NHL Player News

Rifai was reassigned to AHL Toronto on Thursday.

Rifai has yet to play in the NHL this season and has been a healthy scratch in all five contests in which he was recalled. The 25-year-old defenseman had two goals. two assists, a plus-10 rating and 18 PIM across 17 AHL appearances before his recall.

Jensen had an assist and four blocked shots in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Ducks.

Jensen is enjoying a strong start to December with three helpers over five games. The defenseman led all Senators with a season-high 24:44 of ice time in this contest. He remains a critical shutdown blueliner for Ottawa, though he's also chipped in with 11 points over 28 outings. Jensen has added 37 shots on net, 33 hits, 31 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating in a top-four role.

Sanderson notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Ducks.

Sanderson ended a six-game point drought with the helper. Prior to that slump, he racked up four assists over a three-game span. The defenseman has contributed 15 points (12 on the power play), 57 shots on net, 53 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating through 28 appearances. He's on pace to top the 40-point mark for the first time in his career, but that scoring rate could be endangered if the Senators' power play slumps at any stage of the season.

Byram notched an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

Byram has two assists over five contests in December. That's not great compared to his November, which saw the defenseman earn 10 points over 14 games. He's still seeing top-four minutes and has been called on for an even larger role while Rasmus Dahlin has been sidelined by back spasms over the last week. Overall, Byram has 16 points, 35 shots on net, 35 blocked shots, 27 hits and a plus-3 rating over 29 appearances.

Power scored a goal on three shots and added an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

The game didn't start well -- Power failed to clear a puck on the penalty kill, ultimately leading to the Rangers' first goal. He was benched for the rest of the first period, but he stepped up and made an impact in the third, though the Sabres still fell a goal short. The blueliner is on a three-game point streak with a goal and three helpers in that span, but the Sabres have lost eight straight since beating the Sharks by a 4-2 score Nov. 23. Power has 19 points, 53 shots on net, 47 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 29 outings, though there may still be some teachable moments ahead if the team continues to struggle.

Fox scored an empty-net goal, added two assists and blocked five shots in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Sabres.

Fox finally got his first goal of the season, coming on his 41st shot. He also had helpers on Mika Zibanejad's power-play tally in the first period and Reilly Smith's third-period marker. Fox has earned 11 of his 24 assists on the power play as he continues to be dynamic as a playmaker even with the bad shooting luck. The defenseman has added 35 blocked shots, 19 hits and a plus-3 rating through 28 appearances.

Miller (upper body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Sabres, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear what caused Miller's exit from the contest. The 24-year-old defenseman should be considered day-to-day until more information is available. If he can't play Saturday versus the Kings, Connor Mackey could enter the lineup.

Connauton was called up from AHL Tucson on Wednesday.

Connauton was called up to cover for the absence of Robert Bortuzzo (lower body), who is likely to miss time after getting hurt Tuesday versus the Wild. Connauton may not draw into the lineup -- Vladislav Kolyachonok will likely get the first chance to replace Bortuzzo.

Friedman was reassigned to AHL Abbotsford on Wednesday.

Friedman has a goal and four points in eight appearances with Abbotsford in 2024-25. He made his NHL season debut Tuesday, recording a shot, four hits and two blocks in 14:49 of ice time.

Martinez (neck) exited Wednesday's practice session early, and he's slated to be re-evaluated, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Martinez sustained a neck injury during Saturday's game against the Jets, and it was discouraging to see him leave practice early Thursday. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Thursday's road game against the Islanders, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him miss at least one more game.