NHL Player News

Chinakhov scored a goal on three shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Chinakhov has scored in five of his last seven games, adding two assists and 18 shots on net in that span. The 25-year-old continues to thrive on the Penguins' second line even though his overall usage is still occasionally limited. Chinakhov is up to 11 goals, 17 points, 71 shots on net, 38 hits and a minus-2 rating over 46 appearances between Pittsburgh and Columbus this season.

Mantha scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Mantha has surged to the 20-goal mark for the season, netting six tallies and adding six assists over his last 10 games. The winger opened the scoring Tuesday. He's 41 points, 104 shots on net, 31 hits, 26 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 55 appearances. Mantha has never reached the 50-point mark in a season, coming as close as 48 in his first two full NHL campaigns, but he's on pace for a career year in 2025-26.

Rust scored a goal in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Rust sat out the last three games to serve a suspension for his illegal check to the head on the Canucks' Brock Boeser on Jan. 25. The 33-year-old Rust immediately resumed his usual top-line role and netted a second-period goal to put the Penguins ahead 3-2. He had a tough January with five points over 11 outings, but he's up to 19 goals, 40 points, 126 shots on net, 52 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 48 appearances this season.

Brazeau scored a goal on six shots, added an assist, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Brazeau ended a six-game goal drought with his tally. He had three assists in that span and picked up another in this game by feeding Anthony Mantha for the opening goal. Brazeau has been an effective middle-six forward throughout the campaign, earning 15 goals, 12 helpers, 76 shots on net, 54 hits, 25 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 41 appearances.

Skinner stopped 18 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Skinner's five-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with this performance. This is the second outing in a row that he's given up five goals, so the upcoming Olympic break should provide a beneficial reset for the 27-year-old netminder. He's now at a 19-12-5 record with a 2.79 GAA and an .890 save percentage over 36 starts. The Penguins have been alternating goalies lately, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Arturs Silovs get the nod versus the Sabres on Thursday.

Pelech logged an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins.

Pelech has earned three assists and a plus-5 rating over his last six games. The 31-year-old doesn't add much on offense, but he's providing steady defensive play in a top-four role as a shutdown blueliner. For the season, he's at 10 points, 81 shots on net, 100 blocked shots, 37 hits, 30 PIM and a plus-8 rating across 57 outings.

Pulock scored a goal on two shots, added three hits and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins.

Pulock has two goals and four assists over his last 13 games. The steady defenseman continues to fill a top-pairing role alongside Matthew Schaefer, which makes for an excellent two-way duo on the blue line. Pulock is up to three goals, 23 points, 68 shots on net, 103 blocks, 38 hits and a plus-11 rating over 55 appearances. He has matched his point total from 74 outings in 2024-25, and he has a chance to get over the 30-point mark for the first time since 2019-20.

Schaefer scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins.

Schaefer has three goals and two assists over the last five contests. He tallied late in the first period and helped out on a Bo Horvat goal in overtime in this effort, which was Schaefer's first multi-point outing since Jan. 19 versus the Canucks. The 18-year-old blueliner is up to 16 goals and 39 points through 57 appearances, with both of those scoring marks ranking third among all rookies. He's added 137 shots on net, 76 blocks, 28 PIM, 26 hits and a plus-7 rating. At this pace, he could take a run at Brian Leetch's record for goals by a rookie defenseman (23 in 1988-89).

Barzal scored a goal on four shots, dished two assists and went plus-4 in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins.

Barzal was a big part of the offense late in the game. His goal tied it at 3-3, and he set up Ryan Pulock for another equalizer before feeding Bo Horvat on a breakaway for the game-winner in overtime. Barzal has earned four multi-point efforts and a total of five goals and seven assists over his last nine outings. For the season, the 28-year-old forward is up to 16 goals, 50 points, 123 shots on net, 36 blocked shots, 43 PIM and a plus-11 rating over 56 appearances in a top-six role. Barzal's career high in goals is 23, and that's a mark he's poised to challenge over the remainder of the campaign.

Horvat scored twice on three shots, added an assist, logged two hits, blocked two shots and went plus-5 in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins.

The Islanders kept Horvat and Mathew Barzal together for a second game, and it paid off big. This was Horvat's first multi-point effort since Dec. 9 versus Vegas, which was prior to a pair of lower-body injuries that cost him a total of 14 contests. The center has five points over seven outings since returning from the second injury, and he's at a total of 23 goals (four game-winners), 38 points, 138 shots on net, 33 hits, 23 blocked shots, 36 PIM and a plus-7 rating over 43 appearances this season.