NHL Player News

Samberg (foot) will return to the lineup Friday versus the Kings.

Samberg sat out 21 games with the injury. The defenseman is expected to play on the second pairing alongside Neal Pionk. Samberg had three goals, three helpers and 30 blocked shots in 21 appearances before the injury. Ville Heinola will come out of the lineup with Samberg healthy enough to return.

Ekblad (undisclosed) missed practice Friday and is considered a game-time decision against Boston on Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Ekblad played Wednesday after missing Monday's tilt in Colorado with the same injury. Ekblad has two goals, 18 assists, 59 hits and 55 blocked shots across 41 games this season.

Fox scored a goal and added an assist, both on the power play, in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Devils.

He opened the scoring midway through the first period with a blast from the point that deflected off the stick of Nico Hischier and got past Jacob Markstrom. That snapped a 12-game goal drought for Fox, who has found the back of the net only twice in 41 appearances this season, a massive drop-off from the career-high 17 tallies he produced in 2023-24. The 26-year-old blueliner has remained productive, however, dishing 31 helpers, and his puck luck could be turning around.

Smith logged an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

Smith picked up his first point over five outings in January when he assisted on an Eric Robinson tally. For the season, Smith has two points, 14 shots on net, three blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over seven NHL appearances. He continues to fill in on the third pairing while seeing power-play time in the absence of Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body), but Smith's limited production has yet to really move the needle in fantasy.

Montour notched an assist, six shots on goal, two blocked shots and a minus-4 rating in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Montour's pace on offense has dropped in recent weeks -- he has a somewhat modest four points over his last 11 appearances. He also has a minus-12 rating in that span, as the Kraken have too often struggled to keep the puck out of their own net. Montour is now at 23 points, 117 shots on net, 49 blocked shots, 48 hits and a minus-3 rating through 41 appearances in his first year with Seattle. He should still be able to surpass his 33-point performance from the 2023-24 regular season with the Panthers, but his fantasy utility is as a supporting defenseman rather than a league-winner.

Fabbro logged an assist, four blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.

Fabbro has earned three assists over eight games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The 26-year-old continues to hold onto a top-four spot alongside Zach Werenski, which has worked wonders for getting Fabbro more involved on offense. The defenseman has 10 points, 41 shots on net, 67 blocked shots, 30 hits and a plus-10 rating through 32 appearances between the Blue Jackets and the Predators this season.

Severson picked up an assist and three shots on goal in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.

Severson has been in the doghouse lately -- he was scratched for three of the previous seven contests. An illness sidelined Jack Johnson for this game, and Severson slotted back in on the third pairing, but he saw just 14:35 of ice time. While he has 18 points through 39 appearances this season, Severson will have to scrap for playing time until he gets back on head coach Dean Evason's good side. Severson has added 62 shots on net, 70 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating.

Lohrei scored a goal, blocked two shots, added two PIM and went minus-2 in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Lightning.

The goal was Lohrei's first since Oct. 14 against the Panthers. The 23-year-old defenseman also snapped a five-game point drought. Lohrei has shown flashes of potential on offense this season while earning power-play time, but there are some drawbacks to his defensive play. He has 17 points, 36 shots on net, 47 blocked shots and a minus-16 rating over 39 appearances. He plays primarily on the third pairing at even strength.

Cernak logged an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and three blocked shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Bruins.

Cernak has chipped in three helpers over his last eight games. He doesn't often get on the scoresheet, but he remains in a top-four role as a shutdown defender. For the season, Cernak is at 10 helpers, 30 shots on net, 85 hits, 50 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating across 37 appearances.

McDonagh logged a pair of assists, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Bruins.

McDonagh helped out on second-period tallies by Anthony Cirelli (shorthanded) and Michael Eyssimont (even strength). The first assist was McDonagh's 400th career point, a mark he achieved in Game No. 967. He ended a five-game slump Thursday, though point production may remain sporadic for the stay-at-home defender. The 35-year-old has a goal, 11 helpers, two shorthanded points, 40 shots on net, 80 blocked shots and a plus-19 rating over 39 appearances this season. If McDonagh can stay healthy, he's projected to reach the 1,000-game mark late in the campaign.