NHL Player News

Mittelstadt scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers.

Mittelstadt ended a six-game goal drought, a span in which he had just one assist, with a tally at 18:13 of the first period. The 27-year-old forward continues to see top-six minutes despite his lack of steady offense. He's up to nine goals, 16 points, 35 shots on net and a minus-4 rating across 31 appearances this season, primarily from the second line.

Lindholm scored a goal on two shots, supplied a power-play assist and added two PIM in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers.

Lindholm's third-period tally ended his eight-game goal drought. He had also gone four contests without a point prior to this effort. The 31-year-old center is up to six goals, 25 points, 51 shots on net, 30 PIM, 26 hits, 25 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through 31 appearances. He's earned 13 of his points with the man advantage and should continue to have stable offense as long as he remains productive in that situation.

Sharangovich scored a power-play goal on three shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Flyers.

Sharangovich has two goals over his last three outings. This was his first power-play contribution since Oct. 30 versus the Senators, as he's struggled to get offense going in any situation this year. He's up to eight goals, five helpers, 64 shots on net and a minus-9 rating across 36 contests overall. Sharangovich is in a top-six role, but he can't be trusted in fantasy until he shows more consistency.

Backlund scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Flyers.

Backlund ended 2025 on a high note, racking up five goals and four assists during a six-game point streak. The 36-year-old center opened the scoring at 13:30 of the first period. He's having a strong year, but it would be a lot to ask of him to stay on a 50-point pace in the second half. He's at 10 goals, 25 points, 94 shots on net and a plus-16 rating over 40 appearances this season, but his 10.6 shooting percentage is his highest since 2016-17.

Huberdeau scored a goal in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Flyers.

Huberdeau put up four goals and four assists over 13 outings in December. The 32-year-old's tally Wednesday was the game-winner, ending a three-game slump. He's up to eight goals, 20 points, 54 shots on net, 24 blocked shots, 22 hits, 35 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 35 appearances. He's on pace to miss the 50-point mark for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign, when he was limited to 31 games.

Zary scored a goal and added a power-play assist in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Flyers.

Zary was listed in a top-six role but frequently bounced between there and the fourth line, which is the unit he was on when he scored his goal. The 24-year-old has two goals and five helpers over his last seven outings, but he still doesn't appear to have the full trust of head coach Ryan Huska. For the season, Zary's at six goals, 13 points (three on the power play), 48 shots on net, 25 hits and a minus-2 rating over 38 appearances.

Nelson scored a power-play goal and added an assist in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Blues.

The helper was the 300th of Nelson's career. He's earned four goals and five assists over his last seven outings, a span that includes four power-play points. For the season, the veteran center is up to 16 goals, 30 points (seven on the power play), 76 shots on net, 32 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating through 39 appearances in a second-line role.

MacKinnon scored twice on seven shots, added two assists and went plus-3 in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Blues.

MacKinnon netted both goals in the first period and then helped out on Brock Nelson's power-play tally in the second and Valeri Nichushkin's hat-trick clincher in the third. With four goals and five assists over his last three games, MacKinnon is as locked in as ever. The superstar center reached the 70-point mark with this effort, surpassing his 2024-25 regular-season goal total to sit at 34 goals and 36 helpers through 39 appearances heading into 2026. He's added 180 shots on net, a plus-51 rating, 32 hits and 22 blocked shots.

Brindley (upper body) tweaked something in Wednesday's game versus the Blues and will be evaluated Thursday, Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports reports.

It's not exactly clear when Brindley sustained the injury, but he can be considered day-to-day for now. The Avalanche have a back-to-back ahead, visiting the Hurricanes on Saturday and the Panthers on Sunday. Joel Kiviranta (lower body) is also ailing, so the Avalanche may need to make a roster move to replenish their forward depth before their three-game road trip.

Mueller scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Abbotsford's 5-2 win over Manitoba on Wednesday.

Mueller ended a five-game slump with the effort. That dry spell was his longest since he opened the season with seven scoreless outings. Mueller's lack of consistency will keep him from being a strong call-up candidate. He has 11 points and a minus-16 rating through 25 appearances this season.