NHL Player News

Benson (upper body) has been activated off injured reserve Saturday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.

The Sabres returned Anton Wahlberg to AHL Rochester in a corresponding move. Benson has seven goals, 26 points, 20 PIM, 75 shots, 21 hits and 15 blocks in 42 appearances in 2025-26. He missed four straight games due to the injury, and an illness delayed his return to practice. However, he will return to the lineup against Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Binnington will patrol the home crease in Saturday's matchup against New Jersey, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Binnington will take the ice for the first time since the 2026 Winter Olympics. While he's struggled with the Blues this season, he'll look to build upon his solid effort for Canada in the Olympics, where he posted a .917 save percentage and a 1.78 GAA across six appearances. Overall, the 32-year-old netminder has an 8-17-6 record, a 3.65 GAA and an .864 save percentage across 32 outings for the Blues. Binnington will draw a favorable matchup Saturday against a New Jersey team that ranks at the bottom of the NHL with 2.46 goals per game.

Parayko is expected to miss Saturday's game against New Jersey and Sunday's match in Minnesota due to back spasms, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Parayko has a goal, 14 points, 16 PIM, 67 hits and 141 blocks in 58 appearances with St. Louis in 2025-26. Matt Kessel is set to draw into the lineup due to Parayko's absence. The 32-year-old Parayko might be an option to return Wednesday in Seattle.

Lankinen was the first goalie off the ice during the pregame skate, indicating he'll draw the start in Saturday's road clash against the Kraken, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

Lankinen will return to the Canucks' crease for the first time since the Olympic break. Despite not hitting the ice for Team Finland while serving as the backup to Juuse Saros, he'll have the opportunity to provide a much-needed spark for Vancouver. Across 30 appearances this season, the 30-year-old netminder has a 7-19-4 record, a 3.67 GAA and an .876 save percentage. He'll face off against the Kraken, who have scored just two goals across their first two games since the Olympic break. The matchup provides Lankinen a solid chance to put the Canucks back in the win column, giving him decent fantasy value as a spot start.

Niederreiter (lower body) underwent surgery and remains week-to-week, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports Saturday.

Niederreiter has already missed the last two games and is on injured reserve. Prior to getting hurt, the 33-year-old winger posted eight goals, 19 points and 76 shots on net across 55 games this season. Once he's ready to return to action, he'll look to bolster Winnipeg's forward group and will likely return to a bottom-six role.

Dostal is expected to start at home against Calgary on Sunday, per Derek Lee of The Hockey News.

Dostal has won his past four outings with Anaheim despite posting a 3.43 GAA and an .882 save percentage across that span. He's 23-13-2 with a 3.00 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 40 appearances this season. Calgary is in a three-way tie for 29th in goals per game with 2.53.

Hellebuyck is slated to guard the road goal against San Jose on Sunday, according to Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

Winnipeg won't hold a morning skate ahead of Sunday's contest, and Hellebuyck went through his starting routine during Saturday's practice. He is coming off a 35-save effort in Friday's 5-4 overtime loss to Anaheim. Hellebuyck has a 13-16-8 record this season with a 2.84 GAA and an .899 save percentage across 37 outings. San Jose sits 18th in the league with 3.04 goals per game during the 2025-26 campaign.

Fleury (upper body) will be taken off injured reserve and play Sunday versus San Jose, per Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

Fleury hasn't been in the lineup since Dec. 19 because of the injury. He has no points, six PIM, 11 shots, 23 hits and 26 blocks in 17 outings with the Jets in 2025-26. Ville Heinola might be a healthy scratch Sunday or even reassigned to AHL Manitoba due to Fleury's return.

Namestnikov (lower body) is considered week-to-week, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports Saturday.

Namestnikov has seven goals, 13 points, 28 PIM and 71 hits in 57 appearances in 2025-26. He sustained the injury during Friday's game against Anaheim. Walker Duehr is likely to draw into the lineup Sunday versus San Jose due to Namestnikov's absence.

Daccord was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio Network reports, indicating he will protect the home net against Vancouver on Saturday.

Daccord stopped 28 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Dallas. He has a 16-13-5 record during the 2025-26 campaign with a 2.84 GAA, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts through 34 appearances. Vancouver is tied for 29th in the league with only 2.53 goals per game this season.