NHL Player News

Christiansen (upper body) has been medically cleared Wednesday and is an option to play Friday versus Vancouver, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Christiansen has missed Columbus' past five games due to the injury. He has a goal, eight points, 47 hits and 64 blocks over 65 appearances in 2024-25. It's possible Christiansen will be a healthy scratch Friday, but if he does draw into the lineup, it would likely be as part of the third pairing.

Del Gaizo picked up two assists in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Hurricanes.

He had a hand in Luke Evangelista tallies in the second and third periods. Del Gaizo has taken on a significant role on Nashville's injury-plagued blue line -- over 14 games since his late-February recall from AHL Milwaukee, the 25-year-old has averaged 18:06 of ice time while producing a goal and five points, as well as 28 shots on net, 23 hits and 15 blocked shots.

Moser recorded an assist in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Penguins.

Moser helped out on an Anthony Cirelli goal in the first period, the third of four tallies in a span of 3:47 by the Lightning. The 25-year-old Moser has just two helpers over 16 contests since he returned from a lower-body injury in February. His first season with the Lightning has seen him handle more defensive duties than he had with the Coyotes over the previous three campaigns. The Swiss blueliner is at 12 points, 43 shots on net, 56 blocked shots, 31 hits and a plus-15 rating across 43 appearances.

Schneider posted an assist and three shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Kings.

Schneider has a helper in each of the last two contests, and he's up to four points over his last nine games. The 23-year-old defenseman's role has shrunk again since Adam Fox returned from an upper-body injury, but Schneider is a lock to be in the lineup down the stretch. He's up to 18 points, 89 shots on net, 128 hits, 132 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating across 72 appearances. Schneider's one point from matching his 82-game total from the 2023-24 regular season, and two points would give him a new career high.

Dunn logged an assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Flames.

Dunn set up a Tye Kartye go-ahead goal in the second period. The 28-year-old Dunn is playing steady all-around hockey lately with six helpers over his last 10 contests. The defenseman is up to 34 points, 123 shots on net, 61 blocked shots, 29 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 52 appearances in a top-pairing role.

Miromanov notched an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.

Miromanov has two points over his last three contests. His playing time is still limited in a third-pairing role, but he's been in the lineup for four straight contests, which suggests he's surpassed Brayden Pachal in the hierarchy on the blue line. Miromanov is at nine points, 51 shots on net, 54 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 42 appearances.

Andersson scored a goal on five shots and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.

Andersson tallied at 15:49 of the third period, briefly giving the Flames a 3-2 lead. The Kraken answered before the end of the game, so Andersson didn't get to be the hero Tuesday. The 28-year-old defenseman has turned up the offense with two goals and five assists over his last seven contests. He is one of 16 blueliners in the league with at least 10 goals this year, but he has the fewest points (28) among that group. Andersson has added 137 shots on net, 167 blocked shots, 52 PIM and a minus-26 rating over 70 appearances in a season full of mixed results.

Edvinsson recorded an assist in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Edvinsson has four helpers over his last three games, matching his point total from his previous 14 contests. The 22-year-old helped out on an Austin Watson tally in the third period Tuesday. Edvinsson is up to 29 points, 67 shots on net, 124 blocked shots, 70 hits, 52 PIM and a plus-7 rating through 67 appearances. It's a strong first full NHL campaign for the blueliner, but he doesn't stand out in many areas outside of blocks and PIM.

McDonagh put up a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over the Penguins on Tuesday.

McDonagh's goal was a fluke -- he sent the puck toward the net from the left side and it deflected off the skate of Rickard Rakell and past Tristan Jarry. It stood as the winner. McDonagh has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last three games and 25 points (three goals, 22 assists) in 71 games overall. His fantasy best is behind him, unless you need to pad the somewhat obscure plus-minus category. McDonagh is among the NHL's best with a plus-37.

Makar scored a goal on five shots and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Red Wings.

Makar wasn't initially credited for the Avalanche's first goal, but it was later ruled his shot got through without hitting another Colorado player in front of the net. The quest for 30 goals remains too close to call -- Makar is up to 27 on the year, and he's scored three of them over his last five games while adding four assists in that span. For the season, he's at 82 points, 224 shots on net, 110 blocked shots and a plus-27 rating through 72 outings. He's guaranteed to finish at or above a point-per-game pace for the fifth year in a row, and his career-high 90 points from 2023-24 is still within reach.