NHL Player News

McCabe (upper body) will be in the lineup versus New Jersey on Thursday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

McCabe will return following a four-game stint on injured reserve due to his upper-body issue. Prior to his absence, the 31-year-old blueliner was offering decent offensive production with six points in his prior 13 outings -- far better than his 11-game pointless streak in November. With McCabe back in the lineup, Simon Benoit figures to be relegated to a spot in the press box.

Ekblad (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup versus Detroit on Thursday, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.

Ekblad will miss his fourth consecutive game. The 28-year-old defenseman could return Saturday against the Ducks, but if he is unable to go, head coach Paul Maurice said that he was "fairly confident" that Ekblad would be able to play at some point next week, when the Panthers are in California for three games. Ekblad has two goals and 18 assists over 41 appearances this season.

Sebrango was called up from AHL Belleville on Thursday.

Sebrango's promotion comes amid questions regarding Thomas Chabot's (face) availability for Thursday's matchup with Washington. Bringing Sebrango up could be just a precautionary measure, as the Sens don't currently have an extra healthy defenseman on their roster. If Sebrango does get into Thursday's contest, it will likely be on the third pairing alongside either Tyler Kleven or Nikolas Matinpalo.

Brown picked up an assist and added two PIM in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

The helper was Brown's first at the NHL level over seven appearances this season. The 30-year-old is getting a chance to compete for playing time with Troy Stecher, though neither defenseman is likely to do enough to be of interest in fantasy. Brown has added five shots on net, nine PIM, 13 hits, 10 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating this season.

Emberson recorded an assist, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

Emberson has two helpers over his last three contests. The 24-year-old defenseman continues to hold down a regular role on the Oilers' third pairing, and he appears to have a bit more security in the lineup than Troy Stecher or Josh Brown. For the season, Emberson is up to seven helpers, 35 shots on net, 62 hits, 60 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating across 42 appearances.

Kulak notched an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

Kulak snapped a three-game point drought with the helper. The 31-year-old defenseman has played at a career-best pace with 15 points through 44 outings overall while often playing top-four minutes despite being listed on the third pairing most of the time. Kulak has added 68 blocked shots, 71 shots on net and a plus-5 rating as a steady stay-at-home defender.

Bouchard logged a power-play assist and seven shots on goal in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Wild.

Bouchard has been steady since the holiday break with a goal and seven assists over his last 10 games. Five of those helpers have come with the man advantage. The 25-year-old blueliner is up to seven goals, 26 assists, 11 power-play points, 124 shots on net, 68 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating through 44 appearances.

Gostisbehere produced an assist, five shots on goal and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.

This was Gostisbehere's second game back after missing eight contests due to an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old has immediately resumed his role on the top power-play unit, but he also remains on the third pairing at even strength. His helper snapped a five-game slump, and the defenseman is now at 28 points (18 on the power play), 74 shots on net, 32 blocked shots, 30 hits and a minus-5 rating through 37 appearances this season.

Burns notched two assists and eight shots on goal in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.

Burns has racked up five helpers and a plus-4 rating over his last five contests. The defenseman helped out on third-period tallies by Jaccob Slavin and Martin Necas as the Hurricanes attempted to make a comeback that ultimately fell short. Burns is now at 18 points, 104 shots on net, 63 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 45 appearances. He's still seeing big minutes, but the 39-year-old is not a must-have player in fantasy at this stage of his career.

Slavin scored a goal in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.

Slavin broke up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's shutout bid early in the third period. The 30-year-old Slavin has four points over eight outings in January, and he's added a plus-3 rating and 12 blocked shots in that span. Overall, the defenseman has three goals, 14 points, 54 shots on net, 72 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating through 45 appearances in a top-pairing role.