NHL Player News

Bouchard scored a power-play goal on six shots and went minus-2 in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

Bouchard has three goals and three assists, including two of each on the power play, during his five-game point streak. The 25-year-old defenseman has taken on a bit more ice time lately with Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) and John Klingberg (undisclosed) both out of the lineup for the last three contests. Bouchard still handles a sizable role in any scenario, and he's at 12 goals, 51 points (21 on the power play), 188 shots on net, 87 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating through 64 outings this season.

Fowler (personal) returned to practice Tuesday, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Fowler missed Saturday's contest against Los Angeles while awaiting the birth of his child. The veteran blueliner skated on the first pairing with Nick Leddy at Tuesday's practice and will presumably be in the lineup Thursday against the Penguins. Since being acquired from the Ducks on Dec. 14, Fowler has produced seven goals and 21 points over 34 appearances with the Blues.

Shea has been deemed week-to-week with an upper-body injury, per Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff on Tuesday.

Shea received a season-high 24:18 of ice time in Sunday's 3-1 win over Minnesota, so it's unclear when he picked up the injury. As a result of his upcoming absence, Ryan Graves will draw back into the lineup Tuesday against the Golden Knights. The Penguins also recalled Sebastian Aho from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis Tuesday, so he could be in the mix for playing time as well while Shea is sidelined.

Stecher picked up an assist, shelled out two hits and was a plus-1 in 11:31 of ice time in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

In the second period of Monday's contest, Stecher snapped a 16-game scoring drought with an assist on Edmonton's first goal of the game. Since John Klingberg arrived in Edmonton on Jan. 17, the 30-year-old Stecher has been in and out of the Oilers' lineup, dressing in just 17 of his team's most recent 27 games. When he does play, he serves in a limited role on the third pairing, so he warrants no consideration in any format.

Chiarot fired three shots on goal and blocked two shots in 19:51 of ice time during Monday's 2-1 loss to the Senators.

Chiarot plays on the Red Wings' top pair with Moritz Seider, but the 33-year-old has not picked up a point and is minus-8 in his last 11 games. He's currently on pace for his worst offensive output as a Red Wing, sitting at just nine points through 63 games. Chiarot shouldn't be counted on to contribute offensively with any regularity, though he is noteworthy in terms of hits and blocks -- the blueliner has 100 and 111, respectively, this campaign.

Hedman (lower body) will be on the ice for warmups and is a game-time decision for Tuesday's road meeting with the Hurricanes, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.

Hedman took the ice for pregame line rushes Saturday against the Bruins but ended up sitting out that contest, so his status will be worth monitoring leading up to puck drop Tuesday. If the veteran blueliner is unable to suit up against the Canes, Nick Perbix will draw back into the lineup. Hedman has provided 11 goals, 50 points and a plus-14 rating across 60 appearances in 2024-25.

Aho was called up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday under emergency conditions.

Aho's addition to the NHL roster would seem to indicate that there is an injury on the Penguins' blue line other than Pierre-Olivier Joseph (upper body), who is already on injured reserve. With the addition of Conor Timmins at the trade deadline, minutes will likely be hard to come by for Aho the rest of the way.

Martinez is being evaluated for an undisclosed injury and is questionable to return to Monday's game in Colorado, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Martinez had one hit and blocked one shot in 3:23 of ice time before exiting in the first period. If he's unable to return, the left-shot blueliner will have two days off before Thursday's road matchup against the Sharks.

Hamonic (lower body) will not be in the lineup Monday versus the Red Wings, according to TSN 1200 Ottawa.

Nikolas Matinpalo will replace Hamonic on the third pairing beside Tyler Kleven. Monday's game is the first half of a back-to-back for the Senators -- they'll face the Flyers on the road Tuesday. An update on Hamonic's availability for that contest will presumably be known before then.

The NHL announced Monday that Ekblad has been suspended 20 games for violating the league's Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Since the Panthers have just 18 games remaining on their schedule, Ekblad will miss the remainder of the regular season and the first two games of the postseason due to his suspension. Prior to his suspension, the 29-year-old had bounced back from a quiet 2023-24 campaign, as he recorded three goals, 30 assists, 90 hits, 64 blocked shots and 53 PIM while averaging 23:31 of ice time to begin the 2024-25 season. The Panthers will be forced to rely more upon new acquisition Seth Jones down the stretch, while Ekblad is slated to become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason.