Islanders' Ross Johnston: Heathy scratch Tuesday

Here's what we learned following Boston's first two-game losing streak of the season. For the first time this season, the Boston Bruins have lost two games in a row. Boston earned its top-dog status throughout their 2022-23 season. They can attribute much of that success to their ability to close out games in the final 20 minutes. Coming off of an uncharacteristic collapse in the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning only two nights prior, the Bruins aimed to return to form against a “desperate” Florida Panthers squad.

Nyquist (upper body) is being termed as out indefinitely by the Blue Jackets. Nyquist logged just 3:33 of ice time before exiting Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win against Edmonton because of the injury. He has 10 goals and 22 points in 48 contests while averaging 17:48 of ice time in 2022-23. With Nyquist unavailable, Emil Bemstrom, who was a healthy scratch Wednesday, is projected to draw back into the lineup Friday versus Vancouver.

Zuccarello scored a goal and an assist on one shot, helping the Wild to a 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers on Thursday. The second star of the game, Zuccarello scored the game-winning goal in overtime on a highlight reel coast-to-coast goal. He would also add an assist on Matthew Boldy's power-play goal. This game snaps Zuccarello's mini two-game pointless streak and gives him seven points in the month of January. On the season, the Norwegian forward has 19 goals and 47 points in 45 games.

Karlsson notched an assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Rangers. Karlsson continues to be effective in January -- he's picked up four goals and four helpers through 11 outings this month. The 30-year-old helped out on a Phil Kessel tally in the second period Friday. Karlsson has 11 goals, 23 assists, 95 shots on net, 28 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 50 contests overall.

Wilson (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Thursday's showdown with the Penguins, Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports. Wilson exited in the second period of Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche and did not partake in Thursday's morning skate, but is officially a game-time call. The 28-year-old winger has two goals and three points in eight games -- alongside a paltry minus-7 rating.

Wilson (lower body) won't play until after the All-Star break, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports. Wilson, who sat out Thursday's contest against Pittsburgh after getting injured Tuesday versus Colorado following a shot block, will miss at least the next two games. The Capitals return from the break Feb. 11 in Boston. Wilson has supplied two goals, one assist, 13 shots on net and 33 hits in eight appearances this season. Anthony Mantha stands a good chance to stay in the top-six forward group of the Capitals until Wilson is able to return.

Wilson (lower body) was absent from practice Saturday, per Samantha Pell of The Washington Post. Wilson didn't play Thursday after suffering a lower-body Tuesday against Colorado. It appears that his status is in question for Sunday's contest in Toronto. Wilson has played in just eight games this season, logging two goals and an assist.

Vlasic missed Friday's game against Carolina due to an illness, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. The illness held Vlasic out of the lineup for the first time this season. The Sharks play in Pittsburgh on Saturday before entering their All-Star break.

Carlson (face) was on the ice prior to Friday's optional skate, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports. Carlson has not played since taking a slap shot to the face during a 4-1 victory over Winnipeg on Dec. 23. The 33-year-old is still a long way from returning to the lineup, but his presence on the ice is a good sign that his recovery is progressing.

Toews won't play Thursday versus the Flames due to an illness. Toews' absence likely means Luke Philp draws into the lineup, while Jason Dickinson could be in line for more ice time. The Blackhawks' next game is Saturday in Edmonton, but it's unknown if Toews will be healthy enough to play in that contest.

Fleury will defend the blue paint during Saturday's home game versus Buffalo, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Fleury played well in his last start Thursday against Philadelphia, turning aside 28 of 30 shots en route to a 3-2 win. He'll try to secure a second straight victory in a matchup with a red-hot Sabres squad that's won five straight games.

Castano (shoulder) cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Jacksonville by the Marlins on Thursday, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Miami designated Castano for assignment last week as the corresponding 40-man roster move for its completion of a free-agent agreement with veteran starter Johnny Cueto. The 28-year-old left-hander holds a 3.89 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 45:28 K:BB ratio in 85.2 career innings at the MLB level.

Tatis (shoulder/wrist/suspension) took batting practice Thursday, Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com reports. Tatis was cleared to resume baseball activity Jan. 6 and this was his first public step toward returning to the field since. He is expected to be ready to participate at the start of spring training, though he'll still be required to sit out the first 20 games of the season due to a PED suspension. After missing the entire 2022 campaign, Tatis will have high expectations in 2023 after posting an OPS above .930 in all three of his previous seasons in the majors.

Burke and the Rangers discussed a return to the rotation earlier in the offseason, and he's now being considered for the closer spot as well, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports. While the Rangers seemingly aren't certain how they'll use Burke next season, it's clear they like him...

Ovechkin scored a power-play goal Thursday in a 3-2 shootout win over the Penguins. He stood, unmoving and straight-legged, in his office in the left circle until the pass arrived for a one-timer. Opponents have known it's coming from that spot since 2005, but Ovechkin still scores at will. It was his 32nd snipe this season (50 games) and 812th of his career. So far, Ovie is on pace for his 10th 50-goal season.

The NHL continues to draw attention for Pride Night celebrations around the league as teams and players make a decision not to wear the themed uniforms. In the latest example, the New York Rangers elected not to wear pride-themed jerseys or use rainbow stick tape in warmups prior to their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.

Bolt signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Friday and received an invitation to major-league spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Bolt slashed .326/.385/.526 in Triple-A last season, though he was never able to put it together in the majors, where his numbers dropped to .198/.259/.330 across 116 plate appearances with Oakland. Milwaukee already has plenty of outfield talent at the major-league and minor-league levels, so Bolt will likely serve as organizational depth.

Sheffield cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Thursday. Sheffield got the boot off the 40-man roster last week to open up a 40-man roster spot for Tommy La Stella. A former top prospect, Sheffield holds a career 5.47 ERA in 186 innings (33 starts, 15 relief appearances) at the major-league level. It's certainly notable that he didn't draw much interest from other MLB teams on the waiver wire leading into what will be his age-27 campaign.

Voth has avoided arbitration with the Orioles and signed a one-year contract Thursday, which includes a club option for 2024. Voth will be guaranteed $1.85 million with this new deal, and the 2024 option is worth $2.45 million with escalators that could add another $500,000. The 30-year-old right-hander struggled out of the gate last season with Washinton before moving on to Baltimore and registering a sharp 3.04 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 17 starts and five relief appearances covering 83 innings. He projects to operate in a swingman role again for the O's in 2023, shuffling between long relief and emergency starting/opening duties.

Rubio chipped in five points (2-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt), three rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 17 minutes during Thursday's 113-95 victory over the Rockets. Rubio continues to play a limited role off the bench and has not scored more than nine points in any of his games. However, he was able to dish out a season-high seven assists in the win. The fact he remains limited even with Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) sidelined tells you everything you need to know about his role moving forward. The Cavaliers want to have him up and running come the playoffs, meaning he could be locked in at no more than 20 minutes per night, at least for the foreseeable future.