NHL Player News

Pettersson was reassigned to AHL Abbotsford on Saturday.

The 20-year-old defenseman will get to play while the Canucks are off for two weeks during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Pettersson has started to push for third-pairing minutes in Vancouver, but he may not be needed on the NHL roster following the break if Quinn Hughes (undisclosed) is healthy by the time the Canucks face the Golden Knights on Feb. 22.

Gudas (illness) won't play Saturday versus the Kings, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Gudas was not at practice Thursday and appears to still be under the weather. He'll be forced to miss his first game of the season as a result, allowing Pavel Mintyukov to draw into the lineup. Gudas has 12 points, 181 hits and 124 blocked shots over 53 appearances, so his physical play will be missed in this rivalry matchup.

Callahan was reassigned to AHL Providence on Saturday, per Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal.

Callahan recorded one block in 9:29 of ice time in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Vegas. The 25-year-old defender has played in seven of the last eight games and could return to the NHL after the 4 Nations Face-Off. He hasn't earned a point in eight appearances with Boston this season.

Evans (upper body) won't suit up Saturday versus the Flames, Bob Condor of the Kraken's official site reports.

Evans will enter the 4 Nations Face-Off break injured, as he is set to miss his fifth straight game Saturday. The 23-year-old's next chance to play is Feb. 22 versus the Panthers. He was considered day-to-day as of Thursday, so it seems like he'll have a good chance to return after the break.

McDonagh picked up two assists Saturday in a 6-3 win over the Red Wings.

He also finished with a plus-4 rating. McDonagh is on a surprising three-game point streak, earning three assists and one goal. He won't deliver much in the way of secondary stats, but his plus-28 rating this season is fifth-best in the NHL, and he has 105 blocked shots.

Xhekaj had a game-high six shots on goal in Saturday's 4-0 loss to New Jersey.

In Saturday's shutout loss, Xhekaj added one hit and one blocked shot in 19:47 of ice time. He hasn't earned a point in 23 straight games. Xhekaj has one goal, four assists, 57 shots on net, 50 blocked shots and a team-high 135 hits through 52 appearances this season.

Hughes scored a goal, had one shot on net and blocked one shot in a 4-0 win over the Canadiens on Saturday.

Hughes rounded out the scoring at the 10:09 mark of the third period. He didn't have a point in three straight outings going into Saturday's matchup and has two goals and three helpers in his last 19 appearances. Hughes will probably fall short of his 47-point display over 82 regular-season games in 2023-24 but could surpass the 30-point plateau. He has five goals and 22 points through 48 appearances this campaign.

Cernak scored a goal and added two assists in a 6-3 win over the Red Wings on Saturday.

Cernak waffled a shot from the point at 2:56 of the first, resulting in Alex Lyon getting the hook from the game -- the goalie had allowed two goals on just three shots. The three points tied Cernak's NHL career high for a single outing. "You don't see a lot of offense from me, so that was exciting," said Cernak after the game. "I just try to get the puck to our forwards and let them make magic." The 27-year-old stay-at-home defender has two goals and 15 points in 48 games this season. Both goals and three assists have come in Cernak's last four games. It's a nice run, but it's not sustainable enough to make him valuable in fantasy arenas.

Wilsby (upper body) won't play Saturday versus the Sabres, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Wilsby will miss a second straight game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The 24-year-old defenseman will next get a chance to play Feb. 22 versus the Avalanche. Kevin Gravel and Justin Barron will play on the third pairing Saturday in Wilsby's absence.

Chatfield produced an even-strength goal and a shorthanded assist in Saturday's 7-3 win over Utah.

The 28-year-old blueliner opened the scoring midway through the first period, converting a 2-on-1 break after a feed from Jordan Staal. Chatfield then helped set up Sebastian Aho for what proved to be the game-winner in the second frame. The performance snapped Chatfield out of a 15-game goal slump, during which he'd managed only one assist. Chatfield will head into the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off with five goals, 13 points, 80 shots on net, 49 hits, 45 blocked shots and a plus-21 rating through 56 contests this season.