NHL Player News

Faber notched a power-play assist and blocked two shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

Faber has a helper in each of the Wild's last two games, and he's up to three this year. Two of them have come on the power play, which is where he set up Kirill Kaprizov at 2:52 of the third period in this win. The 22-year-old Faber has added seven shots on net, five hits, four blocked shots and a plus-3 rating while playing a huge role on the Wild's top defensive pairing and first power-play unit.

Ekman-Larsson picked up an assist in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers on Saturday.

OEL already has four assists and 17 shots in five outings in blue and white. He won't continue this pace, but given the firepower around him, Ekman-Larsson could deliver his first 40-plus point season since 2018-19 with Arizona.

Bortuzzo (undisclosed) will play Saturday versus the Bruins.

Bortuzzo's status was unclear after he left Wednesday's game versus the Ducks, but the 35-year-old won't have to miss any additional time. He'll play on the third pairing Saturday and should continue to see ample ice time because Sean Durzi (upper body) and John Marino (upper body) are both months away from returning.

Sanderson put up three assists Saturday in a 5-4 win over the Lightning.

Two helpers came on the power play, and the other came while shorthanded. Sanderson has been dominant with the man advantage, scoring six of his seven points on the power play. And he has points in all but one of the Sens' five games so far. In the 2023-24 regular season, Sanderson delivered 38 points in 79 appearances. The predicted ascendance for the 22-year-old defender is upon us.

Matheson (upper body) is good to play Saturday versus the Islanders, per Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse.

Matheson won't miss additional action after leaving Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Kings. He has three assists, one hit and 12 blocks through five appearances in 2024-25. Matheson is projected to serve on the top pairing alongside Justin Barron on Saturday.

Smith (undisclosed) will be in the lineup for Saturday's game against Edmonton, per the NHL media site.

Smith appeared to be injured when he absorbed a crosscheck during Thursday's 3-2 loss to Washington, but he won't miss a game following the incident. The 35-year-old defender has no points, two shots, four hits and three blocks in three appearances this campaign.

Edmundson (personal) was lifted from the non-roster list Saturday.

Edmundson will be available for Sunday's clash against Anaheim after missing the past two games for family reasons. He has one assist, three hits and eight blocked shots in three appearances this season.

Toews (lower body) isn't expected to play in Sunday's road game against San Jose, per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com on Saturday.

Toews will travel with the Avalanche on their upcoming road trip, which includes clashes in Seattle on Tuesday and Utah on Thursday in addition to Sunday's game, so even though he's not quite ready to return, the defenseman does seem to be close. When Toews is healthy, he will likely play on the top pairing alongside Cale Makar. Samuel Girard is projected to be paired with Makar on Sunday.

Dunn (undisclosed) won't play against the Flames on Saturday, the SoundofHockey.com reports.

Coach Dan Bylsma said Saturday that Dunn is still being evaluated. He was injured Thursday versus the Flyers and missed the third period. Dunn has a goal and two assists with 10 blocked shots in four appearances this season. Look for Ryker Evans to replace him on the second power play while Josh Mahura draws into the lineup on the third defense pairing.

Del Gaizo was recalled by Nashville on Saturday.

Del Gaizo played nine games with the Predators last season, logging three assists. It's unclear whether the 25-year-old blueliner will get into the lineup Saturday against Detroit.