NHL Player News

Merrill scored a goal and added two PIM in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Blues.

The Wild's defense started the scoring party Tuesday, with Merrill getting his first goal of the season 2:12 into the first period to establish a 2-0 lead. The 32-year-old blueliner hasn't even been a lock for the lineup at times this year, but with injury concerns for Jared Spurgeon (lower body) and Brock Faber (upper body), Merrill will likely play regularly over the next few weeks. Overall, Merrill has four points, 21 shots on net, 36 blocked shots, 18 hits and 14 PIM through 33 appearances in 2024-25 while filling a bottom-four role.

Graves was scratched for the second game in a row in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.

Kris Letang's return from a lower-body injury has given the Penguins a full complement of blueliners. Graves played in 10 of 13 games in December, but he may not see as much playing time as long as the team's blue line stays healthy. Graves has had a miserable 2024-25 with zero points over 31 contests while posting a minus-8 rating, 23 shots on net, 36 hits and 40 blocked shots. For now, Owen Pickering and Pierre-Olivier Joseph have the upper hand for third-pairing minutes.

Werenski provided a power-play assist in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Penguins.

Werenski helped out on Adam Fantilli's game-tying tally late in the third period. During his four-game point streak, Werenski has a goal and six assists while adding a plus-3 rating, 27 shots on net and nine blocked shots. The 27-year-old is showing just how good he can be when he has good health on his side. Overall, Werenski is at 12 goals, 34 helpers, 161 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 41 appearances. He's 11 points away from matching his career-best total from last season, and if his second half of 2024-25 is as good as the first, he could be up for Norris Trophy consideration.

Borgen produced an assist, two hits and four blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Stars.

Borgen opened his Rangers tenure with no points over seven contests, extending a drought from his time with the Kraken. He has now gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive games with a goal and an assist in that span, doubling his point total for the campaign to four. The 28-year-old is unlikely to suddenly become a dynamic scorer -- he plays a physical shutdown game, though it helps that he's seen top-four minutes with the Rangers after being limited to the third pairing in Seattle. For the season, Borgen has two goals, two assists, 33 shots on net, 64 hits, 53 blocked shots and a minus-13 rating over 42 appearances.

Lindell logged an assist and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.

Lindell has five points over 17 games since the start of December. As usual, he's not adding much on offense while serving as a shutdown defender in a top-four role. He's produced three goals, 10 helpers, 57 shots on net, 72 blocked shots, 37 hits and a plus-12 rating through 39 appearances this season, a pace nearly identical to last year when he had 26 points while playing in all 82 regular-season contests.

Jensen posted an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Red Wings.

Jensen snapped a nine-game point drought with the helper. He was initially questionable for the contest after battling an illness over the weekend, but he practiced Monday and was able to avoid missing time. The 34-year-old blueliner has been good in 2024-25, earning 14 points through 39 contests, an output that required twice as many games to achieve with the Capitals last season. Jensen has added 47 shots on net, 45 blocked shots, 37 hits and a plus-15 rating in his first year with the Senators.

Chabot scored a goal on five shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Red Wings.

Chabot fired home a goal to tie the game at 1-1 at 12:25 of the second period. The 27-year-old has five points over his last 10 outings, which is a fine level of offense. Overall, he has 18 points, 90 shots on net, 65 blocked shots, 29 hits and a plus-11 rating through 39 contests in a top-four role this season.

Edvinsson logged an assist, three shots on goal, four blocked shots and two PIM in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Senators.

Edvinsson briefly left the contest but was able to return, finishing with 18:15 of ice time. The 21-year-old defenseman has two points over six outings since he missed three games due to an upper-body injury. Edvinsson has emerged as a top-four blueliner this year, producing 15 points, 44 shots on net, 68 blocked shots, 36 hits, 20 PIM and a plus-4 rating over 36 appearances. He's no fantasy superstar yet, but he has the tools to be one of those reliable all-around types for years to come.

Karlsson collected two assists, one on the power play, in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.

The veteran blueliner also added four shots on net, three blocked shots and two PIM to his ledger. Karlsson is having his most productive stretch of the season, and over the last 10 games he's delivered four multi-point performances while racking up two goals and 11 points with 28 shots, 17 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a plus-2 rating

Bogosian scored a goal in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Blues.

Bogosian found the back of the net just 1:23 into the game to give the Wild an early lead, although the team would need a third-period comeback to secure the win. This was Bogosian's third goal of the season, but he hasn't been much of a productive presence on offense from his defensive role. He has only three goals and eight points across 41 contests.