NHL Player News

Verhaeghe scored a goal on five shots in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Predators.

Verhaeghe tallied at 16:26 of the first period to open the scoring. The 30-year-old missed the Panthers' last game as he welcomed his baby into the world. He's now earned three goals and four assists over his last four appearances, giving him five goals, 17 points, 62 shots on net, 24 hits and a minus-3 rating in 25 outings overall. Verhaeghe should be a regular in the top-six going forward.

Stamkos scored a goal, added two PIM and logged two hits in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Panthers.

Stamkos has four goals and two assists over his last five contests while going plus-4 in that span. The 35-year-old's offense has been sparked by a move up to the top line, where he's found some chemistry with Ryan O'Reilly. Stamkos is now at eight goals, three helpers, 50 shots on net, 21 hits, 20 PIM and a minus-8 rating across 27 appearances.

Point (undisclosed) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Islanders, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Point has missed six consecutive games. He has struggled this season with only three goals and eight assists in 21 contests, a far cry from the last three years, when he combined for 267 points in 240 regular-season games.

Luostarinen (lower body) returned to practice Friday, according to Panthers TV Rinkside Reporter Katie Engleson.

Luostarinen suffered his injuries during a BBQ accident last month. He has missed the last eight games and could return to action as early as Saturday versus Columbus. Luostarinen has three goals and seven assists in 18 games this season.

Jenner (upper body) will not accompany the team on their upcoming three-game road trip, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports Friday.

The Blue Jackets return home Dec. 11 versus Ottawa, and the hope is that Jenner can return at that time. Jenner has already missed 11 games, ahead of Saturday's tilt in Florida. Jenner has three goals, seven assists and 30 hits across 16 appearances in 2025-26.

Nelson tallied an assist and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Islanders.

Despite being on the losing end of the matchup, Nelson got involved against his former team with a secondary helper on Valeri Nichushkin's goal. Overall, Nelson has nine assists, 18 points and 44 shots on goal through 27 games this season. After a slow start to the season, the 34-year-old center has 13 points in his last 11 games and has helped Gabriel Landeskog find his stride on Colorado's second line. Nelson has a solid chance to post his seventh season with 50-plus points in the last eight years, making him a solid waiver-wire addition in nearly all fantasy formats.

Necas scored a goal, distributed an assist, placed three shots on target and served four hits in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Islanders.

Necas helped bring the Avalanche back within two goals before later picking up a secondary helper on Artturi Lehkonen's tally in the third period. With the pair of points, Necas is up to 14 goals, 21 assists and 57 shots on goal through 27 games this season. Over his last eight games, Necas has four multi-point performances and continues to impress in his first full season in Colorado. Even after a career-best 83 points over 79 regular-season games in 2024-25, Necas is on track to post the first 100-plus point campaign of his career. With Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon alongside Necas on Colorado's top line, the trio has a chance to be the highest-scoring line in the league, which gives Necas a chance to elevate himself to elite heights this season.

Cizikas scored an empty-net goal and dished out three hits in Thursday's 6-3 win over Colorado.

Cizikas placed the finishing touch on Thursday's big win over the Avalanche, as the Islanders became just the second team to beat Colorado in regulation this season. With the empty-net tally, the 34-year old center is up to two goals, six points and 68 hits through 28 games this season. Cizikas has stayed his usual course this season, and if he can stay healthy, he should finish in the 15-25 point range for the fifth consecutive season. He continues to provide utility in fantasy leagues that value banger stats, as his 68 hits project him to finish with around 200 by the end of the season. If he reaches that number, it would be his second consecutive season doubling the century mark in hits, but his lackluster offensive output and sub-10 minutes of ice time per game make other options more appealing in fantasy than Cizikas.

Horvat tallied a goal, recorded an assist, fired six shots on net and blocked four shots in Thursday's 6-3 win over Colorado.

Horvat continued his elite goal-scoring campaign Thursday with an even strength tally to open up the second period. He also picked up a secondary helper late in the period on Mathew Barzal's power-play goal. With the pair of points, Horvat has 17 goals, 12 assists and 100 shots on goal through 28 games this season. He has found the back of the net more than most players this season, as the 30-year-old center is currently tied for fifth in goals across the NHL. He's not only on pace for the best goal-scoring numbers of his career, but he could also set a new career high in points if he can surpass the 70 he accumulated during the 2022-23 campaign. As long as he continues to fire the puck with an elite volume of attempts on goal, Horvat could have one of the best scoring seasons for the Islanders in recent years.

Barzal scored a goal, dished out two assists, placed four shots on goal, served two PIM and had two hits in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Avalanche.

Barzal had a fantastic performance in both offensive areas. He registered two assists and scored a power-play goal where he deked and dangled through Colorado's defense before lifting a backhanded shot past Mackenzie Blackwood. With the trio of tallies, the 28-year-old center is up to eight goals, 13 points and 69 shots on net through 27 games this season. He not only continues to produce plays worthy of highlight reels, but he has also been a consistent name found on the Islanders' scoresheet. With 21 points, he trails fellow center Bo Horvat for the team lead in points. Barzal has already passed the 20-point campaign he had through 30 games a year ago, and he's on track for the fifth 60-plus point season of his career if he can stay healthy.