NHL Player News

Draisaitl is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and is expected to miss Thursday's clash with Winnipeg, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.

Draisaitl is poised to miss his first game of the season due to his undisclosed injury. According to head coach Kris Knoblauch, the team is taking a cautious approach with the star center and will evaluate him on a game-to-game basis. If Draisiatl is out, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins figures to shift into the second-line center role.

Hinostroza posted an assist, two hits and two PIM in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Kraken.

Hinostroza ended a six-game point drought with the secondary helper on Ryan Hartman's first-period tally. This assist was the 100th of Hinostroza's career, a milestone he reached in his 402nd contest. The 30-year-old winger has put up seven points, 38 shots on net, 26 hits, 10 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 28 appearances between the Wild and the Predators this season. The Wild's many injuries at forward have allowed Hinostroza to maintain a middle-six role with power-play time despite his recent lack of offense.

Gaudreau recorded an assist in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Kraken.

Gaudreau has slowed down on offense with just a goal and an assist over his last seven outings. He had put up six points across the seven games before that from Feb. 8 to March 4. The 31-year-old continues to center the second line as the Wild are missing Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body), and Gaudreau could get another bump in minutes if Marco Rossi (lower body) misses additional time after leaving Wednesday's game early. Overall, Gaudreau is up to 31 points, 94 shots on net, 50 blocked shots, 36 hits and a plus-4 rating over 69 appearances.

Nyquist provided an assist, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Kraken.

Nyquist helped out on Liam Ohgren's first-period tally, which stretched the Wild's lead to 3-0 early on. This was Nyquist's second helper over nine appearances since the Wild acquired him in a trade with the Predators. He hasn't exactly provided a boost to Minnesota's offense, as his struggles from Nashville have followed him north. For the season, the winger is at 23 points, 85 shots on net, 34 hits and a minus-21 rating through 66 outings.

Stephenson (undisclosed) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Wild.

The Kraken did not provide an explanation for Stephenson's absence, but he was ruled out at the start of the third period. It's unclear if he'll be available for Saturday's game versus the Oilers. If not, Tye Kartye will likely get back in the lineup, while Shane Wright could pick up extra ice time.

MacKinnon recorded a power-play assist and six shots on goal in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.

MacKinnon has bounced back from a two-game slump earlier in the month, picking up a helper in each of his last two outings. The center set up Valeri Nichushkin for the Avalanche's lone tally in Wednesday's contest. MacKinnon is up to 104 points over 69 games this season, giving him a three-point edge over the Oilers' Leon Draisaitl for the league lead, who has a game in hand. MacKinnon has 27 goals, 77 helpers, 34 power-play points, 280 shots on net, 53 blocked shots and a plus-26 rating this season.

Tavares notched a power-play assist, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and two PIM in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Avalanche.

Tavares has hit a slowdown on offense with just two points over his last five contests. His helper Wednesday ended his first multi-game dry spell since Jan. 9-14, which preceded his six-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Tavares has generally put together a strong campaign with 27 goals, 30 helpers, 16 power-play points, 160 shots on net, 78 hits, 35 blocked shots, 36 PIM and a plus-3 rating over 61 appearances. He also won 14 of 16 faceoffs Wednesday, his best win rate at the dot in any game this season.

Lorentz scored a shorthanded goal, added three hits and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Avalanche.

Lorentz cashed in by collecting a loose puck that caromed off an official. The goal snapped the 28-year-old forward's eight-game point drought, and it was his first tally since Jan. 18 versus the Canadiens. Lorentz is up to six goals, 15 points, 61 shots on net, 167 hits, 46 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 66 appearances as a regular on the Maple Leafs' fourth line. This was his third game-winner of the campaign, as well as his first shorthanded point since the 2022-23 season with the Sharks.

Matthews scored a power-play goal on eight shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Avalanche.

Matthews had nearly a third of the Maple Leafs' 26 shots for the game. He opened the scoring early in the second period with his fourth goal and fifth point over the last three contests. For the season, the star center is up to 27 goals, 61 points (21 on the power play), 215 shots on net, 67 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through 53 appearances.

Rossi (lower body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Kraken.

Rossi was struck by a puck in the first period and got off the ice gingerly. The 23-year-old logged just 3:00 of ice time and was held off the scoresheet for a fourth straight game. More should be known about Rossi's injury prior to Saturday's game versus the Sabres. If he's out, the Wild may need to recall a forward, though they could get by without a move if Marcus Johansson (illness) is able to return.