NHL Player News

Hedman logged an assist, four blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Sharks.

Hedman saw a four-game point streak end Tuesday in Vegas. He's been strong lately with 14 points over his last 11 outings, a span that includes four multi-point efforts. The 33-year-old defenseman is up to 68 points, 140 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 51 hits, 62 PIM and a plus-15 rating through 67 appearances. Hedman looked to be in decline last year, but he's rebounded excellently this year, giving him a chance to reach the 80-point mark for the second time in his career.

Myers logged an assist, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canadiens.

Myers picked up his first point in three games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The defenseman has resumed his usual second-pairing role after a five-game absence, though he offers more defensively than on the scoresheet. He's up to a solid 24 points with 67 shots on net, 67 PIM, 89 hits, 118 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating through 65 appearances this season.

Zadorov scored twice on five shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canadiens.

Zadorov's pair of tallies in the first period ended up being all Casey DeSmith needed to guide the Canucks to a win. This was Zadorov's second multi-point outing in his last four games. The rugged defenseman is up to six goals, 18 points, 75 shots on net, 147 hits, 60 blocked shots, 98 PIM and a plus-3 rating over 64 contests between the Canucks and the Flames this season. While Thursday was an impressive effort, Zadorov's third-pairing role makes it unlikely he'll replicate this outing any time soon.

Ekholm scored two goals and added an assist in Thursday's 8-3 victory over the Sabres.

Ekholm tied the game 2-2 early in the second period, beating Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a wrist shot off the rush before adding an assist on Zach Hyman's tally later in the frame. Ekholm would add a second goal and third point in the final period, beating Luukkonen from the slot to extend Edmonton's lead to 5-3. The 33-year-old Ekholm now has three multi-point games in his last four outings -- he's totaled three goals and four assists in that span. Overall, Ekholm's up to seven goals, three shy of his career high, and 33 points through 65 games this season.

Mahura sustained a lower-body injury and didn't finish Thursday's game versus the Predators, Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now reports.

Mahura was hurt in the third period, and while he stayed on the bench, he didn't see any shifts after the injury. He should be considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday's game versus the Rangers. If he can't play, Tobias Bjornfot could be in line for his Panthers debut.

Oleksiak (undisclosed) is expected to play Thursday versus the Golden Knights.

Oleksiak was banged up Monday versus the Sabres, but it appears he'll be able to tough it out. He remains in a second-pairing role alongside Will Borgen.

Hughes delivered three power-play assists Thursday in a 4-1 victory over the Jets.

He played 20:30 on the night and fired six shots. Hughes has five assists, including four with the man advantage, in his last two games. The points move him into a tie with Brock Faber of Minnesota for second in rookie scoring (38) behind Connor Bedard (54). Hughes had seemingly hit a wall earlier on, tallying 10 points, including nine assists, in 30 games prior to this mini-run. That shouldn't be surprising -- the 20-year-old defender is one season removed from an NCAA season where he played 39 games. Hughes has now played 70 this campaign. His talent is undeniable, but his fatigue is real. But if the Devils keep putting him on the power play, Hughes could give you an end-of-season burst.

Gudas (upper body) is unavailable for Thursday's game against Chicago, per Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune.

Gudas has six goals, 16 points, 124 PIM, 213 hits and 142 blocks in 60 outings in 2023-24. This will be Anaheim's fourth straight game without his services. Gustav Lindstrom has been playing regularly due to Gudas' absence.

Pionk (illness) is on the ice for warmups and is expected to play Thursday versus the Devils, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Nate Schmidt and Logan Stanley are both absent for warmups, which clears the way for Pionk to play after having been previously ruled out earlier in the day. He's expected to skate on the second pairing against New Jersey.

Jiricek was called up from AHL Cleveland on Thursday, per CapFriendly.

Jiricek has a goal and nine points in 36 contests with Columbus this season. He's also recorded seven goals and 17 points in 24 outings with Cleveland. He could draw into the lineup Friday against the Avalanche.