NHL Player News

Moverare notched an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Moverare ended a 15-game slump when he helped out on a Warren Foegele tally in the third period. Despite the lack of offense, Moverare has been able to hold onto a third-pairing role. Drew Doughty (lower body) missed Wednesday's game, but Moverare's place in the lineup has yet to be threatened even when the Kings are fully healthy. For the season, the 26-year-old is up to six points, 25 shots on net, 23 hits, 46 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating across 38 appearances.

Spence notched an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Spence has come out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break on a roll, earning a helper in three straight contests. That bodes well for him sticking in the lineup even if the Kings eventually go back to the traditional six-defensemen structure instead of the seven-defensemen system they've used heavily this season. Spence is up to 20 points, 58 shots on net, 56 hits, 62 blocked shots and a plus-15 rating over 55 appearances this season. He'll see a larger role as long as Drew Doughty (lower body) is out, but Doughty's injury is not believed to be a long-term issue.

Gavrikov notched an assist and three hits in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Gavrikov snapped a four-game point drought with his helper on Adrian Kempe's third-period goal. The 29-year-old Gavrikov was pressed back into heavy minutes when Drew Doughty (lower body) was a late scratch for this contest. Gavrikov is up to the 20-point mark for the second year in a row and the third time in his career. He's added 77 shots on net, 113 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 56 appearances.

Forbort notched an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.

Nils Hoglander went hard to the net, and Forbort found him for the opening goal at 9:56 of the first period. With three assists over his last nine outings, Forbort is enjoying one of his most productive stretches of the season, though it's far from enough to help in most fantasy formats. He's at just six helpers with 23 shots on net, 30 PIM, 44 blocked shots, 25 hits and a minus-6 rating over 32 appearances this season, playing primarily in a bottom-four role.

Hughes recorded an assist and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.

Hughes' availability for Wednesday's contest came down to a true game-time decision, but he was able to suit up as part of a seven-defensemen lineup. The 25-year-old was expected to be eased back into action after a six-game absence, but he still ended up with 21:38 of ice time. He was on the ice in a clutch moment, setting up Conor Garland's second goal of the game at 4:26 of overtime to secure the win. That helper got Hughes to the 60-point mark on the season, and he's added 138 shots on net, 44 blocked shots and a plus-16 rating through 48 appearances. A couple of injuries have likely ruined his chances of matching last season's 92-point output, but if he maintains his overall pace, he'll finish with the best points-per-game mark of his career, which is currently at 1.25.

MacDermid was scratched for the sixth straight game in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.

MacDermid didn't get into the lineup against his former team -- he had been with the Avalanche for parts of the last three seasons. The Devils' forward group is healthy right now, so unless head coach Sheldon Keefe decides he needs extra physicality in the lineup, MacDermid is likely to sit more often than not. He's still in search of his first point this season while adding six shots on net, 23 PIM and 37 hits over 21 appearances.

Hughes notched an assist, three shots on goal and two PIM in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Hughes has three helpers over his last two contests, with his latest assist setting up his elder brother, Jack Hughes, for the Devils' lone goal Wednesday. The younger Hughes has earned six points and a plus-1 rating over his last eight outings as he continues to make an impact on offense. For the season, he has 25 points, 79 shots on net, 43 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 51 games.

Makar notched two power-play assists, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Devils.

Makar has three goals and six helpers over seven outings in February in NHL play. The 26-year-old blueliner had a hand in both of Nathan MacKinnon's third-period tallies Wednesday. Makar continues to play at an elite level on the blue line, racking up 22 goals, 44 assists, 28 power-play points, 187 shots on net, 96 blocked shots and a plus-16 rating through 60 appearances. A 30-goal campaign is within reason, and he should also push toward a second straight 90-point season.

Hughes (oblique) is set to play Wednesday versus the Kings despite not taking line rushes in warmups, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

The Canucks will cover their defense by dressing seven blueliners, with Hughes among them. Arshdeep Bains will be scratched to make room for Hughes, who is likely to be on restricted minutes in the first half of a back-to-back.

Hughes (oblique) participated in warmups but did not take line rushes, indicating he won't return to the lineup Wednesday versus the Kings, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Hughes' presence on the ice suggests this was a true game-time decision, and he doesn't seem to be very far away. The Canucks play again Thursday versus the Ducks, so it's possible the team did not want to push Hughes with an immediate back-to-back. He'll miss his seventh straight game Wednesday.