NHL Player News

Thomas (undisclosed) will be in the lineup in Ottawa on Saturday. per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Thomas played limited minutes Thursday in a 5-2 loss in Boston. Thomas was averaging 18:55 of ice time heading into Thursday's tilt, but he managed to play only 14:28. He will play between Jake Neighbours and Pavel Buchnevich on the top line as well as see first-line power-play time. Thomas has four goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season.

Edstrom (lower body) won't play against Colorado on Saturday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Edstrom is still day-to-day and will miss his third straight game. He has contributed two goals, four points, 21 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and 48 hits across 24 appearances this season. Due to Edstrom's absence, Conor Sheary has been filling in on the fourth line, but Brennan Othmann is also available to play if needed.

Eller (undisclosed) won't play against St. Louis on Saturday, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Eller will miss his second straight game and remains day-to-day. He has contributed two goals, four assists, 24 shots on net, 16 blocked shots and 19 hits across 26 appearances this season. With Eller and Shane Pinto (lower body) unavailable, Ottawa summoned Hayden Hodgson from AHL Belleville on Saturday.

Pinto (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Ottawa recalled Hayden Hodgson from AHL Belleville in a corresponding move. Pinto sustained the injury in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers. He has 12 goals, 18 points, 65 shots on net, 18 blocked shots and 34 hits across 27 appearances this season. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Pinto will miss at least two weeks, but the 25-year-old forward could be out longer than that.

Vilardi recorded a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-1 win over the Sabres.

Vilardi closed out the scoring for Winnipeg with an empty-netter, and he previously had contributed to Kyle Connor's first-period goal. Vilardi has been very productive for the Jets and is averaging nearly a point per game -- he has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 27 appearances.

Hertl scored a power-play goal in Friday's 3-0 win over the Devils.

Hertl gave the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead in the latter stages of the second period with a wrister that went right past Jacob Markstrom. Hertl hasn't been the most consistent performer for the Golden Knights this season, but he seems to be trending in the right direction with three goals over his last three outings.

Martin scored a goal on seven shots and added an assist in WHL Spokane's 6-4 win over Swift Current on Friday.

Martin's offense hasn't bounced back for the Chiefs this year, as he's produced just six goals and nine points over 24 outings after an injury-riddled 2024-25. He's added 52 shots on net and a minus-5 rating. The Jets selected Martin with the 92nd overall pick in 2025, and he's yet to impress much, though his playing style is trending toward that of a defensively-responsible, bottom-six forward at the professional level.

Frank scored a goal in Friday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Ducks.

Frank ended a six-game goal drought with his second-period tally. In that span, he was limited to one assist, six shots on net and seven hits. The 27-year-old has emerged as a bottom-six regular this season, though he's also carved out a spot on the second power-play unit. Frank is up to four goals, 10 points, 24 shots on net, a plus-2 rating, 11 hits and nine blocked shots over 18 outings.

Protas scored a goal, blocked three shots and added two PIM in Friday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Ducks.

Protas has three goals and two assists during his five-game point streak. The 24-year-old forward continues to shine in a middle-six role for the Capitals -- he's gotten on the scoresheet in nine of his last 11 outings. For the year, he's at nine goals, 19 points, a plus-22 rating, 62 shots on net, 23 blocked shots and 13 hits through 29 appearances.

Schmaltz scored a goal in Friday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

Schmaltz ended his 11-game goal drought with the second-period tally, which stood as the game-winner. The 29-year-old has three points over his last two contests and seems to be turning things around after his November slump. For the season, he's up to 11 goals, 25 points, 67 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating across 29 appearances.