Kuraly notched an assist and three shots on goal in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

Kuraly has been limited to two helpers and a minus-3 rating over 10 outings in March. The 32-year-old is still holding steady in a fourth-line role, so his chances to contribute on offense will be minimal. He's posted 15 points, 70 shots on net, 141 hits, 40 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating across 69 appearances this season, making it unlikely he'll match his 18-point total from 62 games a year ago.

Olivier logged an assist, three shots on goal, two hits and five PIM in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

Olivier fought Bokondji Imama in the first period before setting up a Justin Danforth tally in the middle frame. It's been a good stretch for Olivier lately, who has six goals, three assists, 47 hits, 28 shots on net and 26 PIM over 12 contests dating back to Feb. 25. Overall, the 28-year-old is enjoying a career year with 27 points, 125 PIM, 99 shots on net, 260 hits, 69 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 69 appearances in 2024-25.

Jenner scored a goal on six shots and added three hits in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

The goal was Jenner's first of the campaign, coming nearly a month after his season debut. The 31-year-old hasn't had any trouble staying productive, though his tally Friday snapped a four-game point drought, his worst of the season. He's at 10 points, 32 shots on net, 26 hits, 11 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 13 appearances in 2024-25.

Johnson scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

Johnson ended a four-game slump with his third-period tally, which got the Blue Jackets within two goals before the Penguins put away an empty-netter. The 22-year-old forward had not gone more than three contests without a point prior to his most recent skid. It's still been a wildly successful campaign for the fifth-overall pick from 2021, as he's racked up 22 goals, 46 points, 104 shots on net and a minus-4 rating over 55 appearances in his third full NHL campaign.

Lizotte notched an assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Lizotte is up to four helpers over his last four outings, as well as five hits. The 27-year-old is almost exclusively playmaking -- he's in a 15-game goal drought and has mustered just five shots on net to go with five assists in that span. For the season, he's at 18 points, 43 shots on net, 54 hits, 24 blocked shots, 24 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 52 appearances in a bottom-six role, surpassing his 15-point total from the 2023-24 campaign with the Kings.

Dewar provided an assist, four shots on goal, three hits and three blocked shots in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Dewar is up to three goals and an assist over six contests with the Penguins. The 25-year-old forward has quickly moved up the lineup after being an occasional healthy scratch when he wasn't on injured reserve for the Maple Leafs prior to the trade deadline. Dewar has seven points, 39 shots on net, 93 hits, 24 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 37 appearances in 2024-25. Even with a larger role in Pittsburgh, there's no guarantee his current success on offense will last.

Chinakhov logged an assist in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

This was Chinakhov's first point in eight contests since he returned from a 39-game absence due to an upper-body injury. He's gone minus-8 with 13 shots on net since his return, which also saw him scratched once due to poor performance. He's still nominally on the second line, but he saw just 12:07 of ice time Friday and hasn't exceeded 14:31 in any outing since he came off injured reserve. The 24-year-old winger is at 15 points, 68 shots on net, 47 hits and a minus-6 rating through 29 appearances this season. He's at risk of getting lost in the shuffle for the Blue Jackets, who will likely integrate more prospects for the 2025-26 campaign.

Danforth scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

Danforth's goal came early in the second period. It appeared to initially be an own goal by the Penguins, but assists were later awarded to Mathieu Olivier and Damon Severson on the tally, which doesn't happen on own goals. Danforth has three goals and two assists through 10 outings in March, which is fine production for a middle-six forward. He's up to eight goals, 17 points, 75 shots on net, 99 hits, 44 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 48 appearances. Earlier injuries will deny him a realistic chance at matching his career-high 26 points from 2023-24.

Jaaska was recalled from AHL Chicago on Friday.

Jaaska earned four assists over 17 outings with the big club earlier in the season. The 27-year-old appears to be an extra forward for the weekend back-to-back with games in Los Angeles on Saturday and in Anaheim on Sunday. However, he could draw in if there's a yet-to-be-announced injury affecting one of the Hurricanes' forwards.

Hayes provided an assist in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Hayes has a goal and two assists over his last five contests. The 32-year-old is centered the fourth line, and that's not a great spot for consistent offense, though it helps that the Penguins' offense is on the upswing since the trade deadline. Hayes now has 20 points, 84 shots on net, 38 hits and a minus-14 rating through 54 outings overall.

Heinen managed an assist in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Heinen has a goal and two assists over his last four contests. While the 29-year-old is playing in a bottom-six role, the Penguins' recent success on offense -- they've scored 23 goals over the last five games -- has led to more players getting involved. Heinen is up to 25 points, 71 shots on net, 73 hits, 33 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 68 appearances between the Penguins and the Canucks this season.

Imama scored a goal on two shots, added three hits, blocked two shots and logged seven PIM in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Imama dropped the gloves with Mathieu Olivier in the first period to get the crowd fired up. In the second, Imama added a goal, which ended up being the game-winner for the Penguins. This was the second tally of his career, his previous one coming during the 2021-22 campaign with the Coyotes, which is also his only other NHL point. Imama has drawn into 14 contests this season, racking up eight shots on net, 16 PIM, 37 hits, six blocked shots and a plus-2 rating while seeing limited minutes on the fourth line.

Severson notched an assist and two blocked shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

Severson has five assists and a plus-3 rating over 17 appearances since the start of February. The 30-year-old has been rooted on the third pairing, though he's also started to pick up some power-play time over the last week. The defenseman has 25 points, 86 shots on net, 101 blocked shots, 41 hits, 39 PIM and a plus-7 rating through 66 contests overall. It's a pretty typical year for Severson, who has enough time to challenge for the 30-point mark but will probably fall just shy of it for the second season in a row.

Provorov notched an assist and went minus-2 in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

Provorov ended an eight-game point drought with his helper on Boone Jenner's first-period tally. The 28-year-old Provorov hasn't seen a change in his role -- this was merely a dry spell that shutdown defensemen go through at times. For the season, he's at 29 points, 84 shots on net, 111 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 69 appearances. If he's able to earn one more point, he'll reach the 30-point mark for the sixth time in his nine-year NHL career.

Mateychuk notched an assist and went minus-2 in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

Mateychuk has been limited to two helpers over his last nine outings since his March 1 goal versus the Red Wings in the Stadium Series game. The 20-year-old blueliner will have some ups and downs early in his career as he adjusts to the NHL, but this was just his second game in March with a minus rating, so he's done well defensively. Overall, he's collected seven points, 29 shots on net, 45 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 32 appearances in 2024-25.

Grzeclyk notched an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Grzelcyk was the only Pittsburgh defenseman to get on the scoresheet Friday. He kept the puck in and fed Sidney Crosby for a goal at 15:31 of the second period, which stretched the Penguins' lead to 5-2. Grzelcyk has three assists over 10 outings in March, and he's logged a career-best total of 32 points with 77 shots on net, 88 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 71 appearances this season.

Christiansen (upper body) won't play Friday versus the Penguins, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Christiansen will miss a fourth straight game. Erik Gudbranson (shoulder) is getting closer to a return, so it's possible Christiansen may not have a place in the lineup to come back to once he's healthy. The Blue Jackets' next game is Monday versus the Islanders.

Struble notched an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Struble has two helpers over his last four games, as well as a plus-6 rating through nine contests in March. The 23-year-old defenseman remains on the second pairing and doesn't see power-play time, but he's at little risk of losing his place in the lineup since the Canadiens aren't carrying an extra healthy defenseman. Struble is at 10 points through 42 appearances, matching his offensive output from 56 games as a rookie a year ago. He's tacked on 94 hits, 44 blocked shots, 48 PIM and 40 shots on net in 2024-25.

Merzlikins allowed five goals on 33 shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.

Merzlikins started for the second day in a row, and the results weren't pretty. The Blue Jackets out-shot the Penguins 47-34, but the defense wasn't sound and the offense had a tough time converting its chances, while Merzlikins wasn't able to keep things close. This was his sixth straight defeat, dropping him to 1-5-1 with 24 goals allowed over seven games in March. Overall, the 30-year-old netminder has a 22-19-5 record with a 3.04 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 46 appearances this season. The Blue Jackets have the rest of the weekend off before visiting the Islanders on Monday, giving Merzlikins enough time to be ready for his next attempt to snap his skid.

Nedeljkovic stopped 44 of 47 shots in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Even in the second half of their back-to-back, the Blue Jackets found plenty of chances, but they couldn't keep pace with the Penguins' suddenly surging offense. Nedeljkovic did enough to get the job done, with the 44 saves marking a season high for the Ohio native. He's also undefeated in three outings where he's faced more than 40 shots this season. Overall, Nedeljkovic is up to 13-14-5 with a 3.16 GAA and an .893 save percentage over 34 outings. The Penguins have rolled with Tristan Jarry lately, but he and Nedeljkovic are both likely to struggle if they start either Sunday versus the Panthers or Tuesday versus the Lightning.

Tarasov will be unavailable for Friday's road game against the Penguins due to an illness, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Elvis Merzlikins will start Friday's matchup, while Jet Greaves will serve as the backup due to Tarasov's illness. Tarasov should tentatively be considered day-to-day ahead of Monday's road game against the Islanders, although he's seen sporadic playing time in recent weeks, starting in just three of the Blue Jackets' 12 games since the 4 Nations break.

Merzlikins is expected to start on the road against Pittsburgh on Friday, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

Merzlikins has a 22-18-5 record, 3.00 GAA and .897 save percentage in 45 appearances in 2024-25. He'll be starting for the second straight game after stopping 28 of 29 shots en route to a 1-0 overtime loss Thursday. Merzlikins has previously faced the Penguins twice this campaign, winning both of those games while stopping 41 of 46 shots (.891 save percentage).

Sorokin made 38 saves on 41 shots in Thursday's 4-3 OT win against the Canadiens.

Sorokin faced his second-largest volume of shots this season Thursday and was able to survive a two-goal third period from the Canadiens. Additionally, Sorokin helped fuel New York's offensive effort with his first two assists of the season on both of Bo Horvat's tallies. The 29-year-old Sorokin is up to a 27-20-5 record with a 2.72 GAA and a .907 save percentage. Thursday's win marked his third in a row and his seventh win in his last 10 games. He ranks sixth across the league in wins and has a chance to meet the 30-win mark for the second time in his five-year career. He has great value in fantasy ahead of the playoffs with the Islanders making a late-season push for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Montembeault saved 21 of 25 shots on net in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Montembeault had a decent outing at even strength but conceded two power-play goals across the first two periods. He was able to keep the Habs in the game down the stretch before he surrendered the game-winning tally to New York's Bo Horvat. Overall, the 28-year-old Montembeault has a 25-21-5 record with a 2.86 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 51 appearances this season. Despite losing in overtime, Montembeault is still unbeaten in regulation since the 4 Nations Face-Off with a 7-0-2 record and a .914 save percentage in that span. He is a great fantasy netminder in all formats down the stretch while he rides this streak of unbeaten play in regulation. His next opportunity to guard Montreal's crease is Saturday at home against Colorado.