NHL Player News

Cernak (upper body) won't play Saturday against Boston, according to Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com.

Cernak, who is considered day-to-day, will miss his third straight contest. He has picked up five assists, 30 shots on goal, 61 blocked shots and 84 hits over 37 outings this season. Jack Thompson and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg will make their NHL debuts Saturday due to the absences of Cernak, Mikhail Sergachev (lower body) and Haydn Fleury (hand).

Zadorov (undisclosed) won't play Saturday versus the Devils, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

Zadorov, who is considered day-to-day, will be replaced in the lineup by Carson Soucy, who was activated off long-term injured reserve Saturday after recovering from a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old Zadorov has two assists, 26 PIM, 15 shots on goal, 16 blocked shots and 20 hits in 14 games with the Canucks since being acquired from Calgary.

Soucy (lower body) was activated off long-term injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Soucy has two goals, five points, 16 hits and 26 blocks in 13 games with Vancouver this season. He hasn't played since Nov. 12 because of the injury, but his activation suggests he's an option Saturday versus New Jersey. Soucy's return might result in Noah Juulsen being a healthy scratch.

Wotherspoon was recalled from AHL Providence on Saturday, per the NHL media site.

According to Eric Russo of the Bruins' official site, Wotherspoon was paired with Kevin Shattenkirk during Saturday's morning skate. If Wotherspoon doesn't play Saturday versus Tampa Bay, Mason Lohrei will be in the lineup after undergoing some dental work. Wotherspoon has two assists, nine shots on goal, 15 blocked shots and 16 hits in 10 NHL outings this season.

Lohrei was recalled by from AHL Providence on Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Lohrei spent just one day in the minors, having been reassigned to Providence on Friday. He has six assists in 10 minor-league games as well as three goals and six points in 22 outings with Boston in 2023-24. Lohrei skipped Saturday's practice to have dental work done, but "he's an option" for the evening's game against Tampa Bay, according to coach Jim Montgomery.

Gilbert (upper body) won't play Saturday against Philadelphia, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Gilbert, who was injured late in Thursday's 6-3 win over Nashville, will be replaced in the lineup by Jordan Oesterle. The 27-year-old Gilbert has seven points, 22 shots on goal, 43 blocked shots and 44 hits in 28 games this season.

Orlov enjoyed his first multi-point game of the season with a shorthanded goal and an even-strength assist in Friday's 6-2 win over the Capitals.

Orlov's been a decent fantasy selection in deeper formats over the past few seasons. However, his value has taken a hit this year as he's been playing mainly on the third defensive pairing, reducing his TOI to 16:44 from 22:33 last season. Still, he's now up to 15 points in 39 games, which puts him on pace for a 30-point campaign. If you're looking for blue line help, he may be worth a look.

Sandin (illness) didn't practice Saturday and will miss Sunday's game versus the Kings, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.

Sandin also sat out Friday's 6-2 loss to the Hurricanes. The 23-year-old blueliner has 11 assists and a minus-8 rating through 36 games this season. Ethan Bear will likely continue to work on the second defensive pairing and power-play unit while Sandin is sidelined.

Burns scored two goals, one on the power play, and added a power-play assist in Friday's 6-2 win over the Capitals.

The veteran blueliner kicked off a comeback from a 2-0 deficit early in the second period, sneaking in off the point and tapping home a slick feed from Andrei Svechnikov. Burns flipped the switch after Christmas -- he has three multi-point performances in the last five games, racking up three goals and nine points over that stretch, to break out of a slump that had seen him manage just two helpers over his prior 11 contests.

Nemec supplied a plus-3 rating to complement a goal. an assist and three blocked shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.

This figures to be the first of many multi-point efforts for Nemec, who the Devils selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The Devils are putting a lot of faith in the 19-year-old by planting him on the top pair and having him work on the second power-play unit. The lofty assignments have a lot to do with Dougie Hamilton (pectoral) being out indefinitely, but Nemec is holding down the fort with two goals, five assists and 24 blocked shots through 16 games.