NHL Player News

Girard (upper body) will miss Monday's road game against the Avalanche, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports.

Girard is set to be absent for his fourth consecutive contest Monday and will miss out on the opportunity to face off against his former Colorado teammates. Since the Penguins acquired the 27-year-old blueliner via trade from Colorado on Feb. 24, he's struggled to find his footing offensively, as he's failed to record a point in seven games with his new team. Despite not suiting up Monday, he was spotted getting extra work in with Pittsburgh's other injured players, which shows he might be close to returning. His next opportunity to take the ice is Wednesday's road matchup against Carolina.

Desharnais recorded an assist, four hits and two PIM in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Senators.

Desharnais ended a 10-game point drought with the helper. The 29-year-old defenseman continues to fill a third-pairing role with time on the penalty kill. The helper was his fifth point of the season to go with 23 shots on net, 68 hits, 61 blocked shots, 58 PIM and a plus-5 rating over 38 appearances.

Zub notched two assists, two PIM and three blocked shots in Sunday's 7-4 win over the Sharks.

Zub has picked up the pace with five helpers and a plus-5 rating over his last six games. The 30-year-old defenseman is playing in a top-four role, and there's been a little more room for him offensively in the absence of Jake Sanderson (upper body). Zub has 24 points -- one shy of his career high from 2023-24 -- and he's added 70 shots on net, 58 hits, 92 blocked shots, 40 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 65 outings.

Kleven scored a goal on two shots and added two blocked shots in Sunday's 7-4 win over the Sharks.

Kleven has two goals over his last five games. He's gotten a chance to play in a top-four role in the absence of Jake Sanderson (upper body), though the increased usage is likely to be temporary. Kleven has three goals, 13 points, 72 shots on net, 110 hits, 85 blocked shots, 49 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 61 appearances.

Alexeyev was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday.

Alexeyev was called up by the Penguins on Thursday but didn't appear in any games during his time with the NHL club. He should have more consistent opportunities to play in the AHL, where he's recorded three goals, four assists and 15 PIM over 29 appearances this year.

St. Ivany (hand) was recalled from his conditioning assignment with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday.

St. Ivany's promotion back to the NHL roster doesn't guarantee he'll be in the lineup versus the Avalanche on Monday. If he does suit up, he figures to replace Ilya Solovyov or Connor Clifton in the third pairing. During his three-game conditioning stint in the minors, St. Ivany notched one assist.

Kuznetsov (upper body) won't play against Detroit on Monday, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Kuznetsov is day-to-day after sustaining the injury in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders. He has earned four goals, 12 points, 58 shots on net, 89 blocked shots and 75 hits across 52 appearances this season. Due to Kuznetsov's absence, Hunter Brzustewicz will draw into Monday's lineup against the Red Wings.

Gudbranson (upper body) will be a game-time decision versus Carolina on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Gudbranson has been out of action for the Blue Jackets' last three contests due to his upper-body injury. The 34-year-old blueliner's return is unlikely to impact the majority of fantasy managers, considering he is currently mired in an 11-game point drought. Gudbranson doesn't offer enough category coverage in fantasy due to his lack of scoring.

Gostisbehere (lower body) won't play against Columbus on Tuesday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Gostisbehere will miss his fifth straight game, and it's unclear if he will be ready to play against Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Still, head coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters Monday that Gostisbehere is "tending closer" to a potential return. The 32-year-old Gostisbehere has 11 goals, 43 points, 98 shots on net and 50 blocked shots in 45 appearances this season.

Mukhamadullin pocketed two assists in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Senators.

The 2020 first-round pick picked up his first points in March with his first multi-point performance since the first game of the season, Oct. 9 against the Golden Knights. Mukhamadullin has yet to get much of a chance to show his offensive skill in the NHL -- through 35 games this season, the 24-year-old blueliner has four goals and 10 points along with 49 blocked shots, 33 shots on net, 21 hits, 14 PIM and an even plus-minus rating.