NHL Player News

Pettersson (lower body) will not play versus the Islanders on Saturday, according to Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff.

The good news is that Pettersson was allowed contact at practice for the first time since he was injured in Ottawa on Dec. 14. Pettersson has two goals, 11 assists, 36 hits and 56 blocked shots across 32 games this season. He could be back as early as Sunday in a return match with the Islanders.

Smith was called up from AHL Chicago on Saturday, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

The Hurricanes had only six defensemen on their roster before Smith was recalled. Smith last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 campaign with Pittsburgh, scoring once and adding three helpers in nine regular-season games. Smith had three goals and 10 points in 13 AHL appearances before his recall. He will likely be the seventh defenseman against the Devils on Saturday.

Stanley (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup Saturday versus Ottawa, according to Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

Stanley missed a pair of games before the Christmas break after he was injured in Anaheim on Dec. 18 while blocking a shot. Stanley has one goal, three assists, 53 PIM, 23 hits and 32 blocked shots in 22 games this season.

Werenski recorded four assists, including three on the power play, in Friday's 6-2 win over the Bruins.

Werenski didn't find the back of the net, but that didn't prevent him from being one of the standout performers in this thumping win. He has notched seven assists over his last two games, and he's been nothing short of outstanding over the past few weeks. He's up to 12 assists and three goals in 14 December appearances.

Matinpalo was called up from AHL Belleville on Saturday.

The Senators continue a nine-game road trip with a matchup against Winnipeg on Saturday, and Matinpalo will likely be the seventh defenseman, barring any injuries. Matinpalo played in four games with Ottawa last season but didn't earn a point. He has been a healthy scratch in two contests at the NHL level this campaign.

Kovacevic notched an assist and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Kovacevic entered the holiday break on a nine-game point drought before snapping that slump Friday. The 27-year-old defenseman led all Devils skaters with 22:56 of ice time in this contest and has routinely seen top-four minutes this season. He's up to 11 points, 36 shots on net, 50 hits, 49 blocked shots, 33 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 38 contests. Kovacevic's modest across-the-board production limits his fantasy value to deep formats.

Siegenthaler notched an assist and three blocked shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Siegenthaler had gone 18 games without a point, racking up 37 blocked shots, 22 PIM and 23 hits in that span. The 27-year-old blueliner has looked good in a shutdown role this season, but that lack of offense keeps him out of the picture for most fantasy managers. Overall, he has eight points, 34 shots on net, 32 PIM, 56 hits, 69 blocked shots and a plus-11 rating over 38 outings.

Dillon logged an assist and four hits in Friday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Dillon has a goal and three helpers over his last seven contests. The 34-year-old defenseman has gone on some productive runs of offense in his career, but he's rarely a game-changer through his scoring production. For the season, the veteran has 11 points, 22 shots on net, 96 hits, 57 blocked shots, 44 PIM and a plus-7 rating over 38 appearances.

Pesce notched an assist, two blocked shots, four PIM and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Pesce earned his first point against the Hurricanes, the team he spent the previous nine years with after being drafted in the third round in 2013. The defenseman's tenure with the Devils has been relatively unremarkable -- he's at six points, 44 shots on net, 56 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 29 appearances. He's earned five of those points over the last seven contests, but he remains in more of a defense-first role, so his offense may be fleeting over longer stretches.

Mukhamadullin scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Golden Knights.

The goal was Mukhamadullin's first at the NHL level, as well as his first point through six outings this season. The 22-year-old defenseman has been filling a third-pairing role lately, though he could lose his place in the lineup once Jake Walman (lower body) is ready to return. Mukhamadullin has added eight shots on net, nine blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in 2024-25 while seeing some time with the second power-play unit.