NHL Player News

Necas (upper body) is available for Thursday's game against the Canucks, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports.

Necas has missed the last three matchups due to an upper-body injury, but he'll be able to suit up for Colorado's final home game of the regular season Thursday. He's been productive since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, recording seven goals, 10 assists, 14 hits and four blocked shots while averaging 19:37 of ice time over 19 appearances.

Poehling logged two assists and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Rangers.

Poehling was injured in Monday's practice, but it was a minor issue that didn't cost him a game. Instead, he stayed hot in a middle-six role -- the center has seven goals and five assists over his last nine contests. Poehling is definitely worth a look to close out the season in fantasy given his momentum. His two-point effort Wednesday gave him a career-high 29 points with 69 shots on net, 73 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating across 64 outings this season.

Couturier scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and logged two hits in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Rangers.

Couturier was questionable to play in the contest, but he was able to make an impact. The 32-year-old has five goals and five assists over his last nine outings despite snapping a three-game point drought Wednesday. The center is at 42 points, 147 shots on net, 50 hits, 42 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 75 appearances. It's his best point total since 2019-20, though Couturier is unlikely to ever get back to his career high of 76 points from 2017-18 and 2018-19, as injuries have sapped a lot of his scoring potential over the years.

Cirelli managed an assist, five shots on goal and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs.

Cirelli's offense has gone a little quiet lately -- he's in a seven-game goal drought and has just two assists, a plus-3 rating and 10 shots in that span. The 27-year-old center is up to 54 points, 152 shots on net, 69 blocked shots and a plus-27 rating over 76 appearances this season. Fantasy managers considering Cirelli for playoff pools may want to look elsewhere, as he'll likely be forced into more of a shutdown role once the postseason begins.

Norris (mid-body) will not play Thursday in Columbus.

Norris will miss his 14th straight game. The Sabres are still hopeful he can return to the lineup before the end of the season, which ends next Thursday against the Flyers. Norris has one goal and one assist over three games with the Sabres after tallying 20 goals and 13 helpers across 53 contests with the Senators before his trade to Buffalo at the deadline.

Lizotte (lower body) has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic on Thursday.

Lizotte was injured against the Blackhawks on Sunday. He will finish the season with 11 goals, nine assists and 60 hits over 59 games this season, his first with the Penguins after five-plus campaigns with the Kings.

Novak (lower body) will miss the remainder of the season, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports Thursday.

Novak has been out of action since March 9. He ends the 2024-25 campaign with 13 goals and nine assists over 52 games with Nashville, and he was shut out in two games with the Penguins after being traded at the deadline.

Acciari has been ruled out for the remainder of the season for an undisclosed reason, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports Thursday.

While it's unclear why Acciari will be sidelined, he won't be able to suit up in any of the Penguins' final three regular-season games. The 33-year-old made a career-high 79 appearances this season and racked up five goals, seven assists, 180 hits and 100 blocked shots while averaging 13:46 of ice time.

Kastelic (upper body), as expected, won't return during the 2024-25 campaign, Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal reports Thursday.

Considering Kastelic was previously deemed out indefinitely, the news that he won't return this year shouldn't come as a surprise. Prior to his absence, the 26-year-old center had managed just one point across his last 17 outings. With his season over, Kastelic will end the year with five goals and nine helpers in 61 games. Kastelic signed a three-year contract extension with the Bruins in January, so he'll attempt to build upon his results during the 2025-26 campaign.

Verhaeghe (rest) will not be available Thursday versus Detroit, per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post.

Verhaeghe has been slumping of late, going 13 games without a goal before scoring his 18th of the season Wednesday versus Toronto. The 29-year-old forward is likely to play Saturday versus Buffalo. Look for Jesper Boqvist to re-enter the lineup in place of Verhaeghe versus Detroit.