NHL Player News

Thomas was scratched for the fourth straight game in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Thomas got into six of eight games between Jan. 22 and Feb. 7, but he failed to record a point in that span. The Kings have opted to go back to dressing seven defensemen, with Thomas the forward most frequently coming out of the lineup to accommodate that composition. The 25-year-old has had a tough season with just three points over 22 outings after producing four points in a seven-game sample late in 2023-24. He's too old to have his development prioritized at this point, which makes it tough to see him carving out much playing time when the Kings are healthy.

Byfield recorded an assist and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Byfield helped out on Adrian Kempe's goal to get the Kings on the board at 9:16 of the third period. The 22-year-old Byfield has been all assists lately, earning 11 of them during his nine-game goal drought. The forward has at least found a groove on offense after scuffling at times earlier in the season. He's up to 34 points, 107 shots on net, 47 hits, 30 PIM and a plus-8 rating over 56 appearances.

Joshua logged a power-play assist in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.

Joshua helped out on the first of Conor Garland's two tallies in the contest. Power-play time has been rare for Joshua throughout his career, but he's been consistently seeing time in that situation during February. The 28-year-old winger's last two points have come on the power play, and he's up to six points, 18 shots on net, 111 hits, 22 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 33 outings this season.

Chytil notched two assists, including one on the power play, and added two shots on goal in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.

This was Chytil's first multi-point effort as a Canuck, as he had a hand in both of Conor Garland's goals Wednesday. Through seven games since he was traded from the Rangers, Chytil has racked up five points and 21 shots on net while filling a second-line role. Overall, he's at 12 goals, 13 assists, 110 shots on net and a plus-3 rating across 48 appearances this season, but it's clear he has more scoring upside in Vancouver than he did on Broadway thanks to his larger role with his new team.

Hughes scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Hughes has stayed hot in February with seven goals and two assists over seven contests this month. His tally was all the Devils could muster against Mackenzie Blackwood in this game. Hughes has matched his goal total from last season (27) and is up to 69 points, 222 shots on net and a plus-11 rating across 60 appearances in 2024-25.

Colton notched an assist and two hits in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Devils.

Colton entered Wednesday on a 14-game point drought, during which he had 22 shots on net, 38 hits and a minus-6 rating. The 28-year-old got on the scoresheet with a helper on Casey Mittelstadt's third-period tally. Colton is not a notable scorer, but he's had it rough this year with 13 goals and four assists through 43 outings, well behind his 40-point showing in the 2023-24 regular season. The forward has added 91 shots on net, 102 hits and a minus-8 rating in 2024-25.

Necas logged three assists, two shots on goal and two hits in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Devils.

Necas bounced back from consecutive games off the scoresheet, lending a helper on each of the Avalanche's first three goals. Two of those assists were on Nathan MacKinnon power-play tallies. With 12 points over 11 outings since he was traded to the Avalanche, Necas has had no trouble settling in on the top line. He's up to 67 points, 145 shots on net, 51 hits and a plus-5 rating through 60 appearances this season, putting him four points shy of matching his career high from 2022-23.

Mittelstadt scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Devils.

Mittelstadt ended a 12-game goal drought, and he also got on the scoresheet for the first time in six contests. His 10th goal of the season came late in the third period as the Avalanche pulled away with the lead. The 26-year-old center has 33 points, 78 shots on net and a minus-12 rating across 60 appearances this season, though just nine of those points have come since the start of January. Despite his drop in offense, Mittelstadt continues to center the second line.

MacKinnon scored twice on the power play, dished an assist and fired six shots on goal in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Devils.

MacKinnon's pair of goals came in the third period, with the first of his tallies being the game-winner. He had been held off the scoresheet in the previous two contests, which has occurred only one other time this season for the NHL's points leader. He's up to 23 goals, 90 points (28 on the power play), 244 shots on net and a plus-19 rating over 60 appearances. MacKinnon is likely to fall short of last season's 51-goal, 140-point campaign, but he should have no trouble crossing the century mark for the third year in a row.

Barzal (kneecap) was transferred to long-term injured reserve Wednesday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

This is simply a procedural move for the Islanders, as they needed to free up cap space to activate Noah Dobson (lower body) from long-term injured reserve. It doesn't impact Barzal's timeline -- he's still expected to be out until mid-to-late March after undergoing a minor procedure on his kneecap. He has already missed six games and will be out well past the requisite totals of 10 contests and 24 days required for LTIR.