NHL Player News

Bennett scored twice on four shots, dished an assist and added three hits in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Mammoth.

Bennett has had a couple of massive games recently, earning seven points over his last three outings. He's really turned things around since mid-November, racking up six goals and nine helpers over his last 11 contests. For the season, the 29-year-old is at nine goals, 11 assists, 68 shots on net, 58 hits, 24 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 29 appearances.

Klippenstein scored two goals and added an assist in WHL Brandon's 7-3 win over Lethbridge on Wednesday.

Prior to Wednesday, Klippenstein had put up just one assist over his last six outings. The Wild prospect's slumps have been noticeable this season, but he's still tracking toward shattering his point total (28) from the 2024-25 regular season. He's at six goals, 14 helpers, 54 PIM, 56 shots on net and a plus-9 rating through 25 appearances in his third full year with the Wheat Kings.

Helenius scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Rochester's 6-1 win over Belleville on Wednesday.

Helenius has a point in 10 of Rochester's last 11 games, earning five goals and eight assists in that stretch. The 19-year-old has acclimated well to North America over the last two seasons. He had 35 points in 65 regular-season outings as a rookie last year, and he's up to nine goals, 23 points and 73 shots on net through 25 appearances this season. The Sabres will still want to let him dominate the AHL for a while before giving him a shot at an NHL job.

Ostlund scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Rochester's 6-1 win over Belleville on Wednesday.

Ostlund appeared in his first AHL game since Nov. 1 after a lengthy stint with the Sabres. He has six points in 20 games with Buffalo this year, and he's added 10 points and 31 shots over seven outings for Rochester. Any time spent in the AHL now is merely to keep his confidence up until a prominent role in the Sabres' lineup becomes available.

Kuntar agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres on Wednesday.

Kuntar has nine goals, 13 points and 43 PIM in 24 outings with AHL Rochester in 2025-26. The 24-year-old had been playing with Rochester on a one-year AHL contract, and he's now eligible to be summoned to Buffalo. Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports Kuntar will join the Sabres ahead of their game in Vancouver on Thursday.

Pettersson (upper body) is doubtful for Thursday's game against Buffalo, per Ben Kuzma of Postmedia.

Pettersson has missed Vancouver's past two games due to the injury. He's still expected to join the Canucks on their five-game road trip, which will begin Sunday in New Jersey, even if he misses Thursday's match. Pettersson has eight goals and 22 points in 28 outings with Vancouver in 2025-26.

Frederic exited Wednesday's practice after suffering an undisclosed injury, Tony Brar of Oilers TV.

Brar believes Frederic was struck in the face with the puck. The 27-year-old Frederic has two goals, three points, 25 PIM and 71 hits in 30 appearances this season. If he can't play Thursday versus Detroit, then Edmonton might need to call a forward up from the minors.

Bjugstad (upper body) will be out of action for the next five days, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports Wednesday, which means he will be out for the Blues' next three games.

Bjugstad was injured against Boston on Tuesday and will now be facing about a week out of the lineup. In Bjugstad's stead, the team signed Robby Fabbri to a two-way contract and will insert him into the lineup versus the Predators on Thursday. For his part, Bjugstad has struggled offensively this year with just five points in 25 appearances. Don't be surprised to see Bjugstad land on injured reserve, given his recovery timeline.

Kuraly logged two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blues.

Kuraly had been limited to just one helper over his previous 14 games. The 32-year-old had a hand in both of Mark Kastelic's tallies in Tuesday's contest. Kuraly is at eight points, 45 shots on net, 29 hits, 22 blocked shots and 20 PIM over 31 appearances this season, serving as a penalty killer and fourth-line center.

Zacha scored an empty-net goal on six shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blues.

Zacha has three goals and two assists over his four-game point streak to start December. He was limited to six points over 13 outings in November, but he's bounced back well, even with his ice time trending downward a little bit. The 28-year-old center has eight goals, 22 points, 49 shots on net, 29 hits, 20 PIM and a minus-3 rating through 30 appearances this season, primarily in a second-line role.