NHL Player News

Spurgeon (lower body) has been ruled out versus St. Louis on Tuesday.

Spurgeon will be out of action for his second straight contest due to his lower-body problem. Without the veteran blueliner in the lineup, Declan Chisholm should see the biggest uptick in ice time, playing alongside Jonas Brodin. Once given the all-clear, Spurgeon should reclaim his place in the lineup which will relegate Jon Merrill to a spot in the press box while Daemon Hunt returns to AHL Iowa.

Makar notched an assist in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Islanders. He also registered two shots, one hit, one blocked shot and a minus-3 rating.

One of the best offensive blueliners in the game, Makar has contributed directly to five of Colorado's 10 goals thus far, though that shouldn't be surprising since he's coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he recorded a career-high 90 points, including 69 assists. Even though he's yet to find the back of the net this season, Makar remains an important player in the Avalanche's offensive scheme, and he should remain a threat from the blue line when Colorado aims to secure its first win of the season Wendesday against Boston.

Toews' (lower body) availability remains in doubt ahead of Wednesday's matchup with Boston, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

Toews, who was a surprise absence versus the Islanders on Monday, doesn't appear to have suffered a long-term injury if he is at least in contention for Wednesday's matchup. Through two games this year, the 30-year-old blueliner has notched one assist, three shots and four PIM while averaging 21:20 of ice time. Without Toews in the lineup, Oliver Kylington moved up to the top pairing alongside Cale Makar and could remain in that spot versus the Bruins.

Matheson had a power-play assist and an even-strength helper in Monday's 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh. He added two shots on net and three blocked shots.

Matheson had the primary assist on Kaiden Guhle's goal in the first period then was the secondary helper on Juraj Slafkovsky's power-play marker early in the second period. Matheson has three assists over the last two games. He's been the Canadiens' top defenseman, averaging 25:49 of ice time per contest this season.

Guhle scored a goal on one shot, blocked four shots, delivered two hits and added two PIM in Monday's 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh.

Guhle's shedding his defense-first reputation early in the season with points in three straight contests. The goal was his first after Guhle logged three assists over the previous two games. He continues to play on the Canadiens' top pairing.

Pettersson had an assist, one shot on net and three blocked shots in Monday's 6-3 win over Montreal.

Pettersson helped set up the Penguins' first goal, giving him three points through the first four games. The 28-year-old blueliner is coming off his first 30-point season, but he's known more for the work in his own end.

Karlsson had an assist and three shots on net in Monday's 6-3 win over the Canadiens.

Karlsson picked up a secondary assist on Kevin Hayes' game-winning tally. The assist was the second of the season for Karlsson, who also has a goal through the first four games.

Grzelcyk had two assists, one blocked shot and one hit in Monday's 6-3 win over Montreal.

Grzelcyk had a hand in Pittsburgh's final two goals, his first points of the season. The defenseman traded in one black-and-gold uniform for another, signing with the Penguins this summer after eight seasons with the Bruins. He's playing in a top-four role and averaging 20:47 of ice time per game.

Letang scored a goal on two shots along with a blocked shot and three hits in Monday's 6-3 win over the Canadiens.

Letang finished off a pretty passing sequence for his second goal in as many games. The defenseman has points in three consecutive contests and continues to be an important cog in the lineup. The 37-year-old is averaging 22:57 of ice time per game.

Casey scored the game-winning goal on the power play and added an even-strength assist in Monday's 3-0 win over Utah.

The rookie blueliner continued his impressive start to the season, opening the scoring 74 seconds into the second period by snapping a shot top shelf past Karel Vejmelka. Casey has three goals and four points through his first five NHL games, including two power-play tallies. While Brett Pesce (lower leg) could be back in action soon, it's hard to imagine the 20-year-old Casey losing his spot in the lineup given his current form.