NHL Player News

Barkov logged an assist in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Wild.

Barkov returned from a two-game absence due to an illness, though the lopsided nature of this contest allowed the Panthers to take it easy on their top center. He saw just 16:01 of ice time and set up a Matthew Tkachuk tally at 15:28 of the second period. Barkov is up to 30 points, 55 shots on net, 27 hits, 21 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 23 appearances, so fantasy managers shouldn't hesitate to have him active again.

Rodrigues produced an assist, three shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Wild.

Rodrigues ended his five-game slump with the helper. He has two goals and three assists over the five contests prior to that dry spell, but his offense often fluctuates in a middle-six role. The 31-year-old forward is up to 16 points, 60 shots on net, 46 hits, 10 PIM and a minus-4 rating through 33 appearances. Rodrigues' fantasy value is high enough for him to be a factor in deeper formats, especially those that count hits.

Luostarinen scored a goal on three shots, added four hits, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Wild.

Luostarinen has a goal and an assist over his last two games while seeing a slightly larger role to cover for recent illness absences for Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett. The 26-year-old Luostarinen is worth a look as a streaming option or in deeper formats while he's playing on the second line, but he'll likely drop back to the third line when the Panthers get healthy. The Finn has four goals, 13 points, 37 shots on net, 75 hits, 23 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 33 contests.

Back notched an assist in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Back has four helpers over his last six contests. It's one of his best runs so far, but the 24-year-old forward remains in a fourth-line role and isn't expected to be a big contributor on offense. He's at eight points, 16 shots on goal, 12 hits and a plus-4 rating through 26 appearances.

Stankoven notched an assist in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Stankoven ended a five-game slump with the helper. The 21-year-old forward continues to get a look on the second line with Tyler Seguin (hip) likely out for the remainder of the regular season. Stankoven has yet to really mesh with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment, and the latter left Wednesday's game with an undisclosed injury. Stankoven is at 17 points, 78 shots on net, 20 hits and an even plus-minus rating through 29 outings. His recent slump has seen him drift back to fifth in the rookie scoring race.

Blackwell scored a goal on six shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Blackwell scored for the first time since Nov. 27, and he had just one assist over nine contests between goals. The 31-year-old has emerged as a regular on the Stars' fourth line, but he hasn't brought much in the way of offense. The veteran forward has seven points, 31 shots on net, 37 hits and a plus-2 rating over 26 appearances.

Steel scored a goal on four shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Steel has two goals and two assists over nine contests in December. It's not a lot of offense, but he continues to provide consistency in a depth role for the Stars, most often as the fourth-line center. He's up to four goals, 13 points, 36 shots on net, 30 hits and a minus-2 rating through 30 outings overall. Steel has a chance at a career-best year -- his previous high mark is 28 points in 65 games in 2022-23 with the Wild.

McMann scored a goal on two shots, added two hits and went plus-3 in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars.

McMann's second-period tally ended up being in the game-winner. The 28-year-old has three points over three contests since he returned from a seven-game absence due to a lower-body injury. He's currently on the third line, but he'd be a top candidate for a top-six look if such a spot opens up at any time. McMann has seven goals, three assists, 61 shots on net, 42 hits and a plus-11 rating through 24 outings this season.

Domi scored a goal on two shots and went plus-3 in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars.

Domi has two goals and an assist over his last three contests. The Maple Leafs got a strong performance from the third line of Domi, Bobby McMann and Nicholas Robertson in this game, as all three forwards had a goal. The 29-year-old Domi is up to two tallies, seven assists, 31 shots on net and 21 PIM across 24 appearances this season. Until he gets another top-six look, he's a fringe option for most fantasy formats.

Poehling scored a goal in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Red Wings.

Poehling has a point in back-to-back games for the first time this year -- he also had an assist last Saturday against the Wild. The 25-year-old continues to center the fourth line, and that's not a role that's likely to generate consistent chances on offense. He has two goals, 10 points, 22 shots on net, 45 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 29 appearances as a defensive center.