NHL Player News

Sturm (lower body) will be a game-time decision versus Minnesota on Saturday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Sturm has missed the last three games with the injury. The 29-year-old is without a point in his last nine games and has four goals and nine points in 36 outings this season. Should Sturm sit out Saturday, look for Ty Dellandrea to remain in the lineup.

Kostin (lower body) won't play Saturday versus Minnesota, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Kostin left Friday's 2-1 loss to Utah due to the injury. He has a goal, four points and 82 hits in 26 appearances in 2024-25. Alexander Wennberg (illness) is also exiting the lineup, and Nico Sturm (lower body) will be a game-time call, so there's a scenario where San Jose will have as few as 10 healthy forwards. With that in mind, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Sharks recall some players from the minors. An alternative possibility is that Carl Grundstrom (upper body) and Jake Walman (lower body) will be activated off injured reserve ahead of Saturday's tilt, which would get the Sharks up to 12 forwards even if Sturm is unavailable.

Wennberg (illness) won't play Saturday against the Wild, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The Sharks will be missing some depth forwards in Saturday's matchup due to the absences of Wennberg, Nikolai Kovalenko (upper body) and Klim Kostin (lower body). Wennberg has eight goals and 20 points through 44 games this season.

Malkin (upper body) isn't ready to return for Saturday's tilt against Ottawa, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.

Malkin is set to miss his third straight game. He has eight goals and 32 points in 41 appearances in 2024-25. Malkin did skate Saturday morning, so perhaps there's still a chance of him drawing back into the lineup Sunday versus Tampa Bay.

Namestnikov (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision versus Colorado on Saturday, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Namestnikov was injured blocking a shot Friday versus the Kings, but he managed to finish the game. Namestnikov has only one assist in his last eight games, giving the 32-year-old nine goals and 11 assists over 43 contests.

Stamkos (undisclosed) expects to play in Saturday's matchup against Washington, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports.

Stamkos participated in Saturday's morning skate after skipping Thursday's session for maintenance. Coach Andrew Brunette called Stamkos a game-time decision for Saturday's contest but added that the 34-year-old forward appeared on track to play, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site. Stamkos left Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Winnipeg as a precaution. He has accounted for 12 goals, 25 points, 88 shots on net, 24 blocked shots and 34 hits in 41 games this season. Nashville recalled Kieffer Bellows from AHL Milwaukee on Saturday for additional insurance.

Kastelic (undisclosed) won't play Saturday against Florida, Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic reports.

While Kastelic won't play Saturday, he doesn't appear to be facing a long-term absence and is considered day-to-day. The 25-year-old center has contributed only one assist in his last 10 outings. He has four goals and 12 points through his first 43 contests with Boston. Marc McLaughlin will replace Kastelic in Saturday's lineup.

Sillinger (illness) will return to the lineup versus St. Louis on Saturday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

The 21-year-old will replace his older brother, Owen Sillinger, who returned to AHL Cleveland on Friday. The younger Sillinger has six goals, 16 assists, 96 shots on net and 54 hits across 40 appearances this season. He will center James van Riemsdyk and Kent Johnson on the second line in Saturday's contest.

Staal recorded a goal, an assist and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 2-0 win over the Canucks.

Staal has been on a tear recently, recording multi-point performances in three straight games while finding the twine each time. The veteran forward has recorded points in five of his last six appearances, tallying five goals and four assists despite holding a bottom-six role.

Granlund notched an assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 2-1 loss to Utah.

Granlund's goal drought is up to 11 games, and this was his fourth assist in that span. The Sharks have gone 12 contests without scoring more than three goals, and with offense limited all around, it's no surprise Granlund's pace has slowed in the middle of the season. The 32-year-old is at 11 goals, 25 helpers, 108 shots on net, 34 hits, 31 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 42 appearances, playing mainly in a top-line role with a career-high average of 21:13 of ice time per game.