NHL Player News

Stankoven had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.

It was a great way to celebrate his 23rd birthday. It was Stankoven's first goal in 13 games; he notched his last on Jan. 10. He has four assists in those 13 outings (20 shots). Stankoven has 11 goals, 16 assists and 114 shots in 58 games. The Canes' system focuses on team defense, which naturally suppresses scoring. Stankoven hasn't taken the offensive leap forward that many expected, but he's playing a solid two-way game while centering the second line.

Bussi made 24 saves in a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday.

His mates gave him a three-goal cushion in the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Bolts clawed back to knot the score. It was Bussi's eighth consecutive win. He is 24-3-1 with two shutouts, 2.23 GAA and .906 save percentage in 28 starts.

MacKinnon notched two assists and eight shots on goal in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

MacKinnon sat out Wednesday's game versus the Mammoth to recover after his time at the Olympics with Canada. He was able to return a day later and should be good to go in a heavy role for the remainder of the campaign. The 30-year-old superstar is at 95 points (40 goals, 55 assists), 252 shots on net, 45 hits, 29 blocked shots and a plus-48 rating over 56 appearances this season.

Johansson made 28 saves in a 5-4 loss to Carolina on Thursday.

Johansson got off to a rough start, allowing three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. He has lost his last two games and allowed 11 goals in that span. Starter Andrei Vasilevskiy is well rested, so don't expect Johansson to see too much time in the blue paint.

Necas scored two goals on seven shots and added three hits in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Necas has four points over two games since returning from his run with Czechia at the Olympics. The 27-year-old winger is on the Avalanche's top line, and that puts him in a good position to continue on a career-best pace. Overall, he has 25 goals, 66 points, 134 shots on net, 60 hits, 28 PIM and a plus-36 rating over 54 outings this season, putting him on pace to top the 30-goal and 80-point marks for the first time in his career.

Blackwood allowed three goals on 34 shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Wild. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Blackwood did well to keep the game close, but Mats Zuccarello's deflected goal with 4:52 left in the third period was the deciding tally. The 29-year-old Blackwood has allowed three goals in just two of his last six outings and remains a strong goalie in a great situation. This loss sent him to 16-6-1 on the season with a 2.28 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 23 appearances. The Avalanche rode Blackwood pretty heavily before the Olympic break, so it's possible he will get a majority of the starts over Scott Wedgewood down the stretch. The Avalanche host the Blackhawks on Saturday.

Kaprizov had two assists, including one on the power play, and added three shots on net, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.

Kaprizov has eight multi-point efforts over his last 11 contests. He's earned at least one power-play point in nine of those games, as well as continuing to be a leading contributor in that situation. For the season, the 28-year-old winger is at 32 goals, 72 points (26 on the power play), 208 shots on net, 37 hits and a plus-11 rating across 59 appearances.

Point had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes.

Point has two multi-point games (three goals, two assists) in the Bolts two games since the break. There's no rust on his game after missing 11 games prior to the Olympics with a lower-body injury. The Bolts could afford to give Point some rest to protect his health, what with a six-point lead over Detroit and Montreal at the top of the Atlantic. Even if that happens, he's still a great fantasy option. Point has 35 points, including 14 goals, and 89 shots in 39 games.

Zuccarello scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.

Zuccarello's deflected goal in the third period stood as the game-winner. He has tallied five times and added eight assists over his last 11 outings for one of his stronger stretches of the campaign. The Norwegian is up to 10 goals, 34 points, 76 shots on net and a minus-2 rating across 39 appearances in a top-six role.

Eriksson Ek scored a pair of power-play goals on five shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.

Eriksson Ek had both of the Wild's tallies in the second period to help them establish a 2-1 lead. He's up to six goals and four assists during his seven-game point streak, with five of those 10 points coming on the power play. Overall, the Swedish center is up to 17 goals, 42 points (15 on the power play), 150 shots on net, 78 hits and a plus-14 rating through 53 outings. He continues to be an effective all-around player in a key role for the Wild.