NHL Player News

Kulikov (upper body) will be a game-time decision against the Islanders on Sunday, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Kulikov has missed 57 straight contests after getting hurt in Florida's second game of the 2025-26 season. He will need to be activated from long-term injured reserve to be eligible to return to action. If Kulikov receives the green light to play, he will probably replace Uvis Balinskis (undisclosed) in Sunday's lineup against the Islanders.

Benson notched an assist, two hits and two PIM in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Lightning.

Benson returned from an upper-body injury that cost him four games. The 20-year-old winger was on the fourth line Saturday, though he saw a decent 13:39 of ice time. He was in a top-six role for much of January, but he may need to get up to speed again -- while he didn't miss many games, he was out for nearly a month due to the Olympic break. Benson has seven goals, a career-high 20 assists, 75 shots on net, 23 hits, 22 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 43 appearances this season.

Tuch scored a power-play goal on five shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Lightning.

Tuch has three points, including two power-play tallies, over the last two games. For the season, the veteran winger is up to 24 goals, 51 points, 146 shots on net, 62 hits, 67 blocked shots, 47 PIM and a plus-15 rating over 59 appearances. Tuch's on the top line and first power-play unit, and those are spots which should allow him to rack up plenty of production across the board.

Thompson potted his 32nd goal of the season in a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Thompson has eight points (four goals, four assists) during a seven-game point streak. The big man has 32 goals, 31 assists and 214 shots in 60 games so far this season. If he can maintain this pace, Thompson will deliver the second-best offensive season of his career. He put up 47 goals, 47 assists and 295 shots in 78 games in 2022-23.

Ohgren scored a goal in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Kraken.

Ohgren has two goals and two assists over his last five outings. He's starting to find a rhythm in a third-line role, which could lead to a strong finish to the campaign despite a poor team situation. Ohgren is up to five goals, 10 points, 60 shots on net, 55 hits and a minus-3 rating over 46 appearances between Vancouver and Minnesota this season, with all of his offense coming as a Canuck.

Johansson made 20 saves on 21 shots in relief during a 6-2 loss to the Sabres on Saturday.

The Lightning had no compete and little focus Saturday, so netminding was an adventure behind them. Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed five goals on 14 shots, and head coach Jon Cooper yanked him to prove a point. Johansson was solid, but it won't earn him more time in the net. Tampa Bay is four points ahead of Buffalo and five ahead of Montreal for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, which will result in more playing time for Vasilevskiy.

Lankinen stopped 20 of 24 shots in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Kraken. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Lankinen has lost his last six decisions, giving up 26 goals on 130 shots (.800 save percentage) over seven outings in that span. The 30-year-old netminder is now 7-20-4 with a 3.69 GAA and an .874 save percentage over 33 appearances this season. The Canucks are the worst team in the league and eight points back of the next-closest team, so there's no reason for fantasy managers to invest in the crease in Vancouver. That's especially true for the next two games, when the Canucks host the Stars on Monday and the Hurricanes on Wednesday for a pair of tough matchups.

Oleksiak notched an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

Oleksiak has been limited to four points over 22 outings in January and February. The 33-year-old defenseman is playing regularly as a shutdown blueliner in a bottom-four role. He's earned 10 points, 52 shots on net, 77 hits, 82 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 57 appearances this season. Oleksiak is slated for unrestricted free agency this summer, but the Kraken may be hesitant to part with him before the trade deadline since they're in the middle of the playoff race.

Vasilevsky gave up five goals on 14 shots before being pulled at 1:54 of the second period in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Sabres.

Vasilevksiy was far from perfect, but his team was nonexistent and contributed to him getting the hook. Head coach Jon Cooper was critical of his team's effort following the contest. This loss wasn't on Vasilevskiy, and he'll probably be able to rebound with ease, especially since his teammates should be better in front of him.

Schwartz logged an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.

Schwartz snapped a four-game point drought with the helper, which also included one absence due to a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old winger is up to 20 points, 72 shots on net, 38 blocked shots, 28 hits and a plus-9 rating over 39 appearances this season. He's filling a middle-six role with power-play time, giving him a little appeal in some fantasy formats if he can find consistent offense.