NHL Player News

Paul (illness) has been ruled out of Saturday's home tilt versus Ottawa, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Paul has been slumping offensively, tallying one goal and one assist in his last 17 games. He also missed 11 outings during that stretch due to a lower-body injury that put him on long-term injured reserve. Overall, Paul has six goals and seven assists over 41 appearances this season.

Thomas (upper body) will be in the lineup Saturday against Toronto, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Thomas sat out Thursday's clash against San Jose after he was hit in Washington by Pierre-Luc Dubois. Thomas has 16 goals, 30 assists and 81 shots on goal over 53 contests this season.

Bennett (personal) won't play against the Islanders on Saturday, according to Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site.

Bennett will miss at least one game, but it's unclear if he will be ready to play against the Rangers on Sunday. He has produced 25 goals, 54 points, 180 shots on net, 112 hits and 76 PIM across 70 appearances this campaign. After being recalled from AHL Charlotte on Saturday, Jack Studnicka could replace Bennett in the lineup against the Islanders.

Studnicka was recalled from AHL Charlotte on Saturday.

Studnicka hasn't earned a point in 18 NHL outings this season while posting 16 shots on goal, six blocked shots and 19 hits. He has eight goals and 14 assists in 34 AHL appearances during the 2025-26 campaign.

Cootes scored twice and added an assist in WHL Prince Albert's 4-1 win over Red Deer in Game 1 on Friday.

Cootes had eight points in six playoff games last year with WHL Seattle. He's earned 63 points over 45 regular-season appearances in the WHL, including 40 points in 28 contests with Prince Albert after a trade from the Thunderbirds. The Raiders are poised to make a deep run, and Cootes will likely be a leader on offense during the postseason.

Martin registered three assists in OHL Sault Ste. Marie's 4-1 win over London in Game 1 on Friday.

Martin posted 24 points over 24 regular-season contests for the Greyhound this year, which was interrupted by a two-month absence. In his junior career, he had six points over 16 playoff outings over the previous two seasons. He's poised to do much better this year, assuming the Greyhounds can make a good run.

Nobert recorded three assists in QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand's 5-3 win in Game 1 over Victoriaville on Friday.

Nobert put up 30 goals and 48 helpers over 62 regular-season outings, and he's kept up his strong playmaking to begin the playoffs. The Armada will likely make a decent run this spring, so Nobert should have plenty of time to get used to postseason action. He had six points over 11 contests across his first two junior playoff runs.

Miller scored a goal on five shots, dished two assists, added three hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 6-1 win over the Blackhawks.

One of Miller's helpers came on the power play. The goal was his first since Jan. 26 versus the Bruins, ending a stretch of 14 games in which he was limited to nine helpers and a minus-11 rating. Miller continues to play big minutes as a veteran all-situations forward for the Rangers. He's now at 15 goals, 30 helpers, 129 shots on net, 114 hits and a minus-27 rating over 59 appearances.

Brodzinski scored two goals on three shots, added two hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 6-1 win over the Blackhawks.

Brodzinski has been a part-time player since late January. He snapped a six-game point drought with this performance, a span in which he was also scratched five times. On the year, Brodzinski is up to six goals, 13 points, 51 shots on net, 37 hits and a minus-3 rating over 47 appearances. Even if he sticks in the lineup, the 32-year-old is likely to remain in a bottom-six spot.

Krebs recorded an assist and four hits in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Red Wings.

Krebs hasn't scored in March, and his goal drought is up to 14 games since he tallied Feb. 27 against the Panthers. He has six helpers during the slump, and he's also back on the top line at even strength, which gives him a little more scoring potential than he had earlier in the month in a bottom-six capacity. Krebs is at nine goals, 34 points, 78 shots on net, 170 hits, 76 PIM, 37 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating over 73 appearances in what's been a career year for him.