NHL Player News

Desharnais (upper body) will remain sidelined for Sunday's road matchup versus the Flames, per the NHL media site.

Desharnais will miss his ninth consecutive game Sunday, and he probably won't be available for the second half of San Jose's back-to-back set in Vancouver on Monday. The right-shot defenseman has suited up in just seven games for the Sharks since being acquired from Pittsburgh on March 5.

Pionk (rest) will not be in the lineup Sunday against the Oilers, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Pionk has played in two games since missing 12 contests due to a lower-body injury, but he'll get the day off Sunday as the Jets have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Winnipeg's last game of the regular season is against the Ducks on Wednesday.

Morrissey (rest) won't play Sunday versus the Oilers, per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.

The Jets are locked into the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, so they are giving Morrissey and a few other players the day off Sunday. It's not yet known if the left-shot blueliner will be in the lineup for Winnipeg's regular-season finale Wednesday against the Ducks.

Chychrun (illness) is set to return Sunday versus the Blue Jackets, according to Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

Chychrun was held out of Washington's previous two games because of the illness. He's projected to serve on the second pairing alongside Trevor van Riemsdyk. Alexander Alexeyev is set to be a healthy scratch versus Columbus.

Myers (undisclosed) won't play Monday versus San Jose, per Ben Kuzma of Postmedia on Sunday.

It will be Myers' sixth straight game on the shelf. He has six goals, 24 points, 74 PIM, 87 hits and 125 blocks in 71 appearances in 2024-25. His final opportunity to play in 2024-25 will come Wednesday versus Vegas.

Forbort suffered a broken orbital bone during Vancouver's 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota on Saturday, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports Sunday.

No timetable was provided for Forbort, but it's safe to say he will miss Vancouver's final two games, which are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday against San Jose and Vegas, respectively. The 33-year-old defenseman has two goals, 11 points, 45 PIM, 65 hits and 77 blocks in 54 appearances with the Canucks in 2024-25. Tyler Myers (undisclosed) won't be an option to play Monday, so the Canucks are expected to recall a defenseman from the minors.

Chychrun (illness) is expected to be a game-time decision Sunday versus Columbus, per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.

Chychrun has missed Washington's past two games due to the illness. He has 20 goals and 47 points in 72 appearances in 2024-25. Alexander Alexeyev is expected to be a healthy scratch if Chychrun is able to return.

Carlson (rest) won't play against Columbus on Sunday, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.

Carlson will skip the second half of Washington's back-to-back set versus the Blue Jackets for maintenance. He has accounted for five goals, 51 points, 167 shots on net and 131 blocked shots through 79 appearances this season. Carlson will probably play Tuesday versus the Islanders or Thursday against the Penguins before the beginning of the playoffs. Dylan McIlrath will replace Carlson in Sunday's lineup.

Christiansen (upper body) won't be in the lineup for Sunday's matchup against Washington, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Christiansen will miss his second straight game. He has contributed one goal, seven assists, 58 shots on net, 65 blocked shots and 50 hits through 68 appearances this season. Christiansen's next chance to play will come against Philadelphia on Tuesday, but it's unclear if he will return before the end of the regular season.

Pelech (upper body) won't return to Sunday's game versus New Jersey.

Pelech sustained the injury after being on the receiving end of a high hit from Paul Cotter early in the second period. The 30-year-old Pelech entered Sunday's matchup with 21 assists, 107 shots on goal, 86 blocked shots and 73 hits in 58 appearances this season. It's unclear if he will play in the Islanders' final two outings of the regular season. If Pelech is out, Adam Boqvist, Mike Reilly or Scott Perunovich could play against Washington on Tuesday.