NHL Player News

Alexeyev (personal) was back with the Capitals ahead of Thursday's clash with Montreal, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reports.

Alexeyev will slot into the lineup for Washington for the first time this season due to injuries to Matt Roy (lower body) and Jakob Chychrun (upper body). Since both injured players still sported non-contact jerseys at Thursday's game-day skate, the 24-year-old Alexeyev could also be pressed into service for the Capitals' upcoming back-to-back versus Columbus and Carolina on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Roy (lower body) is at practice Thursday in a non-contact jersey, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.

Roy was injured Opening Night and has missed the last seven games. The 29-year-old defenseman is close to returning, but he remains doubtful versus the Canadiens on Thursday. Roy had five goals and 25 points in 81 regular-season games for the Kings last season.

Chychrun (upper body) is at morning practice in a non-contact jersey Thursday, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.

Chychrun was injured Tuesday versus the Rangers. While it's positive news that he is back on the ice, he appears to be doubtful ahead of Thursday's home tilt versus Montreal. Chychrun has two goals, two assists and 14 shots on goal in eight appearances this season.

Seider notched two power-play assists in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Jets.

It was the first points of the season with the man advantage for the 23-year-old blueliner. Seider has picked up multiple helpers in two of the last three contests, and through 10 games he's produced a goal and seven points with 40 hits, 27 blocked shots, 20 shots on net and 10 PIM.

Pionk scored two goals, one on the power play, in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Red Wings.

The veteran blueliner found the back of the net in the first and third periods, recording his first multi-goal performance since Oct. 19, 2022. Pionk has been one of the engines of Winnipeg's hot start to the season, piling up three goals and 12 points in 10 games with 25 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, 13 hits and a plus-5 rating.

Severson scored the game-winning goal in Wednesday's 2-0 victory over the Islanders.

The game was scoreless through two periods, but early in the third Severson carried the puck into the corner and tries to slip a pass to James van Riemsdyk camped in front of the New York crease. Instead, the puck deflected off Ryan Pulock's skate and got past a helpless Semyon Varlamov. Severson struggled in 2023-24 under the weight of his big free-agent contract and the coaching chaos in Columbus, but the veteran defenseman has been more relaxed and more productive to begin the current campaign, racking up two goals and five points in the Blue Jackets' first nine games with 16 shots on net, 14 blocked shots, eight hits, eight PIM and a plus-5 rating.

MacDermid has played in just three of the Devils' 13 games so far.

MacDermid is an out-and-out enforcer -- he's fought twice in his three games while adding six hits. The 30-year-old defenseman-turned-forward appears to be an option only when the Devils think they'll need extra toughness in the lineup or when a winger is injured. He had three points, 73 PIM and 83 hits over 45 regular-season outings between Colorado and New Jersey in 2023-24.

Hamilton posted an assist and went plus-3 in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Canucks.

Hamilton has received some in-game rest for each of the last three contests, playing less than 20 minutes in each of those games. He has three assists in that span, and it doesn't appear to be a performance issue -- the Devils simply have their preferred personnel available on defense, so head coach Sheldon Keefe doesn't have to lean on his top guys as he did earlier in the month. Through 13 outings, Hamilton is up to a goal, six helpers, 44 shots on net, 15 hits, 19 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating.

Juulsen racked up seven hits in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Devils.

Juulsen played for just the third time in nine contests this season. The 27-year-old has eight hits, seven shots on net, one blocked shots and a minus-2 rating while seeing time on the third pairing. Vincent Desharnais appears to be the Canucks' preferred option for the last defense spot in the lineup, so Juulsen may continue to be a frequent healthy scratch, though he adds some grit when he plays.

Korczak notched an assist and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Kings.

Korczak has two helpers over four appearances this season. He's been filling in for Nicolas Hague (lower body) in recent games, though Korczak has been limited to bottom-four minutes. The 23-year-old Korczak has added four shots on net, five hits, seven blocked shots and a plus-7 rating, so he may be auditioning to stay in the lineup even once Hague is healthy.