NHL Player News

Rinzel had three assists in AHL Rockford's 7-3 win over Manitoba on Saturday.

Rinzel's getting his groove back in the AHL, and it's going well so far. He's racked up seven helpers and nine shots on net, as well as a plus-1 rating, over four appearances. Rinzel seems likely to get another look with the big club this year, though it may take another blueliner needing a stint in the minors for him to earn a call-up.

Kleven sustained a lower-body injury and won't return to Saturday's game against Chicago.

Kleven scored a goal before exiting the game. It was his first goal and fifth point in 32 outings this season. If he can't play Sunday in Boston, then Nikolas Matinpalo will probably draw into the lineup.

Regula (illness) won't play against Minnesota on Saturday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Regula will miss his second straight outing. He has earned two assists, 12 shots on goal, 26 blocked shots and 14 hits across 20 appearances this season. Due to Regula's absence, Riley Stillman will remain in the lineup for Saturday's matchup.

Liljegren (upper body) won't play against Seattle on Saturday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Liljegren will miss at least one game after getting hurt during Saturday's morning skate. He has contributed four assists, 18 shots on goal, 63 blocked shots and 25 hits in 28 appearances this season. With Liljegren unavailable, Vincent Iorio will be in the lineup against the Kraken on Saturday.

Pettersson logged an assist, three shots on goal and three blocked shots in Friday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Pettersson has averaged 23:54 of ice time since the Quinn Hughes trade, compared to 20:28 per game before the deal went down. Pettersson has taken over the vacancy on the top pairing at even strength, though he's not in the mix for power-play usage. He has just six points, 25 shots on net, 20 hits, 56 blocked shots, 33 PIM and an even plus-minus rating over 34 appearances, so it's unlikely the 29-year-old blueliner will be a strong option in most fantasy formats.

Hronek logged two assists in Friday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Hronek had a hand in the last two goals of Kiefer Sherwood's hat trick. The 28-year-old Hronek now has three helpers over his last two games. He'll miss having the high-scoring Quinn Hughes as a defensive partner, but Hronek remains a key high-minutes defenseman who can make strong all-around contributions in fantasy. He's posted 19 points, 46 shots on net, 46 blocked shots, 61 hits and a plus-5 rating over 34 appearances this season.

Timmins (leg) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.

Timmins suffered a broken leg against the Flyers on Thursday, and he will miss at least 6-8 weeks. He has six assists, 70 blocked shots and 25 hits over 33 games this season.

Matheson (upper body) will return to the lineup against Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

After missing the past two games, Matheson will replace Jayden Struble in Saturday's lineup. The 31-year-old Matheson has compiled four goals, 16 points, 39 shots on net, 69 blocked shots and 22 hits through 32 appearances this season.

Middleton (upper body) was activated off injured reserve on Saturday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

The 29-year-old sat out five games after he was hurt in Seattle on Dec. 8. The blueliner had six assists, 42 hits, 43 blocked shots and 35 PIM in 28 games prior to getting injured.

Brodin (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Following a four-game absence, Brodin will probably return to the lineup against Edmonton on Saturday. He has produced three goals, nine points, 28 shots on net and 66 blocked shots across 30 appearances this campaign.