NHL Player News

Cernak (undisclosed) will be out of the lineup versus Detroit on Saturday, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun.

Cernak was injured early in the first period against the Ducks on Thursday and did not return. He missed the morning skate Saturday and should be considered day-to-day at this time, ahead of the Lightning's four-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Anaheim. Cernak has 10 assists, 53 blocked shots and 92 hits over 41 contests this season. Look for Max Crozier to enter the lineup in place of Cernak.

Ekblad (undisclosed) will be out of the lineup versus Anaheim on Saturday, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Ekblad will miss his fifth consecutive game Saturday. Coach Paul Maurice expects Ekblad to return on their four-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Anaheim and ending Sunday in Vegas. Ekblad has two goals, 18 assists, 76 shots on goal, 59 hits and 55 blocked shots through 41 appearances this season.

Pietrangelo notched an assist, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

Pietrangelo ended a six-game slump with the helper. The defenseman set up Tomas Hertl's opening goal in the second period. Even with the recent slump on offense, Pietrangelo remains in a top-four role with power-play time. The 34-year-old blueliner has 22 points, 81 shots on net, 73 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 42 appearances this season.

Theodore scored a power-play goal on five shots and blocked two shots in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

Theodore's tally midway through the third period got the Golden Knights within a goal, but a late penalty eliminated their chances of finding an equalizer. The 29-year-old defenseman hadn't scored since Dec. 15 versus the Wild, but he racked up 10 assists over the 13 games between goals. For the season, he's at five tallies, 37 points (15 on the power play), 86 shots on net, 55 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating over 44 appearances.

Orlov logged an assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 3-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Orlov has four helpers over his last seven outings. The 33-year-old defenseman helped out on a Jackson Blake tally in the third period of this contest. Overall, Orlov has 21 points, 75 shots on net, 62 hits, 33 blocked shots and a plus-15 rating through 46 appearances. He's five points shy of matching his output from the 2023-24 regular season.

Slavin logged an assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 3-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Slavin has earned five points over nine outings in January, matching November as his most productive month of the season so far. The 30-year-old defenseman is a little behind his usual pace with 15 points through 46 appearances, which would put him at risk of missing the 30-point mark for the second time in three seasons. He's added 56 shots on net, 73 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating in his usual top-pairing role.

Byram notched a power-play assist and three shots on goal in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Penguins.

Byram ended a five-game point drought when he helped out on Owen Power's first-period tally. For the season, Byram has five goals, 18 helpers, 55 shots on net, 68 blocked shots, 46 hits and a plus-4 rating over 45 appearances. He continues to play alongside Rasmus Dahlin on the top pairing.

Power scored a power-play goal on two shots and went minus-2 in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Penguins.

This was Power's first career power-play goal and his first point with the man advantage this season. Despite his lack of special-teams production, he's pushing to reach the 40-point mark for the first time in his career. He's matched his career high with six goals while adding 17 assists, 79 shots on net, 69 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating through 45 appearances this season.

Grzelcyk notched two power-play assists and three blocked shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.

Grzelcyk had been held off the scoresheet in his previous four games. That cold spell followed a stretch in which he racked up 10 points over 12 outings. The 31-year-old blueliner is up to one goal, 23 helpers, 10 power-play points, 55 shots on net, 64 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating through 47 appearances. As long as he continues to be involved on the power play, he should have decent fantasy value. He's three points away from setting a new career high.

Letang (illness) is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Sabres.

Letang dealt with a lower-body injury in late December and early January, but the Penguins later revealed he is under the weather rather than hurt. Owen Pickering and Ryan Graves will both be in the lineup, while Letang is likely questionable to play Saturday versus the Capitals.