NHL Player News

Chytil (upper body) is questionable to play Saturday versus the Golden Knights, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

The Rangers swapped out Brett Berard for Benoit-Olivier Groulx to reinforce the team's center depth in case of Chytil missing time. Chytil was hurt Tuesday versus the Stars and missed Thursday's contest against the Devils due to the injury.

Zary's lower-body injury won't require surgery but he is considered out indefinitely, the Flames reported Friday.

Zary was injured in Tuesday's game against the Ducks, but it appears he has avoided a worst-case scenario. He will begin his rehab immediately, per the team, but there's no telling when he'll be able to make his return from injured reserve. Rory Kerins was called up when Zary went on IR and figures to take on a bottom-six role initially.

Smith (back) will not be in the lineup versus Detroit on Friday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Smith previously missed eight games with a back injury and seems to be dealing with the same issue once again. When healthy, the veteran forward has offered decent offensive upside with 11 points in 30 outings, while chipping in 62 shots on net. With Smith on the shelf, Patrick Maroon looks set to return after being a healthy scratch the previous time out.

Sturm (lower body) will miss Friday's tilt against Utah, per Max Miller of NHL.com.

Sturm also missed the Sharks' previous two outings. He has four goals and nine points in 36 appearances this season. Sturm might serve on the fourth line once he's healthy.

Monahan's wrist isn't fractured, but he's dealing with a sprain. The severity of his injury hasn't been determined, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports Friday.

Monahan was placed on injured reserve after sustaining the injury during Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over Pittsburgh and is expected to be unavailable for at least 7-10 days. However, he might end up missing longer than that depending on the grade of his wrist sprain. Monahan is waiting for the swelling to go down before undergoing the tests necessary to get that information. In the meantime, Luca Del Bel Belluz is up from the minors and is expected to serve in a middle-six capacity during Monahan's absence.

Pettersson (undisclosed) was taken off injured reserve ahead of Friday's matchup with Carolina.

Pettersson's return to action will almost certainly see him retake a top-six role in addition to linking up with the No. 1 power-play unit. Prior to his six-game absence, the 26-year-old center was struggling offensively with just two points in his last seven appearances. At this point, Pettersson should probably be expected to miss the 80-point mark for the first time since 2021-22 but could still push for 60 if he gets out of his funk soon.

Roy (upper body) won't be in the lineup against the Rangers on Saturday, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Roy is set to miss his 11th consecutive game. He has six goals and 13 points in 31 outings in 2024-25. When healthy, Roy should serve in a middle-six capacity and receive some power-play ice time.

Malkin (upper body) is still considered day-to-day ahead of a back-to-back set against the Senators and Lightning on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site reports.

While Malkin has practiced for two straight days, he hasn't been a full participant during line rushes, which raises doubts regarding his availability heading into Saturday's tilt. Still, once the world-class center is given the green light, he should retake his spot on the second line while returning to the No. 2 power-play unit.

Rakell scored a goal and blocked four shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Oilers.

Rakell's tally 3:19 into the game was the first of four goals by the Penguins in the opening frame. Things calmed down later, and the Penguins were able to hold on for a win to snap a four-game skid. Despite the poor team results lately, Rakell has been on a tear with 11 goals and nine assists over his last 15 contests. Overall, he has 21 tallies, 15 assists, 103 shots on net, 71 hits, 48 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 43 appearances, thriving as a two-way forward on the top line. He's one point away from matching his total from 70 outings in 2023-24.

Frost scored a goal and blocked four shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Stars.

Frost's third-period tally prevented a shutout for Casey DeSmith. While he hasn't produced at an elite level, Frost has four goals and three assists over his last 10 outings, which has been enough to keep him in the lineup in a middle-six capacity. He has 19 points, 63 shots on net, 30 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating through 38 appearances this season.