NHL Player News

McLeod scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The Sabres are 1-4-1 to start the year, but they've gotten more depth contributions over the last three games. In that span, McLeod has two goals and one assist, accounting for all of his offense this season. The third-line center has added eight shots on net and a plus-4 rating, so it's safe to say he hasn't been as responsible for the Sabres' struggles in their own zone. McLeod's upside is limited as long as he remains out of the power-play mix, but he's averaging a career-high 15:57 of ice time that could still allow for him to build on his 30-point campaign over 81 regular-season outings last year.

Steel is questionable for Saturday's game against Edmonton due to an undisclosed injury, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Steel suffered his injury during his final shift against Washington on Thursday, and the Stars will likely wait to see how he feels in the hours leading up to Saturday's matchup before determining his status. If Steel is unable to dress against the Oilers, the Stars will likely call up another skater to provide additional depth.

Aston-Reese scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Sabres.

Aston-Reese has played in all four games for the Blue Jackets this season, adding six shots on net, four hits, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating. The 30-year-old forward had a brush with an upper-body injury, but he was able to avoid missing further action. The Blue Jackets are already missing four of their regular forwards, so Aston-Reese should be able to stick in the lineup moving forward, and he could even ascend to a middle-six role after starting the campaign on the fourth line.

Fantilli scored a goal on four shots in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Sabres.

Fantilli's goal stretched the Blue Jackets' lead to 3-1 in the second period. The 20-year-old center has played on the second line so far, and with injuries mounting once again for Columbus, he'll likely be leaned on heavily in the coming weeks. He has two goals, 12 shots on net, four hits and five blocked shots through four contests. It wouldn't take much more for Fantilli to enjoy a breakout campaign after producing 27 points over 49 regular-season contests as a rookie last year.

Copp missed practice Friday with the flu, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Copp hasn't been ruled out versus the Predators on Saturday but should probably still be considered questionable. Without the veteran center available for practice, the team recalled Marco Kasper from AHL Grand Rapids on Friday and could deploy him versus Nashville if needed. For his part, Copp hasn't really found his stride this season with just one point in four appearances, a pace that would have him barely reaching the 20-point mark this year.

Motte is being evaluated for an upper-body injury suffered Thursday against the Rangers, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Motte should be considered day-to-day at this time and his status for Saturday's tilt in Nashville is up in the air. The fourth-line winger has yet to hit the scoresheet in four games this season, but he has managed eight shots on goal.

Lundestrom (upper body) has been ruled out for Friday's game against Colorado and is considered day-to-day.

Lundestrom suffered an upper-body injury during Wednesday's game against Utah, and he'll be forced to miss at least one matchup. Ross Johnston is a candidate to draw into the lineup for Friday's game against the Avalanche.

Smith will be a healthy scratch Friday in Winnipeg, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

The Sharks have decided to ease Smith into his first year in the NHL, as it is a long schedule, and are making him sit out the second game of back-to-back contests after playing Thursday in Chicago. The Ducks did the same thing last season with Leo Carlsson. so expect this to happen with some frequency the rest of the campaign with the highly-regarded Smith. The youngster has yet to hit the scoresheet in four games.

Gustafsson (lower body) will not be an option versus the Sharks on Friday, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Gustafsson has yet to get into the lineup for the Jets this season due to his lingering lower-body problem. The forward has been practicing with the team, so it's possible he's recovered from his injury concern but just hasn't earned a spot in the lineup yet. Still, Gustafsson should see some minutes sooner rather than later.

Trocheck scored a power-play goal and delivered three assists, including two on the power play, in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Red Wings.

Trocheck benefited from skating alongside Artemi Panarin, assisting in each one of his goals and also finding the back of the net in the power play midway through the second period to give the Rangers a healthy 3-1 lead following an assist from the Russian winger. Trocheck might not be enjoying the blistering start to the season Panarin has, but there's no question he's been productive with six points across his first four appearances. This was his first multi-point game of the campaign.