NHL Player News

Faksa (leg) will be in the lineup versus the Ducks on Thursday.

Faksa returns having played in just one of the Blues' last 13 contests due to his leg injury. The forward is currently stuck in a 12-game goal drought dating back to Nov. 16 against the Bruins, having registered just 14 shots over that stretch. With Faksa retaking his spot on the fourth line, Alexandre Texier will be relegated to the press box as a healthy scratch.

Stamkos' (undisclosed) absence from Thursday's practice was deemed maintenance according to Robby Stanley of NHL.com.

Considering Stamkos was unable to finish Tuesday's matchup with Winnipeg due to his undisclosed injury, it is a little strange for the Predators to call his absence from practice a maintenance day. Still, they aren't back in action until Saturday's game against the Capitals, so the veteran center should have plenty of time to get back to 100 percent and avoid missing any action.

Parssinen scored a goal on three shots, added two hits and logged two PIM in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Blackhawks.

Parssinen opened the scoring with an unassisted tally at 6:14 of the first period. He saw 14:35 of ice time Wednesday, though there were more minutes up for grabs with the Avalanche opting to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen for this contest. Parssinen still looks to have some job security in a bottom-six role -- his two points over five games since he was traded from the Predators is one less than the collective point total of 10 forwards who have combined for 78 appearances in part-time roles as call-ups from AHL Colorado. Parssinen has a total of seven points, 16 shots on net, 34 hits and a minus-6 rating over 20 appearances this season.

Dach logged an assist and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Avalanche.

The Blackhawks' go-ahead goal in the second period was a glimpse into the future -- Dach's first career assist set up fellow prospect Frank Nazar's first NHL goal. The duo has played on the third line together recently while also working on the second power-play unit. Dach is at one assist, seven shots on net, seven hits and a minus-1 rating over three NHL contests.

Teravainen provided an assist in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Avalanche.

Teravainen's pace has slowed down recently, but he still has three assists over his last five games. He had four consecutive multi-point efforts from Dec. 15-21. The 30-year-old winger is at seven goals, 19 assists, 63 shots on net and a minus-12 rating, and he's earned half of his 26 points on the power play.

Hayden was called up from AHL Coachella Valley on Thursday.

Hayden played one game with the Kraken earlier in the season and had four hits and a minor penalty in 8:54 of action. Hayden notched seven goals, 12 assists and 24 PIM in 30 AHL games before his recall.

Smith missed practice Thursday due to a back injury, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Smith missed nine games a month ago with back woes and it could be a recurrence of that injury. Smith has six goals and 11 points in 30 games this season and should be considered questionable for Friday's tilt in Detroit. Should Smith be unable to go, look for Philipp Kurashev to draw back into the lineup.

Bedard produced a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Avalanche.

The 19-year-old phenom helped set up Chicago's first goal of the night, an Ilya Mikheyev tally late in the first period, before potting the game's final tally midway through the third. Bedard extended his point streak to eight games in the process, a stretch in which he's racked up four goals and 11 points.

Nazar scored the game-winning goal in Wednesday's 3-1 victory over the Avalanche.

The 2022 first-round pick scored his first goal of the season, and just the second of his NHL career, by banging home the rebound on a Colton Dach shot midway through the second period. Nazar has gotten onto the scoresheet in back-to-back games while producing three points in the last seven contests, and he's been seeing consistent shifts on the power play since his mid-December promotion, although typically on the second unit. The 20-year-old center is still learning the ropes at the top level, but he's beginning to flash his upside.

Shore was recalled from AHL Iowa on Thursday.

Shore was reassigned to the AHL on Wednesday, but he'll rejoin the NHL club a day later. The 30-year-old has made 21 appearances for Minnesota this year, logging an assist, 25 hits, 13 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating while averaging 8:21 of ice time.