NHL Player News

Guentzel scored twice for the Lightning in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Jets.

Guentzel opened the scoring in the first period when he wired a shot from the top of the slot off a drop pass from Nick Paul. His second went into an empty net. Guentzel is clipping along at a point-per-game pace (seven goals, eight assists in 15 games), with 41 shots.

Eriksson Ek (lower body) won't return to Thursday's game versus the Canadiens.

The first period of the contest was costly for the Wild, as both Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello (lower body) left the game. Consider Eriksson Ek day-to-day until the Wild provide another update. Their next game is Saturday versus the Stars.

Chytil (upper body) won't finish Thursday's game versus the Sharks.

Chytil was hurt in a collision with teammate K'Andre Miller in the second period. While Chytil was initially able to stay in the game, he didn't return for the third and was promptly ruled out. Given Chytil missed most of 2023-24 due to an upper-body injury, there will be concern about his health at least until the Rangers provide more details.

Sturm (upper body) won't return to Thursday's game versus the Rangers.

Sturm had an assist, one shot on goal and one hit over 5:27 of ice time before being ruled out during the second intermission. If he can't play Saturday in Pittsburgh, Givani Smith or Klim Kostin could draw into the lineup. It's unclear what caused Sturm's injury.

Novak (upper body) will miss Thursday's game against Edmonton, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Novak is set to miss his fifth straight game. He has three goals and four points in 12 outings in 2024-25. It remains to be seen if he'll be an option Friday versus Calgary.

Bennett (upper body) is set to play Thursday against New Jersey, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Bennett missed Tuesday's 4-1 loss to New Jersey. Before that absence, he was red hot, recording six goals and 10 points across his past nine appearances. Bennett is projected to play alongside Jesper Boqvist and Matthew Tkachuk in his return.

Couturier will miss Thursday's tilt against Ottawa because of a lower-body injury, and he's considered day-to-day beyond that.

Couturier has three goals and eight points in 16 appearances in 2024-25. His absence might lead to a meaningful increase in ice time for Ryan Poehling. Morgan Frost will likely draw back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch Monday. When Couturier is ready to return, he will probably resume his roles on the Flyers' top line and first power-play unit.

Brindley (finger) was taken off injured reserve and reassigned to AHL Cleveland on Thursday.

Brindley was a long shot to make the roster coming out of training camp in the first place but his broken finger certainly didn't improve his chances. The 20-year-old center has played in just one NHL game in his career thus far. Unless he puts up ridiculous numbers in the minors, Brindley figures to spend the bulk of the upcoming campaign with the Monsters.

Ivan was reassigned to AHL Colorado on Thursday.

Ivan has three goals and two assists with two goals and one helper coming on the power play. The 22-year-old has been a pleasant surprise over his 17 games in the NHL, but with Valeri Nichushkin ready to return from a six-month suspension, there wasn't room for Ivan. He will continue to pick up valuable experience in the minors, where he managed 12 goals and 31 points in 67 regular-season AHL games with the Eagles last season, his first in North America.

Joshua (cancer) will make his 2024-25 season debut against the Islanders on Thursday, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.

Joshua looks set to take on a fourth-line role but could work his way up the lineup as he gets back to full speed. Given his lengthy stint on the sidelines, the winger will likely need some time to readjust but could still challenge for the 30-point mark after hitting that threshold for the first time last year.