look to climb the mountain again. Nelson was one of the top forwards on the market, and while he may end up being a rental for the Avalanche, he's an immediate upgrade over Casey Mittelstadt, who could slip down the lineup, move to the wing or both to accommodate this move.

McCann scored a power-play goal on three shots and added two hits in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Predators.

This was just McCann's second goal in his last 15 games, though he's added seven assists in that span. The 28-year-old got the Kraken within two goals in the third period, but they couldn't build a comeback effort. The winger is up to 16 tallies, 45 points (11 on the power play), 149 shots on net, 34 hits, 35 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating across 63 appearances this season. He's on pace for his worst goal and point totals in the last three years.

Wiesblatt notched an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

Wiesblatt earned his first career point with a helper on a Michael McCarron tally late in the second period, which stood as the game-winner. This is Wiesblatt's third stint on the NHL roster, and with the Predators entering sell mode, he may stick around this time. He's added three shots on net, eight hits and a plus-2 rating over four NHL appearances, though he'll likely be limited to a bottom-six role for now.

Sissons notched an assist, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

Sissons has gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive contests for the first time since his three-game streak from Jan. 18-23. The 31-year-old forward earned an assist for the second straight game when he set up a Filip Forsberg tally in the first period. Sissons started the year ice cold on offense, but he's up to 21 points, 70 shots on net, 86 hits, 63 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 61 appearances. With Steven Stamkos going from center to the wing after the Gustav Nyquist trade, Sissons is getting a look as the second-line center again, and he's poised to do better in that role this time around.

Marchessault registered an assist and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

Marchessault has a point in each of his last two outings following a five-game slump. The 34-year-old winger set up the second of Filip Forsberg's two tallies in this contest. Marchessault has 19 goals, 28 helpers, 181 shots on net, 67 hits and a minus-17 rating through 62 appearances. While his season hasn't been perfect, he's still within striking distance of the 60-point mark at his current pace while adding a high shot volume.

O'Reilly recorded an assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

O'Reilly continues to play well of late -- he has six points over his last five outings with multiple shots on net in each of those games. The 34-year-old center helped out on Brady Skjei's tally in the second period. O'Reilly is up to 40 points, 117 shots on net, 57 blocked shots and a minus-17 rating across 59 appearances. He's still got time to push for 50-plus points on the year, and he should have no trouble maintaining a top-six role down the stretch.

Scheifele scored a goal and added two assists in a 4-1 win over Philadelphia on Thursday.

His goal was his 35th of the season, and it came on the power play. Scheifele crashed the net and knocked in a rebound off a Gabriel Vilardi shot. He's having the best season of his career. Scheifele is on a three-game, five-point streak that includes three power-play points, and he has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in his last 13 games. Overall, his 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists) in 63 games put him on pace for 92 points, including 45 goals. Scheifele really should be in consideration for the Hart Trophy -- he's been that great this season.

Stamkos logged two assists, two blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

This was Stamkos' second multi-point effort in a row as he tries to make up for his recent 13-game slump. He set up tallies by Brady Skjei and Luke Evangelista in Thursday's win. Stamkos is up to 38 points (14 on the power play), 132 shots on net, 52 hits, 33 blocked shots, 40 PIM and a minus-20 rating over 62 appearances -- he's on pace for his worst non-injury-shortened season since his rookie year.

Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick were acquired by Boston from Minnesota on Thursday in exchange for Justin Brazeau.

Khusnutdinov has two goals and seven points in 57 appearances with Minnesota in 2024-25. He was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Saturday but didn't end up playing for the minor-league squad. Boston might summon Khusnutdinov back to the NHL to serve in a bottom-six capacity, but that hasn't been confirmed.