NHL Player News

Lewis (lower body) was seen on crutches after exiting Saturday's game versus the Senators, and he won't play Wednesday against the Stars, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports.

Lewis' next appearance will be his 1,000th NHL game, but the festivities for that milestone will be on hold while he's out. There is no timeline beyond Wednesday's game for his recovery. He's played too small a role to be a fantasy factor, so managers don't need to track his recovery too closely.

Stephenson (illness) won't play Saturday versus the Sharks due to an illness, Alison Lukan of the Kraken Hockey Network reports.

Stephenson had three points in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Sharks, but he's apparently ended up under the weather before the rematch. The 30-year-old center will be replaced in the lineup by Mitchell Stephens, while Shane Wright could see a larger role. Stephenson's next chance to play is Tuesday against the Hurricanes.

Barkov had a goal and an assist in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Hurricanes.

Both points came on the power play. Barkov is on a torrid scoring pace right now, with 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 17 games, and he's currently on a three-game, five-point streak (two goals, three assists). Barkov missed eight games due to injury this season, but he's still on pace to top 100 points for the first time...as long as he stays healthy. Barkov always seems to miss time due to injury, and he has already been sidelined once this season.

Bennett scored a goal Saturday in a 6-0 win over Carolina.

Bennett has put up a goal in three consecutive games, and he has points in four straight (three goals, two assists). He also has 14 shots during the streak. Bennett has put up 40 points or more in each of the last three seasons, but he's on an even greater pace in 2024-25. His 12 goals, 11 assists and 74 shots in 24 games put Bennett on pace for 78 points and 252 shots, both of which would be career bests. That's a big stretch for a 28-year-old whose best totals came in 2021-22 (28 goals, 49 points, 241 shots), but never say never. Ride the Bennett wave for now until his pace slows.

Lewis won't return to Saturday's game against Ottawa because of a lower-body injury.

Lewis entered Saturday's action with three goals and seven points through 24 appearances in 2024-25. If Lewis can't play in Wednesday's tilt versus Dallas, Andre Lee might draw back into the lineup.

Suzuki scored a goal on two shots and assisted on another in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers. He also blocked two shots and had one hit.

Suzuki finished off a pretty sequence to the tie the game at 3-3 with six minutes left. It was the second straight game with a tally for Suzuki, who's tickled twine five times in the last eight games. Montreal's captain has nine goals and 13 assists through 23 appearancnes.

Pageau (lower body) is unavailable for Saturday's game versus the Sabres, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Pageau will miss a second straight game due to the injury. The 32-year-old's absence will be covered by defenseman Grant Hutton on Saturday, as the Islanders opt to play seven blueliners and 11 forwards. Simon Holmstrom figures to take on a larger role up front in Pageau's absence.

Zibanejad had a goal and assist, both on the power play, in Saturday's 4-3 win over Montreal. He also had three shots on net and two PIM.

Zibanejad's power-play assist in the first period snapped an 11-game run without a point while the Rangers were a skater up. In the second period, he tallied on the man advantage, when he pump-faked and expertly used a Chris Kreider screen to beat Sam Montembeault. It was surprisingly the first power-play tally of the season for Zibanejad, who entered 2024-25 with double-digit power-play goals in seven consecutive campaigns. It's been a rough start for the 31-year-old Zibanejad, who owns a minus-14 rating through 23 outings.

Trocheck scored a goal on one shot, delivered three hits and picked up two PIM in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Canadiens.

Trocheck beat the buzzer when he deflected a shot while falling down with two seconds left in the first period. It was the second straight game with a goal for the second-line center, who was on the ice for a team-high 22:45 and won 19 of 29 faceoffs. He has six goals, six assists, 56 shots, 78 hits, 21 blocks, 16 PIM and a minus-3 rating over 23 appearances.

Steeves was reassigned to AHL Toronto on Saturday, per David Alter of The Hockey News.

The Maple Leafs needed roster spots because Auston Matthews (upper body) and Matthew Knies (upper body) were activated from injured reserve and will play Saturday in Tampa Bay. Steeves was pointless in four NHL games this season before his demotion.