NHL Player News

Girard (upper body) will remain out of the lineup Saturday in Winnipeg, according to Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

Girard was a late scratch Thursday in Minnesota. He has two goals, 16 assists, 38 hits and 67 blocked shots across 42 appearances this season. Calvin de Haan will remain in the lineup.

Johnson (illness) has been cleared but will serve as a healthy scratch Saturday against St. Louis, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Johnson missed Columbus' last game with an illness. While he's healthy Saturday, the veteran blueliner will ultimately miss a second straight contest as a scratch. Johnson has a goal and seven points in 42 games this season.

Ludvig was called up from AHL Colorado on Saturday.

Ludvig spent the entire two weeks of his conditioning stint with the Eagles after being a healthy scratch the previous 10 games with the Avalanche. Ludvig had one assist in five AHL games. He has seen action in eight NHL games this season, picking up two assists and 16 hits.

Per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post, coach Paul Maurice said that Ekblad (undisclosed) is doubtful for Saturday's encounter with Buffalo.

Ekblad missed Friday's practice. He played Wednesday in Utah but sat out the previous game in Colorado on Monday. Tobias Bjornfot could replace the 28-year-old Ekblad in Saturday's lineup.

Guhle logged an assist, one shot on net, three blocks and four hits in Friday's 3-2 overtime win over the Capitals.

Guhle out-battled two Washington skaters along the boards in the offensive zone, which led to Cole Caufield's goal that tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period. Typically not a prolific producer of offense, Guhle has four points (one goal, three assists) over the last seven outings. Any offense the defenseman provides is value-added for Montreal; his most significant contributions come on the back end. He has 13 blocked shots over the last three games and ranks second on the club with 85 blocks.

Hutson had an assist, one shot on net and two blocks in Friday's 3-2 overtime win over Washington.

The Capitals had the numbers during a rush in overtime, but Hutson broke up a pass that led to Montreal's 2-on-1 break and the game-winning goal by Nick Suzuki. After a four-game dry spell, Huston has points (one goal, four assists) in three consecutive games. The rookie blueliner ranks second on the team with 28 assists, including a team-high 13 on the power play.

Ceci notched an assist and two blocked shots in Friday's 2-1 loss to Utah.

Ceci helped out on Fabian Zetterlund's goal just 58 seconds into the game. The 31-year-old Ceci has two points and nine blocks over four outings in January while continuing to play in a top-pairing role. The veteran defenseman is up to 12 points, 46 shots on net, 78 blocks, 45 hits and a minus-8 rating through 44 appearances. The offense is nothing special, but his large role has allowed him to contribute semi-regularly. He's on pace to top the 20-point mark for the sixth time in his career.

DeSimone logged an assist in Friday's 2-1 win over the Sharks.

DeSimone spent the first three months of the campaign in the Devils' organization. He was waived Jan. 4, but Utah claimed him to replace losing Dakota Mermis to Toronto on waivers a couple of days earlier. DeSimone made his Utah and season debuts Friday, logging 14:00 of ice time in a third-pairing role. Prior to this season, the 30-year-old defenseman had seven points and 38 NHL appearances to his name. He's unlikely to score enough to be a factor in fantasy.

Maatta logged an assist, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Friday's 2-1 win over the Sharks.

Maatta has three helpers over his last four games, with his January point total already equal to what he did in December. The 30-year-old defenseman is at eight helpers, 33 shots on net, 78 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating over 38 appearances between Utah and Detroit this season. Maatta continues to play significant minutes for Utah as a shutdown blueliner, and that extra ice time has helped him get involved on offense occasionally.

Moverare notched an assist, three hits and two blocked shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.

Moverare has logged a helper in three of his last four games. He also saw 19:11 of ice time Friday, far and away the most he's logged in any one contest this season. He's at four helpers, 16 shots on net, 21 hits, 25 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating over 21 appearances. Moverare's place in the lineup is likely to be safe until both of Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) and Drew Doughty (ankle) are cleared to play.