NHL Player News

Pinto (undisclosed) skated Wednesday and hasn't been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Islanders, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Pinto has missed Ottawa's past six games because of the injury. He has a goal and three points in six outings this season. When Pinto is ready to return, he will likely serve in a middle-six capacity, which would probably push Zack Ostapchuk to the fourth line or out of the lineup entirely.

Malkin delivered a power-play marker and added an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders.

Malkin was credited with the primary helper on Sidney Crosby's second-period tally before the former potted his first goal on the man advantage this season. Malkin's 22:12 of ice time led all of Pittsburgh's forwards, and the hulking left-shot center spearheads the Penguins' attack with 16 points over 14 games. Overall, Malkin has collected four goals, 12 assists, five power-play points, 30 shots, five hits, 11 blocks and three takeaways while shooting at a 13.3 percent clip.

Pageau scored his third goal of the season in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout victory over the Penguins.

Pageau netted the game-tying goal after being set up by Bo Horvat to tie the score at 3-3 in the final frame. Pageau added five shots, two hits and an even plus-minus rating in 20:45 of ice time. The right-shot forward is currently slotted in on the top line and No. 2 power-play unit, and through 13 games, Pageau has compiled three goals, two assists, 26 shots, 29 hits, seven blocks and a minus-3 rating.

McDavid (ankle) will be in the lineup versus Vegas on Wednesday.

McDavid's return comes well ahead of schedule after he was originally given a 2-3 week recovery timeline last Wednesday. With the world-class center back in action, he will retake his spot on the top line with Jeff Skinner and Zach Hyman while also linking back up with the No. 1 power-play unit. Prior to getting hurt, McDavid had registered a point per game through the opening 10 contests of the year but managed just two power-play points over that stretch. If he can get going with the man advantage, McDavid should cruise to a fifth consecutive 100-plus point campaign.

Byfield notched a goal and an assist, as well as five shots, a hit and a plus-two rating, in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Wild.

This was Byfield's best performance of the season by a wide margin, as he made his presence felt late in the third period by scoring his first goal of the campaign. The 22-year-old has seven points this season, and while this outing will probably act as a confidence-booster for him, he's not producing enough to warrant fantasy consideration as a waiver addition in most formats.

Lewis scored two goals, including an empty-netter in the third period, in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Wild.

Lewis found the back of the net twice in the third period, notching his first multi-goal -- and multi-point -- effort of the campaign. That said, between his role as a bottom-six forward, his advanced age and his lack of production, Lewis is not worth looking at in standard formats. He'll probably deliver a few solid performances here and there, but he can't be trusted for sustained fantasy production.

Kopitar delivered a power-play assist in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Wild.

Kopitar set up Kevin Fiala's goal late in the second period, and that would end up being the Kings' game-winner as part of a five-goal barrage in the final 25 minutes of play. Kopitar has cracked the scoresheet in four straight outings, and the veteran playmaker is not slowing down in his age-37 season. He has two goals and seven assists across his last 10 games while notching six points during his current four-game streak.

Kapanen was loaned to SHL club Timra IK on Wednesday.

Kapanen has already appeared in 12 games for the Canadiens this season, burning the first year of his entry-level contract even with the move overseas. In those appearances, the 21-year-old center notched two assists, 13 shots and one hit while averaging 11:38 of ice time. Once the SHL season wraps up, Kapanen could rejoin Montreal for the final games of the campaign.

Necas scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Flyers.

With just 31 seconds left in the third period and the score tied 4-4, Necas pounced on a loose puck and flipped it through traffic past a sprawling Aleksei Kolosov. Necas might be the hottest player in the NHL right now, delivering four straight multi-point performances to extend his overall point streak to seven games. During that stretch, the 25-year-old has erupted for six goals and 17 points.

Vilardi scored a power-play goal in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Utah.

Vilardi went goalless in his first six appearances this season, but that drought seems like a distant memory now. The 25-year-old playmaker has found the back of the net in seven of his last seven contests, a span in which he's also racked up three assists, meaning he's tallying more than a point per game in that stretch. Vilardi is not likely to keep producing at this rate on a long-term basis, but he's certainly reaping the benefits of the Jets' strong start to the campaign. He should continue to have plenty of opportunities to produce as long as he remains on the first line of the Jets' offense and No. 1 power-play unit.