NHL Player News

Thompson scored a goal and added an assist in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Red Wings.

Both points came in the first period while the outcome was still in doubt. Thompson has found the back of the net six times in seven games to begin the month of March, but Wednesday's helper was his first since Feb. 22. On the season, the 27-year-old has piled up 34 goals and 58 points in 58 appearances, and he seems to have found immediate chemistry with new center Josh Norris, offering the possibility of a big finish to the campaign.

Backlund (upper body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Canucks.

Backlund was injured in the first period of the contest. The 35-year-old center has not missed a game since the 2020-21 campaign, but his ironman streak could be in danger if he's not ready to suit up again in time for Friday's contest versus the Avalanche. Connor Zary or Yegor Sharangovich could move to center if Backlund misses time, while Adam Klapka is the extra healthy forward on the roster.

Kulich (illness) will play Wednesday versus the Red Wings.

Kulich missed two games due to the illness. The 20-year-old will line up as a center, but it's unclear what line he'll be on, which will likely be revealed at warmups. He has a modest three points over his last 10 contests.

Veleno is under the weather and wasn't on the ice for practice Wednesday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Veleno should tentatively be considered questionable for Thursday's matchup with the Sharks. In his two games with Chicago, the 25-year-old center has yet to register a point while generating six hits, two blocks and one shot. Even when healthy, Veleno is far from a lock to suit up on a nightly basis and could find himself serving as a healthy scratch periodically.

Janmark is questionable for Thursday's clash against New Jersey due to an illness, per Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels.

Janmark has two goals and 17 points in 63 appearances in 2024-25. If he can't play against the Devils, then Kasperi Kapanen will probably draw into the lineup.

Pettersson scored a power-play goal in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to Montreal. He also recorded four shots on goal and a minus-2 rating.

Pettersson found the back of the net midway through the third period to pull the Canucks within one goal of the tie, but the Canucks couldn't pull off the come back. The 26-year-old has scored twice over his last three games, with both goals coming with the man advantage, and that helped snap a 15-game goalless drought in which he only recorded five assists while taking 21 shots on goal.

Perfetti logged a pair of assists, including one on the power play, and three shots on goal in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Perfetti set up tallies by Vladislav Namestnikov and Gabriel Vilardi in the contest. This was Perfetti's first multi-point effort since Feb. 22 versus the Blues -- in the eight games in between, he was limited to two goals and 11 shots on net. The 23-year-old has established a career high with 40 points this season, collecting 13 goals, 27 helpers, 113 shots on net, 56 hits, 40 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating over 66 appearances in a middle-six role.

Suzuki posted a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Canucks. He also recorded two hits and a plus-3 rating.

Suzuki snapped a two-game pointless streak with an excellent showing Tuesday, finding the back of the twine just 1:06 into the first period and later setting up Cole Caufield's goal in the second frame. Suzuki has notched five multi-point performances over his last eight games, and he's been among the most productive players in the league since the regular season resumed after the 4 Nations, tallying 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in that eight-game stretch.

Cotter scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Cotter endured a seven-game slump coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The Devils scratched him Sunday versus the Flyers, but he was back in a fourth-line role Tuesday, and he ended his slump with a first-period tally. The 25-year-old now has a career-high 14 goals, but he's added just six helpers over 65 appearances, so he's still five points back of matching his 2023-24 total of 25 in 76 games. Cotter also has 206 hits, 76 shots on net, 47 PIM and a minus-8 rating. The Devils acquired Cody Glass and Daniel Sprong in trades to bolster their forward depth, so Cotter's spot in the lineup is far from secure down the stretch.

Hischier scored a power-play goal on five shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Hischier has three goals and an assist over six games in March, and three of those points have come on the power play. The 26-year-old center had the first of three tallies for the Devils in the first period. Hischier is up to 27 goals, 50 points (22 on the power play), 159 shots on net, 53 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating over 60 outings. His career high of 31 goals from 2022-23 is within range this season, but a drop in assists makes it virtually impossible for him to match that year's 80-point total.