NHL Player News

Suzuki had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss to Buffalo on Thursday.

Both points came on the power play, a place where he has tallied 25 of his 52 points, including nine goals. Suzuki excels at both ends of the ice, wears the C and puts up a lot of points. That makes him regular candidate for the Selke Trophy. Suzuki is in a three-way tie with Wyatt Johnston of the Stars and Kirill Kaprizov of the Wild for 13th overall in league scoring with 52 points (48 games). But more impressively, he's fourth overall in the NHL in power-play production with 25 points behind Connor McDavid (36), Leon Draisaitl (31) and Mikko Rantanen (26).

Thompson had a hat trick and two assists in a 5-3 win over Montreal on Thursday.

Thompson's second goal was the 200th of his career; it stood as the winner. He's on a six-game, 12-point scoring streak that includes five goals, seven assists and 16 shots. Overall, Thompson has 25 goals, 24 assists and 159 shots in 46 games, and that puts him on pace for a 45-goal season. But most importantly, Thompson has put up points in 15 of his last 18 games (11 goals, 12 assists), and that has helped key the Sabres to an amazing 15-3-0 run since early December.

Lafferty (illness) won't play Thursday versus the Flames, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Lafferty's illness was revealed Wednesday, and he will miss a game. The 30-year-old has been far from a lock to be in the lineup even when healthy, so it's not yet clear when he might make his next appearance.

Nesterenko was sent down to AHL San Diego on Thursday.

Nesterenko cleared waivers Jan. 7, but he spent another week on the NHL roster afterwards. His move to the AHL suggests at least one of Leo Carlsson (lower body), Troy Terry (upper body) or Cutter Gauthier (illness) should be good to go Friday versus the Kings. Nesterenko has nine points, 31 shots on net and 53 hits over 29 outings this season.

Norris (ribs) will miss Thursday's game against Montreal, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.

Norris has six goals and 17 points in 19 outings in 2025-26. He sustained the injury during Wednesday's 5-2 win over Philadelphia. Konsta Helenius was summoned from the minors Thursday and is likely to draw into the lineup due to Norris' absence.

Laczynski was summoned from AHL Henderson on Thursday.

Laczynski has 13 goals and 35 points in 32 outings with Henderson in 2025-26. He hasn't played for Vegas yet this season, but he did record a goal in eight regular-season appearances with the Golden Knights in 2024-25.

Helenius was recalled from AHL Rochester on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Helenius has been lighting it up in the minors, racking up nine goals and 21 helpers in 34 appearances for the Americans. The 19-year-old center will likely serve as an emergency depth option versus Montreal on Thursday, though he would be making his NHL debut if he got into the lineup ahead of Tyson Kozak.

Dunne (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

The Sabres announced Wednesday that Dunne is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, so it isn't surprising to see him officially placed on injured reserve. The 27-year-old will presumably be sidelined until after the Olympic break, which concludes in late February.

Dellandrea (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Dellandrea was already considered week-to-week, so his move to IR isn't a surprise. The 25-year-old has two goals and 11 points in 42 appearances in 2025-26. The Sharks now have a roster spot open if they wish to activate Will Smith (upper body) off IR. Smith is expected to miss Thursday's game against Washington, but he might be an option Friday versus Detroit.

Colton is questionable against the Predators on Friday due to an upper-body injury, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Colton joins a growing list of injured forwards in Colorado, as the team remains without Gabriel Landeskog (upper body) and Joel Kiviranta (lower body). The Avs were already practicing without a full complement of 12 forwards Thursday, so they may need multiple call-ups from the minors ahead of Friday's contest.