NHL Player News

Gaucher scored three goals in AHL Lehigh Valley's 7-3 win over Bridgeport on Saturday.

Gaucher is knocking on the door of a second straight 20-goal season for the Phantoms. He has 19 tallies, 35 points, 95 shots on net and a minus-9 rating over 65 appearances. He had gone five contests without a point prior to Saturday.

Stamkos scored a goal and added an assist Saturday in a 2-1 win over Minnesota.

The goal was his 40th of the season (63 points). It's the eighth time in his 18 NHL seasons that Stamkos has scored 40 regular-season goals. He is third on the all-time active goal scorer's list (622), and he's the fourth active NHLer to score 40 or more goals with two franchises. The others? Alex DeBrincat (Chicago and Detroit), Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay) and Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary and Florida).

Geekie scored a goal in a 2-1 loss to the Lightning on Saturday.

It was Geekie's fourth goal in two games. He gave his team a 1-0 lead at the midpoint of the second period when he beat Andrei Vasilevskiy glove side on a breakaway. Geekie sits in a six-way tie for 13th on the NHL goal list with 38 snipes. He has 67 points, including 24 on the power play (12 goals, 12 assists), 178 shots, 110 hits, 33 blocks and 22 PIM in 79 games this season.

Nazar (mouth) won't return to Saturday's game versus the Blues.

After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill indicated Nazar would need dental work. Nazar took a puck to the face in the second period and left the ice in frustration. Considering the Blackhawks have just two games on the schedule after Saturday, there may not be enough time for him to get back into the lineup if the injury is significant.

Wright (upper body) is expected to miss Saturday's game against Calgary, per Sound of Hockey.

Wright hasn't been in the lineup since March 28 because of the injury. He has 11 goals and 26 points in 72 outings in 2025-26. His next opportunity to return will come Monday versus Los Angeles.

Strome (illness) is good to play Saturday versus Seattle, per Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Strome has eight goals and 20 points in 49 outings between Calgary and Anaheim in 2025-26. He missed Thursday's 3-1 loss to Colorado due to illness, but he will return to a third-line role alongside Blake Coleman and Aydar Suniev against the Kraken on Saturday.

Bennett (undisclosed) won't play Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Bennett will sit for the first time since March 29, which was the second game of a personal absence. If his injury is even a little bit of a concern, the Panthers may opt to shut him down for the remainder of the season.

Verhaeghe (undisclosed) won't play Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

The Panthers arguably have more talent out of the lineup than in it at this point, with Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett (undisclosed) the latest players to exit. Verhaeghe's status for the final two games of the season is unclear, but it wouldn't be surprising if he got shut down with Florida eliminated from playoff contention.

Staal (undisclosed) will play against Utah on Saturday, according to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

Staal sat out Thursday's 7-2 win over Chicago. He has collected 19 goals, 34 points, 103 shots on net and 166 hits in 74 appearances this season.

Jankowski (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup against the Mammoth on Saturday.

Jankowski has 10 goals, 20 points, 61 shots on net, 41 blocked shots and 44 hits in 66 contests this season. He is day-to-day and probably getting some rest ahead of the start of the playoffs.