NHL Player News

Drysdale scored a goal Tuesday in a 5-2 loss to Ottawa.

Drysdale's backhand from the slot bounced off Anton Forsberg and in to tie the game 1-1 early in the second period. He has struggled to find his footing this season, like so many of the Flyers. Drysdale has just 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 54 games, but he has three goals in his last six outings (nine blocks, six shots).

Cormier (undisclosed) was activated from non-roster injured reserve and assigned to AHL Henderson on Feb. 27, per Mathieu Sheridan of The Hockey News.

Cormier has one assist in four minor-league outings this season. The 22-year-old defender had one assist in two NHL appearances with Vegas in 2023-24.

Hedman (lower body) will play against Carolina on Tuesday.

After missing one game, Hedman will return to the top pairing and first power-play unit. He has amassed 11 goals, 50 points, 141 shots on net, 104 blocked shots and 30 hits through 60 appearances this season. Tampa Bay will dress seven defenders and 11 forwards in Tuesday's lineup, making Mitchell Chaffee a healthy scratch.

Hamonic (lower body) won't play against Philadelphia on Tuesday, according to TSN 1200 Ottawa.

Hamonic will miss his second straight game. He has chipped in three assists, 64 shots on goal, 80 blocked shots and 58 hits across 51 appearances this season. Due to Hamonic's absence, Nikolas Matinpalo will remain in the lineup.

Orlov (upper body won't be in the lineup for Tuesday's matchup against Tampa Bay, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

Orlov will miss his third straight game despite participating in Monday's practice. He has collected four goals, 24 points, 93 shots on net, 49 blocked shots and 88 hits in 62 appearances this campaign. Due to Orlov's absence, Scott Morrow will remain in the lineup.

Hughes (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup versus Montreal on Tuesday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Head coach Rick Tocchet wouldn't rule Hughes out against the Flames on Wednesday, so he should probably be considered a game-time call for that contest. The defenseman is stuck in a six-game goal drought dating back to Jan. 25 versus Dallas. Filip Hronek figures to remain on the No. 1 power-play unit while Hughes is sidelined.

Thrun (upper body) was labeled week-to-week Tuesday, per Max Miller of NHL.com.

Jimmy Schuldt is set to serve on the third pairing Tuesday against Nashville in what will be his second career NHL appearance due to Thrun's absence. The 23-year-old Thrun has contributed one goal and nine helpers across 52 games in 2024-25.

Benoit scored a goal, added seven PIM, levied four hits and blocked three shots in Monday's 4-3 shootout win over Utah.

The goal was Benoit's first of the season, and it ended his 24-game point drought. Despite the lack of offense, he's been a regular in the lineup, missing just two games during his slump, both as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old blueliner is at five points through 60 outings, matching his output over 64 contests from the 2023-24 regular season. He's added 37 shots on net, 46 PIM, 168 hits and 89 blocked shots in 2024-25 while filling a third-pairing role.

Girard's point drought reached 11 games in Monday's 3-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Girard's role has shrunk recently, in part due to his slump but also due to the Avalanche's acquisition of Ryan Lindgren, who has functioned in a top-four spot. This has bumped Girard down to the third pairing -- he's been under 20 minutes of ice time in each of the last two games. Girard should still be able to fend off Keaton Middleton for playing time, but the role reduction hurts his fantasy value. For the season, Girard has 20 points, 77 shots on net, 87 blocked shots, 52 hits and a plus-6 rating over 62 appearances.

Nurse scored a goal on six shots, added two hits and blocked two shots in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

Nurse has a point in each of the last two games after going 10 contests without one. The 30-year-old defenseman is up to five goals, 24 points, 150 shots on net, 125 hits, 104 blocked shots, 42 PIM and a plus-7 rating across 59 appearances. The Oilers' addition of Jake Walman could benefit Nurse in a number of ways -- they played together Saturday versus the Stars, but having Walman around strengthens the blue line as a whole to allow Nurse to have a slightly lighter workload down the stretch, which may in turn make him more productive.