NHL Player News

Pelech's point drought reached 16 games in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Lightning.

During that slump, Pelech has a plus-4 rating and 27 blocked shots. The 31-year-old has been entrusted with top-four minutes this season, but he's leaning even more into a shutdown role than in previous years. He's at two assists, 40 shots on net, 42 blocked shots, 14 hits and a plus-7 rating across 27 appearances this season.

Grzelcyk's point drought reached 10 games in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Golden Knights.

Grzelcyk was involved in a goal, but it was a Vegas tally that bounced in off his body. The 31-year-old defenseman has been a steady part of the Blackhawks' lineup, which has often included seven blueliners, but he's been on the third pairing with inconsistent power-play usage. That hasn't been a recipe for success, as he's now at four assists, a plus-9 rating, 31 shots on net, 22 blocked shots, 12 hits and 12 PIM through 26 outings overall.

Theodore notched two assists, five shots on net, three blocked shots and two PIM in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Blackhawks.

Theodore had a hand in goals by Ivan Barbashev and Braeden Bowman in this contest. In the shootout, Theodore delivered the winning tally to make this collectively one of his best efforts of the season. The 30-year-old defenseman has been steady lately after a quiet start to the year. He's up to three goals, 13 helpers, 61 shots on net, 41 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 26 appearances. Theodore will be on the second power-play unit since Vegas has five forwards in the first group, but he can still make a sizable impact at even strength.

Hutton scored a goal in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Blackhawks.

Hutton is on a three-game point streak (one goal, two assists). He's earned five points over his last eight outings, and he's up to three goals, eight points, 28 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through 19 appearances. While he won't be a regular in the lineup when the Golden Knights are healthy on defense, Hutton should continue to play until Jeremy Lauzon (undisclosed) is ready to return, though he's done enough to potentially carve out a part-time role after that time.

Brodin scored a goal and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Oilers.

A clean faceoff win by Nico Sturm set up Brodin for a blast from the point that evaded Stuart Skinner at 13:11 of the first period. That held up as the lone goal of the game, and it was Brodin's first goal in over a month. He had a goal and four helpers over 14 outings in November while seeing steady top-pairing minutes. For the season, the 32-year-old has racked up three goals, nine points, a plus-6 rating, 26 shots on net and 55 blocked shots through 26 appearances. Brodin won't wow anyone with offense, but he's a steady source of defensive stats if he can stay healthy.

Stecher had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Panthers on Tuesday.

It was Stecher's first goal of the season. His point shot beat Sergei Bobrovsky through traffic to put the Leafs up 1-0 early in the first period. Stecher now has points in three straight games (one goal, three assists). He's plus-6 in that span, and his ice time Tuesday was a season-high 24:26. Brandon Carlo (lower body) is out for a period of time, so Stecher could see increased ice time as a result. This little run isn't typical, so don't get too excited.

Callahan sustained a lower-body injury in Tuesday's game versus the Red Wings and won't return, Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal reports.

Callahan was missing from the bench during the second period, and this would explain why. The 26-year-old's injury adds to a growing list of unavailable blueliners for the Bruins -- Callahan himself was called up when Henri Jokiharju (undisclosed) landed on injured reserve. Another roster move may be incoming if Callahan can't play Thursday versus the Blues.

Barron (lower body) won't play versus the Flames on Tuesday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Barron's injury was first reported Monday, though he'll be out of the lineup for a sixth straight game Tuesday. The 24-year-old is joined by Nick Perbix (upper body) as injured blueliners for Nashville. Adam Wilsby will enter the lineup to help pick up the slack. Even when healthy, there's no guarantee Barron will be active.

Perbix (upper body) won't play against Calgary on Tuesday.

Perbix is day-to-day and will miss at least one game. He has collected two goals, four points, 30 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and 15 hits through 25 appearances this season. Adam Wilsby will replace Perbix in Tuesday's lineup.

Slavin (lower body) participated in Tuesday's practice in a non-contact jersey, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

This was Slavin's first time back on the ice since he suffered an injury Oct. 11. The 31-year-old's status wasn't updated by the team, but this attendance at practice suggests he is starting to ramp up. Considering the length of his absence, he will likely need a handful of practices before being ready to play again, so his return is not yet imminent.