NHL Player News

Malkin recorded a power-play assist, two hits, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Jets.

Malkin has been in a bit of a rut with just two helpers over his last six contests. This was his first power-play point since Nov. 5. The 38-year-old center now has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists), 48 shots on net, 18 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating through 22 appearances, though he's offset some of his struggles with seven multi-point performances.

Perfetti produced an assist, three shots on goal, two blocked shots, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-1 win over the Penguins.

The helper ended a four-game point drought for Perfetti, who has amassed three assists over eight contests without a goal. The 22-year-old is still in his usual second-line role, and he saw a season-high 17:19 of ice time in Friday's game. Overall, he has 14 points, 37 shots on net, 12 blocked shots and a plus-11 rating through 20 appearances. Perfetti remains on pace for a career year, but his offense has been in short bursts rather than consistent stretches so far.

Scheifele logged an assist in Friday's 4-1 win over the Penguins.

Scheifele helped out on Kyle Connor's empty-netter. This was an unusual game for Scheifele -- he took just two faceoffs, with winger Gabriel Vilardi filling in at the dot most of the time on the top line. It's unclear if there is an injury concern, as Scheifele led all Jets forwards with 18:53 of ice time. The veteran center has six goals and six helpers over 10 contests in November, putting him at 25 points, 46 shots on net, 18 hits, 16 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating across 20 outings overall.

Namestnikov scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Friday's 4-1 win over the Penguins.

Namestnikov scored at 4:53 of the second period, and his goal stood as the game-winner, his first such goal since the 2021-22 campaign. He had gone three games without a point prior to Friday. The 32-year-old center is at six goals, seven assists, 25 shots on net, 24 hits, 18 PIM and a plus-11 rating through 20 outings, providing both offense and some grit in a middle-six role.

Vilardi scored a power-play goal and won 12 of 16 faceoffs in Friday's 4-1 win over the Penguins.

Vilardi is a natural center, but he has frequently served as a winger this season. It's unclear what led to his larger role at the dot Friday -- Mark Scheifele took just two draws, but there's been no report of him dealing with an injury. Vilardi hasn't posted a multi-point effort in November, but he has five goals and three assists over 10 appearances this month as he continues to be steady on offense. Overall, he has eight goals, eight helpers, seven power-play points, 38 shots on net and a plus-3 rating across 20 contests.

The Wild recalled Boyd from AHL Iowa under emergency conditions Friday.

Boyd has two goals and 11 points in 13 appearances with Iowa in 2024-25. He hasn't played for Minnesota yet, but the 31-year-old does have 47 goals and 118 points across 296 career NHL regular-season outings. Since he's with the team under emergency conditions, he won't be able to play unless a questionable forward is unable to suit up. If he draws into the lineup Saturday versus Calgary, it will likely be as a part of the bottom six.

Thompson (lower body) is not expected back in the lineup versus the Ducks on Friday, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.

Thompson didn't participate in line rushes during the game-day skate, effectively ruling out his return to action Friday. With a back-to-back on the schedule, the 27-year-old center figures to be a long shot to get onto the ice for Saturday's clash with San Jose -- though he hasn't been officially ruled out.

Faksa logged an assist, two shots on goal and two PIM in Thursday's 3-2 shootout win over the Sharks.

Faksa has three points over his last four games while filling a bottom-six role. That's unusually strong production for the 30-year-old defensive center, so it shouldn't be expected to continue on a regular basis moving forward. He's at five points, 20 shots on net, 36 hits, 11 blocked shots, 10 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 21 outings this season, and he's found the most success alongside Alexei Toropchenko and Nathan Walker.

Necas logged a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Devils.

Necas' 13-game, 27-point streak ended in a 4-1 win over the Flyers on Wednesday. The 25-year-old wasn't discouraged, chipping in the primary helper on Andrei Svechnikov's goal in the third period. Necas has been held off the scoresheet just three times this season, earning 11 goals, 20 helpers, 13 power-play points, 48 shots on net and a plus-9 rating over 19 appearances. His power-play production is already equal to last year, and he's well over halfway to surpassing his 53-point total from 77 regular-season games in 2023-24. Necas ranks third in the NHL in points, trailing just Kirill Kaprizov and Nathan MacKinnon, who both have 34.

McTavish (upper body) will not play against Buffalo on Friday, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

McTavish has been out of action for two weeks, last playing Nov. 8 versus Minnesota. McTavish will miss his sixth straight game and will be re-evaluated after Sunday's practice. The good news is that he was a full participant in practice Thursday, so he appears to be trending in the right direction. Prior to his injury, he had two goals and five points over his last five games. The 21-year-old has tallied two goals, six assists and 14 PIM in 13 appearances this season.