NHL Player News

Josi posted an assist in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers.

Josi has five helpers over his last four games. The defenseman set up a Michael McCarron tally in the first period to keep the streak going. Josi has earned his last two assists at even strength after being heavily dependent on the power play earlier in the season. He's at one goal, 11 helpers, eight power-play points, 64 shots on net, 29 blocked shots, 18 hits and a minus-12 rating through 17 appearances overall.

Kulak notched an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Predators.

Kulak picked up his fourth point in the last four games when he set up Darnell Nurse's second-period tally. While Kulak was listed on the third pairing Thursday, he saw 21:54 of ice time as one of the Oilers' top-four blueliners by usage with the team dressing seven defensemen. Kulak is up to seven points, 23 shots on net, 22 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 17 contests this season. Despite his recent success, the 30-year-old has limited scoring upside, and thus only makes sense for fantasy managers in deeper formats.

Chisholm collected a power-play assist along with two shots on net, two blocks and one hit in Thursday's 3-0 win over Montreal.

Chisholm's not usually on the power play, but the Wild lost a couple of top-six forwards and power-play regulars Thursday. The defenseman picked up a secondary helper with four seconds remaining on a four-minute double minor. Chisholm was a healthy scratch against the Blackhawks last Sunday but returned to the lineup, as Jonas Brodin (undisclosed) was a no-go Thursday. Chisholm has four assists, nine shots, six blocks, five hits and is even through 11 outings.

Nurse scored two goals, dished an assist, added four hits and went plus-3 in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Predators.

Nurse had his best game of the season by far, which included him scoring the game-winning goal at 2:33 of the extra session. The defenseman has earned seven points over his last eight contests. He's up to two goals, nine points, 43 shots on net, 33 hits, 31 blocked shots, 18 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 17 appearances. Nurse is a reliable fantasy defender most of the time, but an uptick in offense makes him a must-have in formats that count lots of categories.

Spurgeon had a power-play assist, one shot on net and three blocked shots in Thursday's 3-0 win over Montreal.

Spurgeon simply slid a puck to Marco Rossi, who changed his angle slightly and went far side past Sam Montembeault midway through the third period. Spurgeon, who missed six games with a lower-body injury in October, is not quite at his normal TOI. The 34-year-old defenseman, who averaged 23:20 of ice time in 2023-24, is averaging 19:35 TOI since returning to action seven games ago.

Joseph exited Thursday's tilt against Buffalo because of a lower-body injury and won't return.

Joseph logged 5:59 of ice time before he left the game. He went into Thursday's action with an assist, 23 PIM, seven hits and eight blocks through 12 appearances in 2024-25. If Joseph can't play Saturday versus Boston, then Leo Loof, who was recalled from the AHL on Wednesday, might make his NHL debut.

Cernak (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup since the Lightning will dress seven defensemen for their game versus the Jets on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.

Cernak left the Lightning's last game after blocking a shot, but it appears a week-long break in the team's schedule has worked in his favor to avoid missing additional time. The 27-year-old could see fewer minutes than usual given the Lightning playing seven blueliners, but he should still see significant defensive usage.

Smith was summoned from AHL Chicago on Thursday.

Smith hasn't appeared in a game with Carolina, but he has been a healthy scratch on seven occasions with the Hurricanes this season. He also has three assists in four outings with the Wolves in 2024-25. Although he's back with Carolina, he figures to serve as the team's seventh defenseman, which means he's unlikely to draw into the lineup unless there's an injury.

Martinez (groin) was activated off injured reserve ahead of Thursday's matchup with Seattle, per the NHL media site.

Martinez was officially deemed a game-time decision by head coach Luke Richardson, but his removal from injured reserve clears the way for the blueliner to suit up versus the Kraken. Considering the Michigan native hasn't reached the 20-point mark in three consecutive seasons, fantasy players probably shouldn't be expecting a ton of offensive output by Martinez the rest of the way.

Martinez will be a game-time decision for Thursday's tilt against Seattle, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Martinez hasn't played since Oct. 15 due to the injury. He has an assist, one hit and 15 blocks in four appearances with Chicago in 2024-25. If he's ready to return Thursday, he'll likely serve on the top pairing alongside Seth Jones while Nolan Allan, who has dressed in Chicago's last 12 games, might shift the press box.