NHL Player News

Smith logged an assist in Friday's 4-2 win over the Canadiens.

This was Smith's second game since returning from a back injury that cost him eight contests. He's resumed his usual fourth-line role, so he'll have minimal upside in fantasy. For the season, the 35-year-old winger is at 11 points, 56 shots on net, 20 PIM and a minus-4 rating over 28 appearances.

Dickinson notched an assist, three shots on goal and four hits in Friday's 4-2 win over the Canadiens.

Dickinson helped out on a Nick Foligno tally in the second period. Since the start of December, Dickinson has generated six points, 19 shots on net and 28 hits over 16 contests. He's up to 13 points, 41 shots on net, 64 hits, 31 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 39 contests. He continues to play in a middle-six role, primarily in a defensive role.

MacLean (undisclosed) participated in Saturday's practice, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

MacLean should be available for Sunday's matchup against Boston following a brief exit from Thursday's 2-1 loss to Toronto. He has produced two goals, five points, 30 shots on net, 12 blocked shots and 47 hits over 39 outings this season.

Reinhart produced an assist, two hits, two blocked shots and four PIM in Friday's 3-2 shootout win over the Penguins.

Reinhart's offense had run a little cold recently -- his helper Friday ended a four-game slump. Prior to that dry spell, he had gotten on the scoresheet in seven of the previous nine contests. The 29-year-old forward is up to 22 goals, 24 helpers, 94 shots on net, 51 hits, 33 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 40 appearances. While he doesn't have the same goal-scoring numbers as last year, he's tracking toward at least matching his 94-point regular season.

Verhaeghe notched a power-play assist and three shots on goal in Friday's 3-2 shootout win over the Penguins.

Verhaeghe snapped a six-game point drought with the helper. The slump has seen him move around the lineup a bit to get back on track -- he was listed on the third line Friday. Verhaeghe is now at nine goals, 19 assists, 117 shots on net, 58 hits and a minus-21 rating over 40 contests this season. Once his offense picks up, he should move back into the top six.

Bedard recorded a power-play assist and four shots on goal during Friday's 4-2 win over the Canadiens.

Bedard didn't find the back of the net in this one, but the star playmaker managed to extend his point streak to six games with a power-play assist in Tyler Bertuzzi's first-period goal. The 19-year-old center is going through his most productive stretch of the campaign and is close to performing at a point-per-game pace. He's up to 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) across 39 appearances so far.

Jost (lower body) is out indefinitely, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports Saturday.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour indicated that Jost will be out "more than week-to-week." Jost will get a second opinion on how to proceed with his recovery. The 26-year-old sustained the injury in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to Columbus. He has two goals, 17 shots on net, 10 blocked shots and 20 hits in 16 appearances this season. Following a 10-game absence due to hand surgery, Jack Drury will replace Jost in Saturday's lineup versus Minnesota.

Crosby scored a power-play goal in Friday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Panthers.

Crosby has one goal and two assists over his three-game point streak, but he's been very productive over the last few weeks. Aside from making history in the Dec. 29 win over the Islanders by becoming the franchise's all-time leader in assists, Crosby has racked up 15 points over his last 10 games, notching three goals and 12 helpers in that span. Six of those 15 points have come on the power play (two goals, four assists).

Novak (upper body) isn't expected to play Saturday against the Flames, Nick Kieser of 102.5 ESPN Nashville reports.

Novak sat out the Predators' 3-0 win over Vancouver due to the injury, and it appears he'll likely miss at least one more contest. With Novak unavailable, Fedor Svechkov will likely remain in Nashville's bottom six.

Rakell scored a power-play goal in Friday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Panthers.

Rakell snapped a two-game pointless streak with his first power-play goal since Dec. 12, when he recorded four points in a 9-2 victory over Montreal. Rakell has plenty of opportunities to remain a steady contributor for the Penguins due to his first-line role, and he's been making the most of his chances. He's found the twine in seven of his last 12 appearances while amassing eight goals and 16 points.