NHL Player News

Lohrei (upper body) will play against Philadelphia on Sunday, according to Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe.

Following a four-game absence, Lohrei will replace Jordan Harris in Sunday's lineup against the Flyers. The 25-year-old Lohrei has accounted for seven goals, 25 points, 67 shots on net and 86 blocked shots across 68 appearances this season.

Mayfield logged an assist, two hits and two PIM in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

Mayfield has picked up four assists over his last 10 contests while playing in a third-pairing role. The 33-year-old blueliner isn't flashy in any area, but he does enough to stick in the lineup. He's earned 14 points, 67 shots on net, 73 hits, 79 blocked shots, 83 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 76 outings this season, matching his point total from the previous two campaigns combined (107 games).

Jones (shoulder) has been placed on injured reserve by the Penguins, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports Sunday.

The move is just a formality after the Penguins announced that Jones would miss the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery Friday. The 28-year-old's season officially comes to a close with one point in seven games at the NHL level.

Miller notched two assists in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Islanders.

Miller has three helpers over two games to begin April. The 26-year-old had gone five contests without a point to end March. He plays in a top-four role but doesn't receive consistent power-play time, so Miller's offense is prone to ups and downs throughout the year. He's earned 35 points -- the second-best total of his career in six seasons -- and has added 113 shots on net, 95 hits, 73 blocked shots, 54 PIM and a plus-8 rating over 68 appearances.

Jones scored a goal and blocked two shots in Saturday's 9-4 loss to the Penguins.

Jones' goal was his first since Dec. 23, a span of 13 contests without scoring. He was out for 26 games due to an upper-body injury in that span. Due the Panthers' substantial injuries, Jones is playing as the top overall defenseman for the team to close out the campaign. He's earned seven goals, 30 points, 86 shots on net, 46 hits, 56 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 50 outings, which is solid work given the state of the team around him.

Shea scored a goal and blocked two shots in Saturday's 9-4 win over the Panthers.

Shea has two goals and an assist over his last four games, a span in which the Penguins have erupted for 25 tallies. The 29-year-old defenseman has been a strong part of the blue line this season, racking up six goals, 25 assists, a plus-23 rating, 69 shots on net and 91 blocked shots over 76 appearances. Shea continues to see bottom-four minutes, but he has moved up and down the pairings for much of the season.

Spurgeon recorded an assist in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Senators.

Spurgeon recently missed a game due to an upper-body injury, but he's been back in a bottom-four role for the first two games in April. The 36-year-old defenseman is a prime candidate for rest prior to the playoffs, so fantasy managers should approach with caution. He's at 20 points, 85 shots on net, 79 hits, 130 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 75 appearances this season, his most games played in three years with time left to pass the 79 regular-season outings he had in 2022-23.

Middleton scored a goal, blocked two shots and added 10 PIM in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Senators.

Middleton had gone 16 games without a point prior to that third-period insurance tally. The 30-year-old continues to see steady bottom-four minutes, providing physicality rather than offense for a Wild blue line that has plenty of the latter from other players. Middleton is at 15 points, 58 shots on net, 82 hits, 74 PIM and 105 blocked shots across 69 appearances this season.

Brodin scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Senators.

Brodin ended a 30-game goal drought with his first-period tally. He missed 18 contests due to two lower-body injuries during that stretch. The defenseman has four goals, 17 points, 69 shots on net, 117 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 57 appearances, serving as a shutdown blueliner in the Wild's top four.

Kulikov (nose) will return to the lineup against Pittsburgh on Sunday, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Following a two-game absence due to a broken nose, Kulikov will replace Mikulas Hovorka in Sunday's lineup against the Penguins. The 35-year-old Kulikov hasn't posted a point in 17 appearances this season while contributing 12 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and 18 hits.