NHL Player News

Sgarbossa was returned to AHL Hershey on Monday.

Sgarbossa spent a week with the NHL club and averaged 8:18 of ice time over two appearances with the Capitals. He should have more consistent opportunities to contribute in the AHL.

Motte (upper body) is an option against the Blackhawks on Wednesday but may serve as a healthy scratch, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Motte failed to register a point in his first four appearances this season, so it shouldn't be a shock that he won't immediately re-claim a spot in the lineup now he's healthy enough to play. If he does break into the lineup, it will likely come at the expense of Joe Veleno, Christian Fischer or Michael Rasmussen.

Johnson (shoulder) skated after Columbus' main practice Monday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Johnson is not expected back until late November due to his long-term shoulder injury, but it certainly could have been longer had he required surgery. While it's a step in the right direction, fantasy managers probably shouldn't get too excited about the imminent return of the 22-year-old center until he takes contact in a full practice.

Prishchepov was recalled by the Avalanche on Monday.

Prishchepov made his NHL debut Saturday against Nashville and logged three hits and two shots on goal in 13:30 of ice time. Although he was sent down after the loss to the Predators, he'll rejoin the Avalanche as the team continues to deal with several injuries.

Ivan was recalled by the Avalanche on Monday.

Ivan was sent to AHL Colorado on Sunday, but he'll rejoin the NHL club a day later to provide additional help while the Avalanche deal with a slew of injuries. Over 12 appearances with the Avalanche this year, Ivan has tallied two goals and two assists while averaging 11:11 of ice time.

Ostapchuk was recalled from AHL Belleville on Monday.

Ostapchuk has played in each of the Senators' last three games, registering one assist, one shot on goal, four blocked shots and four hits while averaging 11:55 of ice time. Until Shane Pinto (undisclosed) or David Perron (personal) is back with the team, Ostapchuk figures to continue bouncing between levels while playing for the Senators.

Namestnikov scored a goal, added an assist and went plus-2 in Sunday's 7-4 win over the Lightning.

Namestnikov got the Jets on the board in the first period and helped out on Nikolaj Ehlers' empty-netter in the third. This was Namestnikov's second multi-point effort of the campaign, and he now has three goals, six assists, 10 shots on net, 15 hits and a plus-10 rating over 12 contests. As long as he's seeing middle-six minutes and power-play time, he has some appeal as a depth forward in fantasy.

Perfetti scored an empty-net goal on three shots and added a power-play assist in Sunday's 7-4 win over the Lightning.

Perfetti picked up both points as part of a four-goal third period for the Jets. He snapped a three-game slump with his third multi-point effort of the campaign. The 22-year-old winger is up to four goals, seven assists, 24 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a plus-9 rating through 12 outings this season, mainly in a second-line role.

Backlund had a power-play assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Oilers.

Backlund ended a three-game slump with the secondary helper on Anthony Mantha's second-period tally. The 35-year-old Backlund has earned six points, including two on the power play, over 12 contests in a top-six role this season. He's added 24 shots on net, 10 hits and a plus-1 rating. Backlund's averaging just two shots per game this season after being above 2.5 shots per game in each of the previous four campaigns, so the Swede's offense could be at risk of dropping.

Sharangovich scored a goal on two shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Oilers.

Sharangovich picked up his first point in five games this season when he tied the game at 2-2 in the third period. The 26-year-old missed seven contests with a lower-body injury sustained in the preseason. He's collected eight shots on net, three hits and a minus-3 rating while playing in a middle-six role so far, though he could eventually be shuffled up to the top line if his offense gets going.