NHL Player News

Point scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Ducks.

Point has two goals and two assists over his last five games. It's not quite the heater he was on earlier in December, but he's getting back to being steady on offense after a poor November ended with an undisclosed injury that cost him seven contests. For the season, Point is at seven goals, 15 assists, 69 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 32 appearances, putting him at risk of finishing under a point-per-game pace for the first time since 2021-22.

Schwindt returned to practice Thursday for the first time since breaking his arm against the Canucks on Nov. 17, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Schwindt was wearing a non-contact jersey and is still not close to returning to action. He had two goals in 10 games with the Panthers before his injury.

Trocheck scored a goal, added two PIM and logged two hits in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Capitals.

Trocheck's goal tied the game at 1-1 late in the first period. He ended December on a high note with four goals and three assists over his last seven contests, though he still hasn't had a point streak longer than three games since late November. The 32-year-old center is at nine goals, 22 points, 48 shots on net, 96 hits, 22 blocked shots, 16 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 28 appearances, making him a decent all-around option in fantasy.

Protas scored a goal and added an assist in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.

Protas closed out 2025 with three multi-point efforts over his last four games. He has five goals and five assists over his last seven outings and has gotten back to the high-quality even-strength play that made him a breakout player in 2024-25. He's at 15 goals, 30 points, 86 shots on net and a plus-22 rating across 40 appearances through Wednesday's action.

Laba (upper body) is poised to miss the Winter Classic against the Panthers on Friday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

With Laba unavailable and Conor Sheary (lower body) placed on LTIR, the Rangers brought up a trio of forwards from AHL Hartford. The Rangers haven't provided a specific recovery timeline for Laba, but the fact that he's not going on injured reserve should be an indication that he's facing a short-term absence.

Dowling will be recalled from AHL Hartford on Thursday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Dowling, along with Brett Berard and Anton Blidh, will join the Rangers ahead of Friday's Winter Classic matchup with Florida. If Dowling gets into the lineup, it will mark his Rangers debut after he played in 52 regular-season games for the Devils last year.

Matthews (lower body) will return to action Thursday versus Winnipeg, per Dave McCarthy of NHL.com.

Matthews missed one game with the injury. He will center Matthew Knies and Max Domi on the top line, as well as the first power play. Matthews has slumped this season with 15 goals and 12 assists in 33 appearances, his first season since his rookie campaign in 2016-17, in which he has averaged less than a point a game.

Jarvis (upper body) returned to practice Thursday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Jarvis suffered the injury Dec. 19 and has missed the last five games. He was in a non-contact jersey at morning skate and will miss his sixth straight game Thursday versus Montreal. Jarvis has 19 goals and 10 assists in 34 games this season and could return to action next week, possibly Tuesday against Dallas.

Larkin scored a power-play goal, fired three shots on net and served four PIM in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Jets.

Larkin was the first name on the scoresheet in Wednesday's contest as he put the Red Wings up on a power play just eight minutes into the opening period. With the power-play twine finder, he is up to 21 goals, 37 points, 121 shots on net and 25 blocks through 41 appearances this season. With the Red Wings officially at the halfway point of their season, Larkin is on pace for a new career high in goals. To do so, he would need at least 34 goals to surpass the 33 twine finders he had two seasons ago. While his point production has slowed over the last 10 games with just four tallies, he has showcased an ability to heat up earlier this season, giving him a real shot to reach a few career-best numbers. He remains a high-level option in all fantasy formats this season.

Appleton scored the game-winning goal, placed two shots on net and recorded two blocks in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Winnipeg.

Appleton found the back of the net in the second straight game when he recorded an even-strength twine finder nearly 15 minutes into the opening period. Overall, the 29-year-old forward is up to five goals, 11 points, 35 shots on net and 34 hits across 31 games this season. The pair of goals over his last two games are the first two he has scored since Oct. 15, which ended a 25-game drought. While his production has been sparse compared to previous seasons, he has upwards of 30-point potential if he continues to remain involved in a middle-six role moving forward.