Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Contributes pair of helpers

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.

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.

Toews (illness) is practicing Saturday, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports. Toews sat out Thursday's game versus Calgary, the second time this season he was unable to suit up. Toews, whose name has been bandied about in trade rumors, has 13 goals and 27 points in 45 games this season. The 34-year-old vet should be good to go versus Edmonton on Saturday.

Andersen (upper body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Stars, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports. Andersen was hurt in the first period and didn't return to start the second. Antti Raanta took over in goal and could see an uptick in playing time if Andersen is out for any length of time. Pyotr Kochetkov could also be recalled if Andersen's injury is anything more than just a minor bump. The Hurricanes' next game is Friday versus the Sharks.

During a full slate of NBA games Wednesday night, there was only one matchup that had the potential to feature two players who have both won back-to-back MVPs. It was neither of the nationally televised games, though both of those matchups had their own built-in storylines as part of the league's "Rivals Week." It was the Denver Nuggets against the Milwaukee Bucks, where the two players who have combined to win the last four MVP awards were set to face off. But with the Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back, reigning MVP Nikola Jokic didn't play, neither did Jamal Murray or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a 107-99 loss against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Love (back) won't play Thursday against the Rockets, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. After getting added to the injury report late Thursday, Love will ultimately sit out against the Rockets, putting Dean Wade and Cedi Osman in line for more minutes. The veteran's next chance to return to the court will be Friday against the Thunder.

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.

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.

Gordon has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Cleveland due to right knee soreness. Gordon has played at least 30 minutes in each of his last six appearances, averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 31.3 minutes per game over that stretch. However, he's dealing with a knee issue that will sideline him for the first time since Dec. 27. Jae'Sean Tate (ankle) is also out, so Kenyon Martin, Garrison Mathews and Tari Eason will likely see increased run Thursday.

Beal provided 17 points (7-17 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes during Wednesday's 108-103 win over the Rockets. Beal had a rough shooting performance, but his contributions still lifted Washington to victory. He's been remarkably consistent of late, putting up at least 17 points in each of his four outings since returning from injury and shooting 47.5 percent from the field in that span.

Middleton chipped in 10 points (3-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, three assists and one steal across 15 minutes during Wednesday's 107-99 victory over the Nuggets. Middleton has played exactly 15 minutes in his two games since returning to action, scoring a combined 18 points while going 6-for-15 from the field in that span. He's going to be eased back into action, and his fantasy value should begin to increase when -- and not if -- he returns to the starting unit, as Pat Connaughton has been starting at small forward over him.

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.

Antone's offseason throwing program has been slowed by a right forearm injury, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. The good news is that the issue is not thought to be related to Antone's elbow, which required Tommy John surgery more than two years ago and gave him a lot of trouble in the aftermath. The 29-year-old reliever will be eased into action at Reds camp this spring with the hope that he might be ready to be used in high-leverage situations at some point in the early part of the 2023 season. Antone posted a 2.48 ERA with 87 strikeouts over his first 69 major league innings between 2020-2021.

Sills signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants on Thursday. Sills opened the 2022 season as a member of the Giants' starting wide-receiver corps, playing at least 63 percent of offensive snaps in all but one of the first four games. However, the 26-year-old logged more than two receptions just once, and he saw a significant drop in playing time before being ruled a healthy scratch six times between Weeks 10 to 16. Sills was then waived Dec. 31 and finished the season on the practice squad. He'll now work to earn his way back onto the Giants' 53-man roster ahead of the 2023 campaign.