NHL Player News

McDonagh (face) will be available for Thursday's game against the Ducks, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McDonagh exited Tuesday's game against the Bruins after taking a puck to the face, but he won't be forced to miss additional time due to the issue. Over eight appearances this month, he's logged four assists, 15 blocked shots, four hits and two PIM while averaging 20:15 of ice time.

Chabot (face) will miss Thursday's contest against Washington, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Chabot left Tuesday's tilt against the Islanders in the first period after he was hit in the face by the puck, and he did not return. Chabot has struggled offensively this season with only three goals and 19 points across 43 outings, his worst performance since his rookie season in 2017-18, when he had 25 points in 63 games. Donovan Sebrango is expected to make his NHL debut Thursday in Chabot's absence.

Romanov (upper body) will not be in action against the Flyers on Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Romanov will miss his third consecutive contest due to his lingering upper-body issue. Prior to getting hurt, the 25-year-old blueliner was offering plenty of offensive upside with seven points -- all assists -- over his last eight outings. Once Romanov is given the all-clear, Dennis Cholowski will likely find himself relegated to the press box as a healthy scratch.

McCabe (upper body) will be in the lineup versus New Jersey on Thursday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

McCabe will return following a four-game stint on injured reserve due to his upper-body issue. Prior to his absence, the 31-year-old blueliner was offering decent offensive production with six points in his prior 13 outings -- far better than his 11-game pointless streak in November. With McCabe back in the lineup, Simon Benoit figures to be relegated to a spot in the press box.

Ekblad (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup versus Detroit on Thursday, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.

Ekblad will miss his fourth consecutive game. The 28-year-old defenseman could return Saturday against the Ducks, but if he is unable to go, head coach Paul Maurice said that he was "fairly confident" that Ekblad would be able to play at some point next week, when the Panthers are in California for three games. Ekblad has two goals and 18 assists over 41 appearances this season.

Sebrango was called up from AHL Belleville on Thursday.

Sebrango's promotion comes amid questions regarding Thomas Chabot's (face) availability for Thursday's matchup with Washington. Bringing Sebrango up could be just a precautionary measure, as the Sens don't currently have an extra healthy defenseman on their roster. If Sebrango does get into Thursday's contest, it will likely be on the third pairing alongside either Tyler Kleven or Nikolas Matinpalo.

Brown picked up an assist and added two PIM in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

The helper was Brown's first at the NHL level over seven appearances this season. The 30-year-old is getting a chance to compete for playing time with Troy Stecher, though neither defenseman is likely to do enough to be of interest in fantasy. Brown has added five shots on net, nine PIM, 13 hits, 10 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating this season.

Emberson recorded an assist, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

Emberson has two helpers over his last three contests. The 24-year-old defenseman continues to hold down a regular role on the Oilers' third pairing, and he appears to have a bit more security in the lineup than Troy Stecher or Josh Brown. For the season, Emberson is up to seven helpers, 35 shots on net, 62 hits, 60 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating across 42 appearances.

Kulak notched an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

Kulak snapped a three-game point drought with the helper. The 31-year-old defenseman has played at a career-best pace with 15 points through 44 outings overall while often playing top-four minutes despite being listed on the third pairing most of the time. Kulak has added 68 blocked shots, 71 shots on net and a plus-5 rating as a steady stay-at-home defender.

Bouchard logged a power-play assist and seven shots on goal in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

Bouchard has been steady since the holiday break with a goal and seven assists over his last 10 games. Five of those helpers have come with the man advantage. The 25-year-old blueliner is up to seven goals, 26 assists, 11 power-play points, 124 shots on net, 68 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating through 44 appearances.