NHL Player News

Carlson used the power play to record career assist No. 500 in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

As he's done plenty of times in his career, Carlson dished the puck to Alex Ovechkin, who fed Dylan Strome for a tip-in goal at the doorstep. Unfortunately for the Caps, they squandered a 2-0 lead after the first period and permitted six unanswered tallies to lose a tough divisional tilt at home. Carlson has two goals and 19 assists, including nine points on the power play, through 37 games.

Samberg notched an assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.

Samberg snapped a six-game point drought with his helper on a Nate Schmidt go-ahead goal in the third period. The helper was Samberg's fourth since the start of December. The 24-year-old blueliner has held down a steady role on the third pairing over Logan Stanley and Declan Chisholm. Samberg is at a career-high nine points (all assists) with 41 shots on net, 58 blocked shots, 33 PIM and a plus-10 rating through 38 appearances.

Pionk notched an assist in Friday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.

Pionk extended his point streak to four games (one goal, three assists) with a helper on Nikolaj Ehlers' game-tying tally in the second period. It's good to see more consistency from Pionk, who has maintained a top-four role amid a slightly down first half of the season on offense. The blueliner is at 16 points, 68 shots on net, 83 hits, 47 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating through 38 appearances, and it seems he's leveling off at his usual scoring rate.

Schmidt scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.

Schmidt has been an occasional scratch this season, but he's played in 12 straight contests, albeit in a third-pairing role. The blueliner has three points in that span, accounting for all but one of his points for the season. The 32-year-old has added 31 shots on net, 44 blocked shots, 24 hits and a plus-3 rating. With his limited production, Schmidt is best left on the waiver wire in fantasy.

Byram (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, per CapFriendly.

Byram was already ruled out for Saturday's game against Florida but now he'll miss at least the next three contests. The 22-year-old has 12 points with a minus-5 rating through 39 games this season. Caleb Jones will likely get back in the lineup while Byram is sidelined.

Wotherspoon was sent down to AHL Providence on Friday, per CapFriendly.

Wotherspoon has served as a healthy scratch for the last two games with Boston. He could be recalled again as an insurance body for Saturday's matchup with Tampa Bay.

Lohrei was demoted to AHL Providence on Friday, per CapFriendly.

Lohrei has three goals and six points through 22 NHL games this season. This is likely a paper move and he should be back with the big club before Saturday's matchup against Tampa Bay.

Gudas (illness) will be in Friday's lineup against Winnipeg.

Gudas was a game-time call after missing Wednesday's matchup against Toronto and he'll limit that absence to just one game. The veteran blueliner has five goals and 10 points while averaging 18:24 of ice time through 32 games this season.

Byram (lower body) is still being evaluated but has been ruled out for Saturday's game versus Florida, coach Jared Bednar told Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now on Friday.

Byram has six goals, 12 points, 32 PIM, 43 hits and 54 blocks in 39 contests. He was injured during Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over Dallas. With Byram unavailable, Caleb Jones will likely draw into the lineup for the first time since Dec. 19.

Christiansen was returned to AHL Cleveland on Friday, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

Christiansen played three games with the Blue Jackets during his recent call-up, picking up one assist. He has five goals and 22 points in 28 AHL contests this season. The move opens up a roster spot allowing the Blue Jackets to activate Adam Boqvist from injured reserve in time for Saturday's game versus Minnesota.