NHL Player News

Werenski (lower body) didn't practice Thursday, raising doubts regarding his availability against Colorado on Friday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Werenski was reportedly hurt after blocking a shot against Detroit on Tuesday, per Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch. Offensively, Werenski has been rolling of late with one goal and eight assists, including two power-play points, in his last 10 outings. Unless Adam Boqvist (upper body) is cleared to play, the Jackets will need to bring up a defenseman from AHL Cleveland if Werenski can't go against the Avalanche.

Krug (lower body) is expected to miss Thursday's road game in Ottawa, according to Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Krug will miss his first game of the season. He has three goals, 31 assists, 148 shots on goal and 95 blocked shots in 69 games. Marco Scandella will enter the lineup to replace Krug on the blue line, while Kevin Hayes will likely replace Krug on the second power-play unit.

Marino (upper body) will be out of the lineup versus Winnipeg on Thursday, Devils' play-by-play announcer Bill Spaulding reports.

Marino will miss his second straight game and his fourth in the last five games. He has four goals, 19 assists and 79 blocked shots in 65 appearances this season. Santeri Hatakka is expected to replace Marino on the blue line against the Jets.

Walman (lower body) will not be in the lineup versus the Islanders on Thursday, according to Sam Stockton of the Hockey News.

Walman also sat out Tuesday's tilt against Columbus. He has a career-high 12 goals, 21 points and 150 blocked shots in 61 appearances this season. Due to Walman's absence, look for Simon Edvinsson to skate on the second pairing versus the Isles.

St. Ivany was promoted from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.

St. Ivany has yet to make his NHL debut despite earning his third promotion in the month of March. If the Pens do opt to give the blueliner a look against the Stars on Friday, it would likely be at the expense of Pierre-Olivier Joseph or John Ludvig. For his part, the 24-year-old St. Ivany has notched four goals and 11 helpers in 53 minor-league contests this season.

Balinskis was promoted to the NHL roster Thursday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Balinskis figures to serve as an emergency depth defenseman due to the absence of Aaron Ekblad (lower body) and Dmitry Kulikov (suspension). If the 27-year-old Balinskis were to get into the lineup against Nashville on Thursday, it would likely come at the expense of Tobias Bjornfot.

McCabe scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 7-3 victory over Washington.

McCabe was able to end a 10-game goal drought with his tally Wednesday. In his last five outings, the 30-year-old blueliner seems to have found his offensive game with one goal and two assists to go with 11 hits and eight blocks. With just one more point, McCabe will reach a new personal best, topping the 25 he put up last season.

Benoit recorded nine hits with a blocked shot, a shot on net and a plus-1 rating in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Capitals.

The game got chippy in the third period as the Maple Leafs pulled away, and Benoit earned his keep with a dominant physical performance. The 25-year-old blueliner hasn't produced a point in his last nine games, but he's piled up 37 hits, 15 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over that stretch, including three separate games with six-plus hits. Beniot's 184 hits on the season have come in only 51 games, and as long as he stays out of the press box, he should reach 200 for the second straight campaign.

Anderson notched an assist and blocked four shots in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Wild.

This was Anderson's first point in 13 outings since the All-Star break, though he missed eight games in that span due to an upper-body injury. The defenseman is up to 16 points, 75 shots on net, 101 hits, 112 blocked shots and a plus-16 rating through 61 appearances this season. His career high of 20 points from last season is still within reach, but he'll need to heat up over the final month of the campaign to match it.

Doughty logged two assists, three shots on goal and two PIM in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Wild.

Doughty had gone three games without a point entering Wednesday. Prior to that short slump, he opened March with a helper in five of six contests. The 34-year-old blueliner continues to provide solid all-around production with 44 points, 118 shots on net, 125 blocked shots, 89 hits, 40 PIM and a plus-15 rating over 69 appearances in a top-pairing role.